Although this grill is well made and reasonably priced, that’s not much use if it doesn’t cook well – fortunately it delivers on this front too. It uses what Weber calls a ‘flavorizer bar’ to evenly distribute heat over the surface of the grill, and it seems to work. For adding a nice smokey taste to your steaks, try tossing a few hickory chips on the flavorizer – delicious!

At the more expensive end of the market you will find portable gas stoves like the Foker Triple Burner. A sturdy cast-iron frame holds three burners which have a higher output (4kw per burner) than the cheaper models. Conveniently it can run on either butane or propane. There are also some great portable gas grills on the market, such as the Weber ‘Q’ range which are always rated highly in reviews.

The Camp Chef Camping Outdoor Oven is deceptively large and heats up quickly, it also retains the heat very well. Two oven racks are included. The double burners are set well apart so they can take decent sized saucepans, they have an electric ignition system so don’t require matches or a lighter. The oven costs around $185 and is built to last – look after it and it will give you many year’s trouble-free service. If you’re looking for a simple portable gas stove without an oven, then the Max Burton portable gas stove is a good choice.

A portable gas stove and burner combination like this one will take your camp cooking to a new level!

Weighing in at under 20lbs, the Coleman PerfectFlow is one of the most compact and easily portable gas grills available.

At the higher end of the market, the Coleman Road Trip Pro is a neat design which comes with a stand and wheels and can be assembled and disassembled very quickly without the need for any tools. This is a high-quality portable grill which is built to last. It has two fully adjustable burners rated at 12,000 BTUs each, providing plenty of power for cooking in even the coldest conditions. The grill area is a generous 345 sq ins. and is porcelain-coated, making it easy to keep clean. It has two side tables with built-in tool holders. You can use either standard 16.4 oz. gas bottles or a 20lb tank with this grill.

The Coleman Road Trip Pro portable gas grill can be found for just under $300, and many people consider it to be one of the best products of its kind currently on the market. Another very popular choice is the Weber ‘Q’ range, such as the Weber Q200.

It uses standard 8oz butane gas canisters. You can pick up a Max Burton Mr. Max Portable Table Top Butane Stove for under $40, which represents very good value for money. Canisters for stoves like these cost around $3 each and you can expect them to last between 2 and 8 hours of cooking time.

If you’re looking for a more comprehensive solution, then the Camp Chef Outdoor Oven comes with two powerful burners, plus a really good oven.

What you intend to use your grill or stove for obviously dictates to some degree the size of stove you need. If you regularly cook for a large number of people, then a two to four burner model will be more useful. For just a couple of people, a single burner may suffice. If you plan on using it on your RV or caravan holidays, then size and weight is less of an issue than it will be if you want to take it camping. You can find single burner gas stoves which weigh less than 5 lbs; some multi-burner models can weigh well over ten times this. Many portable stoves come with their own carrying cases, which can be a great convenience.

Usability

Obviously, no portable gas stove is going to be any use unless it can cook your food quickly and efficiently. Unless extreme portability is your goal, or you normally just cook for one, then a model with two or more burners is much easier to cook on. You may see a lot of references to ‘BTUs’ in a stove or grill’s specifications. This is short for British Thermal Units, and refers to the amount of heat required to heat a pound of water one degree farenheit. However, in this case it’s more useful as a measure of gas consumption than heat output. If looking for a grill, choose a model which has a sturdy rack with a fairly large gap size. Side tables are included with some designs, and they can be very useful. If choosing a grill or stove with a stand, then it’s vital to choose a sturdy one; there are some flimsy models that simply aren’t stable and are potentially dangerous.

Maintenance

Stoves and grills get messy very easily and it’s important to find one that’s easy to maintain. With a grill, a porcelain coated rack is much easier to clean than a poor quality metal one (though that’s not to say there aren’t good quality stainless steel ones on the market).

You can use either standard 14.1 oz or 16.4 oz propane cylinders with this model. Although the frame is made from glass reinforced nylon, the grill is pretty heavy at about 36lbs – this is down to the quality materials used in its construction. The folding tables on either side of the grill are very useful, and also feature integral tool holders.

Many people consider the Weber Q200 to be the best compact grill available today, and as it’s available for under $190, it represents very good value for money. A more economical, but equally good option is the Weber Q100 at around $135, it is also lighter at 29 lbs and more easily portable.

A Weber ‘Q’ Series Grill in Action