The Cadac Safari Chef
Cadac Safari Chef versatile camping cooker
In this Article
Introduction
The great outdoors. Apart from ensuring you don’t become a dehydrated raisin or a soggy sponge while out camping, the next big thing would be to feast like a king …or queen. Bonus points if a meal is hearty enough to make you and your fellow campers do a happy dance. Make space for the Cadac Safari Chef, the versatile little camping cooker.
We all try to keep things simple and usually don’t resort to fine dining fussiness while out in the sticks. A good ol’ braai on an open fire usually does the trick. But just as we can’t predict the lotto numbers, we can’t always predict what Mother Nature has in store for us and sometimes her mean streak rains on our parade (literally)! Your dream of that perfectly braaied steak suddenly goes up in smoke, leaving one scrambling (sometimes eggs).
Enter stage left, the trusty gas plate cooker, like a knight in shining armour. Whether it’s compact, like the Safari Chef, or a bit more elaborate they do more than just boil water for our coffee. It truly is a versatile little camp cooker.
Heads up, as you can see, my model dates back to the early naughties (and shows subtle signs of use), thus clearly this post is not sponsored in any way or form. I just like this little device and it can be a game-changer.

And with that introduction, drumroll please… One of my favourite multipurpose cooking gadgets: the Cadac Safari Chef! It’s a little like the Swiss Army knife of camp cooking.
What is in the box?
- The Main Unit: With foldable legs, it attaches to portable gas canisters and stands tall, even on the ground. Perfect height for all your culinary escapades. It can also connect to a normal LPG gas bottle.
- Pot Stand: Compatible with any of your pots and pans (below 30cm diameter of course), to help make that gourmet meal you dream of.
- Fat Pan: Catches all those drips, making cleanup a breeze (especially if you add a bit of water before you braai). Plus, it doubles as a windbreak, ensuring even heat distribution. I’ve even used it to smoke chicken and fish with some smoker chips. Talk about versatile!
- BBQ Grid: Or as we like to call it, “die braai rooster.” Whether it’s chicken, fish, meat, or mushrooms, this grid’s got you covered.
- Non-stick Flat Grill Plate: Perfect for frying eggs, making buttered fillet, searing salmon, stove-top pizzas, flapjacks, and so much more. Your camp breakfasts just got an upgrade!
- Dual-purpose Dome: Cuts down cooking times when used as a lid with the BBQ grid. Making chicken? Pop this on top to keep the heat in. Making pan pizzas? Cover the pizza to melt the cheese while the base cooks. Flip it over, and it becomes a pot for cooking corn on the cob or a wok for fried noodles and rice dishes.
So there it is, almost everything you’ll need to make sure that the campers don’t riot around breakfast, lunch or dinner. This little gadget has been our go-to for everything from boiling water and braaiing meat to whipping up pizzas, pitas, stir-fries, chicken, and more. It’s like having a mini kitchen in the wild! The only other thing that could elevate your camp cooking more, would be having two of them.
This is a well-thought-out product, perfect for two people, but even for a family of four, it serves us well. You can also expand on this little gadget with various add-ons offered, like a paella pan and a lid as well as a pizza stone (which has been on my list forever, but you know how it goes). The one accessory I did invest in early on was the Safari Chef Hose Adapter.
By default, my unit runs on gas cartridges, which are super handy for picnics. But let’s be honest, the price of those cartridges quickly adds up after a few days in the bush, camping. That is where the hose adapter comes into play. It connects the Safari Chef directly to an LPG gas cylinder. This is the setup I use 98% of the time. But we always ensure that we still have at least a gas cartridge packed. It is always great to have a backup, but more than that, it makes a quick outing for a picnic just so much more manageable.
Conclusion
So that concludes the Cadac Safari Chef versatile little camp cooker as an item on my camping favourites list. Should you like to know more about it feel free to ask a question or to give your input in the forum post!

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