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#282233 - 31/05/2006 01:23 Outdoor cooktop
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
SWMBO has gotten increasingly sensitive to cooking smells over the years to the point where I'm now looking into cooking outside. My problem, though, is that I'm not really that interested in grilling. What I'd really like is an outdoor cooktop, basically just gas eyes. I wouldn't say no to a grill as part of it, but almost everything I see is a grill plus an ancillary burner or two. I'd rather have four eyes and a small grill.

In addition, I've seen some things that are essentially just campstoves on legs, but they make me nervous. I'd rather have a sturdier base that I'm less likely to trip over.

The closest I've found is Char-Broil's Outdoor Stovetop, which looks nice, but is just one burner, and I need more than that.

I've had the thought that it might be possible to install a natural gas cooktop meant for indoor use outside (and hook it up to NG), but I have the feeling that it probably wouldn't stand up to the elements very well.

I also don't want to spend $2000 on it.

Does anyone have any ideas?
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#282234 - 31/05/2006 15:16 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
lastdan
enthusiast

Registered: 31/05/2002
Posts: 352
Loc: santa cruz,ca
my mother had a neat old stove, she said it was a world war 2 french army camp stove, I have no idea why she thought this, anyway- it was only about 3 or 4 inches tall, about 28 inches wide (3 burners) and maybe 12 deep. very heavy iron. not the kind of thing you could tip over, but still not so heavy that you couldn't lift and move it with ease.
she set it on top of a slab of marble and piped gas to it. it was the stove I grew up with and used for about 10 years. it's still in use today.

this is the closest thing I could find on the net ..


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#282235 - 31/05/2006 15:54 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: lastdan]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Yeah, that's basically the same thing as the campstove on legs I posted before. I don't know that I trust myself to find something fireproof, inexpensive, and stable to put it on, though.

There are similar things made for the commercial applications that are a little more well built. Think "omelet station". Here's one, albeit electric and way too pricy.
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#282236 - 31/05/2006 16:56 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
You could always get a Chimenea (see also here), or even a classic wood burning stove. You can probably find an old cast-iron wood burning stove in some antique shop for chump change. Clean it up, season it properly, and it will provide all the heat (albeit without much in the way of temperature control) that you could ever need for cooking.

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#282237 - 31/05/2006 17:06 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Induction cooktops?

They're cheap and the cooktop itself doesn't get hot (I think). Maybe you can buy a few of those? I believe your pots and pans need to have very straight and level bottoms.
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#282238 - 31/05/2006 17:47 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: robricc]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Newegg is selling kitchen gear? Weird.

An induction cooktop is not a terrible idea. I'd have to get some electricity installed outdoors, and I'd still have to give some thought to a stand to put it on, but it's something to think about.
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#282239 - 31/05/2006 17:49 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: DWallach]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
I don't know how I'd use a chiminea to cook on, really. If you can explain to me how I could saute some vegetables, for example, I'd love to hear it.
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#282240 - 31/05/2006 17:56 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
JBjorgen
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Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
The burners in the picture that lastdan posted are exactly what you want. Simple, easy to use. We use them when we're camping. Just hook to a propane tank and away you go. If you want something to set it on, just use a large rectangle pan. Use a non-stick one for easy cleanup.
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#282241 - 31/05/2006 18:10 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: JBjorgen]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
I currently have no table outside.

I am more than liable to trip over the propane hose, bring the whole thing down, and burn my house.

I do not feel confident in constructing a stand for it.

Therefore, I need something with an integrated stand of some nature. I find it amazing that no one seems to sell these things in an enclosed case. Basically, I just want this for the outside.
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#282242 - 31/05/2006 18:14 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
Ezekiel
pooh-bah

Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
So contract someone to build a stand, or buy a workstation and cut a hole for a cooktop like this one.

Or maybe this one (with stand) from Home Depot

This one might be budget overkill.

-Zeke


Edited by Ezekiel (31/05/2006 18:20)
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#282243 - 31/05/2006 18:16 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Yes, we all know Wal Mart is the devil, but this might be getting closer to what you want.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4809684

I wasn't aware you were willing to use a propane tank.
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#282244 - 31/05/2006 18:18 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: robricc]
robricc
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/10/2000
Posts: 4931
Loc: New Jersey, USA
Camping suppliers seem to be the key here...
http://www.ahappycamper.com/products/stoves/partner/4burner.html
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#282245 - 31/05/2006 18:20 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: robricc]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Yeah, I can get something similar from places other than Wal-Mart. But if you take a look at the dimensions, it's 28" tall. Hardly high enough to work on without something else underneath it.
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#282246 - 31/05/2006 18:24 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: Ezekiel]
lastdan
enthusiast

Registered: 31/05/2002
Posts: 352
Loc: santa cruz,ca


that thing is slick! (EDIT: yikes ! ~$900.00)

questions:
do you plan to pipe gas to it or use a tank?
why not buy a patio table to stand it on (and the tank below)
would you rather use electric?

have you considered just getting a gas grill and simply putting pans on it? (I do it all the time, works just fine)


Edited by lastdan (31/05/2006 18:30)

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#282247 - 31/05/2006 18:27 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: Ezekiel]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Yeah. It's really starting to look like my options are:
  1. Buy a tabletop cooktop and construct a box around it
  2. Buy a grill and deal with a single "side-burner"
  3. Buy an "outdoor kitchen" and spend $5000

I'm not a big fan of any of those options, but I guess I'll have to make do.

I think I might go to my local grill store and ask them if they have any options.

The Home Depot Bayou one is 25" tall. I'm not really sure of the point of the "extension legs" on those things. Maybe midgets are the only people who want to cook outside besides me.

The "budget overkill" one is neat, but no burners. I don't want to have to heat up the whole griddle just to cook in one pan.
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Bitt Faulk

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#282248 - 31/05/2006 18:32 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: lastdan]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
I was planning to just use a tank. We have natural gas at home, but I don't really feel like paying a plumber to hook up a pipe outside, nor do I feel like making it a permanent fixture.

I'm nervous about an open flame on top of a table not designed for it. And my wife is way more skittish about such things than I am.

I don't have an electrical outlet outside, tho it's not unreasonable to get an electrician in to put an outlet outside.

I hadn't considered just putting pans directly on a grill. If that's a reasonable solution, why do people have the separate "side burners" on grills?
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#282249 - 31/05/2006 18:33 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
Quote:
I don't know how I'd use a chiminea to cook on, really. If you can explain to me how I could saute some vegetables, for example, I'd love to hear it.

A classic wood burning stove can certainly do what you want, particularly the antique models that have a flat part on top, specifically for cooking on.

A chiminea is more like a funky barbeque grill into which you can place pans or Dutch ovens or whatnot.

Alton Brown, on Good Eats, loves this sort of alternative cooking technique. For example, you need lots of heat for proper wok technique -- more heat than you can get out of normal, indoor cooktop burners. He uses an outdoor turkey deep fryer base in one episode. In a later episode, he sticks the wok directly into the coals of a Weber grill. Either way, you get all the heat you need. The only downside is that you give up the sort of fine temperature control that you can get with gas burners.

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#282250 - 31/05/2006 18:36 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: DWallach]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
It's not that I need "fine" temperature control, but I do need temperature control. I could stick a pan in some burning coals, but it's unlikely that I'd both be able to sweat some onions and sear a steak with that method.
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Bitt Faulk

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#282251 - 31/05/2006 18:51 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
Ezekiel
pooh-bah

Registered: 25/08/2000
Posts: 2413
Loc: NH USA
Quote:
1. Buy a tabletop cooktop and construct a box around it


It seems to me that you might be able to purchase a stand-alone cabinet pre-made (like you would for a kitchen renovation) and then all you'd need to do is create the top for it with the custom cutout for the cooktop. You could store the tank in the bottom and it would be pretty neat/tidy setup.

Those built-in outdoor cooktops look like they're constructed for just this purpose (totally enclosed burners - no chance of lighting the support structure on fire).

-Zeke
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#282252 - 31/05/2006 19:15 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
Quote:
Basically, I just want this for the outside.

There's no reason you couldn't install that outside, as long as you keep it covered when not in use.

It sounds like what you really need is a friend that is a metal fabricator. I have a friend that is a metal fabricator and also owns a machine shop. He might take it on for extra money. If you could have a four burner unit like this one: on a stand with a place to mount the tank underneath, would that be sufficient? Maybe with 12 inches of counter space on either side and a drip pan underneath?

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#282253 - 31/05/2006 19:34 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: wfaulk]
DWallach
carpal tunnel

Registered: 30/04/2000
Posts: 3810
Quote:
It's not that I need "fine" temperature control, but I do need temperature control. I could stick a pan in some burning coals, but it's unlikely that I'd both be able to sweat some onions and sear a steak with that method.

Maybe you want a barbeque with an adjustable height grating. Raise it or lower it as needed. You'd probably also want to get yourself a whizzy digital laser thermometer so you can figure out whether your pan is hotter or colder than you were expecting.

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#282254 - 31/05/2006 19:54 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: JBjorgen]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
Well, that was the top of a $2000 stove, so no. But I get your point.

I'd like something that was enclosed so I couldn't trip over the legs, but just spot welding some sheet metal onto the legs would be fine, although a cabinet underneath would be snazzy.

Let me go to the grill store to see what they can tell me before I commit to anything, but I appreciate the help. That goes for everyone actually. Thanks.
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#282255 - 31/05/2006 19:57 Re: Outdoor cooktop [Re: JBjorgen]
JBjorgen
carpal tunnel

Registered: 19/01/2002
Posts: 3584
Loc: Columbus, OH
Alternatively, you could do an electric one using this:

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