You can now go camping without having to compromise on meals, with the world’s first top-heating grill that folds up to a briefcase-sized portable kit when not in use.
Two years in the making, the StoviGo is a remarkable and sturdy outdoors essential – and New Atlas has had the pleasure of both setting up and cooking with it. It is powered by gas, which heats up an infrared top-heating panel that gives any food inside an even cook, and also heats the top surface for a secondary hotplate.
Quick Setup StoviGo in 1 Minute
Because the oven uses infrared heating elements, you can prep the most extravagant campsite feast you want – think roasts, large pizzas – and an adjustable plate lets you control the grill without producing the smoke of a traditional camp stove. The tray fits into five rack slots and the space – 11 x 11 x 8 inches ( 28 x 28 x 20 cm) – is large enough to roast a chicken and more, if that’s your camping style.
While the internal oven is the big drawcard, heating to up to 900 °F (482 °C), the top surface can reach around 400 °F (204 °C), which you can use to cook with or keep sides or plates warm. Though you’ll need to be mindful of the temperature when using it, especially if there are little hands around the campsite.
Made from tough stainless steel, the StoviGo is easy to assemble, disassemble and clean. And because there’s no heat source for liquids to drop down onto while cooking, there’s next to no smoke. What’s more, residual gases circulating are then burned too, reducing smoke even further and adding to its cooking efficiency.
StoviGo
So while it’s aimed at the camping crowd, it could just as easily work as a backyard or apartment balcony grill, or even be used indoors. What’s more, a small gas canister provides around four hours on a midrange heat setting – which is more than enough to cook a weekend’s worth of food.
As the team says, this will get you almost 50 10-ounce (280-g) steaks cooked with one 16-ounce (450 g) propane gas supply (it can also be fueled by butane). And once you hit the ignition switch to fire it up, it takes just two minutes to heat up – and has low, medium and high settings so you can control the temperature once it’s going.
StoviGo
The kit weighs 15.87 pounds (7.2 kg), sans gas supply, so you probably don’t want to be hiking for days with it, but its compact size is ideal for slotting in the trunk with the rest of your camping supplies.
The StoviGo is now part of a Kickstarter campaign where you can preorder the oven for US$299, which is a huge discount from its expected retail price of $599. With it, you’ll also get a handy carry bag and a meat thermometer – a Kickstarter exclusive.
The team has now surpassed its fundraising goal so StoviGo is expected to be shipped in October.
While many people, rightly so, may be wary of Kickstarter campaigns not delivering what’s promised, the team behind this handy product, REVO, have a long history of producing heating grills and have invested years tweaking and testing the StoviGo to get it right.
Source: Kickstarter