Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review in a sentence: dual-burner, highly-portable gas stove for car camping and beyond.
T3's coverage of the best camping stoves lacked larger appliances – until now, that is! Admittedly, hiking/backpacking-friendly stoves are more popular among our readers, which is understandable, as lightweight cooking units can, in theory, be used for cooking for multiple people. However, even the most sophisticated ultra-portable stove will be more faff to use for cooking multiple portions of food than the simplest dual-burner stove, let alone competent ones such as the Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove.
Full disclosure, I was planning on using the Camping Chef DLX while actually camping, but ended up testing it on my balcony as we postponed our recent camping trip due to the moderate thunderstorm warning (which never came). Nevertheless, I managed to get a good sense of how the unit performs during my balcony sessions. I will also mention the Twin Connection CV/R Regulator in this review, which I was also sent at the same time as the Camping Chef DLX.
(First reviewed June 2023)
Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review: price and availability
The Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove is available to buy now for a recommended retail price of £100 (approx. $127/ AU$ 188). It's currently only available in Europe. US and AU price and availability TBC. To find the nearest retailer, check out Campigaz's store locator. For the best Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove deals, check out the price widgets at the top and bottom of this review.
Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review: specifications
- Cartridge Connection Type: Easy Clic Plus valve cartridge connection
- Fuel Source: CV470+
- Gas Consumption Total: 3 x 109 g/h
- Ignition Type: Piezo
- Number of burners: two (plus one infrared grill)
- Power: 3 x 1500W
- Weight: 4 kg (8.8 oz.)
- Dimensions (closed): 600 x 325 x 85 mm (23 x 12.8 x 3.3 in)
Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review: design and build quality
Campigaz describes the Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove as a "classic, 2-burner stove with an additional radiant grill" – that's exactly what it is. However, despite the traditional design, this stove reflects the technological advancements made since you saw your grandad cooking beans on their mid-century portable stove when you went camping as a kid.
The Camping Chef DLX features child safety knobs, integrated windshields, and an innovative grill pan with "useful dents for optimum cooking and storage." The two 1500W burners are placed further apart, enabling you to place full-size pans on the stove, so you won't have to fiddle around cooking the same dish three times for your friends or family.
In the middle of the unit, you'll find a 1500W infrared grill with a grill pan, allowing you to toast/grill food while cooking on the two gas stoves.
At 4 kg (8.8 oz.), the Camping Chef DLX certainly isn't a backpacking stove, but it's highly portable nonetheless, thanks to the painted steel lid and carry handle. The chromed steel surface also makes it easy to wipe clean the unit if you spill anything during cooking.
Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review: performance
I didn't know what to expect from the Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove. The stats looked good, but as I learned many times before, just because a product looks promising on paper doesn't mean it'll actually perform well under real-life circumstances.
Thankfully, this wasn't the case with the Camping Chef DLX. After the failed camping attempt, I was adamant about trying the stove on the balcony the day after. And since we had already packed all the breakfast ingredients for the camping trip the day before, I thought, 'Hey, I might as well cook beans and bacon and toast now.'
So, I set out to do just that, slightly worried it would take ages. In reality, it took under 10 minutes from opening the lid of the Camping Chef DLX to serving the food, which was refreshing to experience. In fact, I had to turn the stoves down a bit so that the beans won't turn into mush while I cooked the bacon in the pan.
I loved the infrared grill in the middle that toasts bread while you cook; it's a nice touch. I also appreciated the piezo igniters because there is nothing worse when you're out camping and wanting to cook, just to realise you forgot to pack a lighter/matches. This won't be an issue with the Camping Chef DLX.
After cooking, the unit cooled down quickly, although it wasn't on for more than 10 minutes, as mentioned above, and was kept in the shade on the balcony. That said, the thin stainless steel body of the Camping Chef DLX shouldn't hold a lot of heat, which helps speed up the cool-down process.
Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review: Twin Connection CV/R Regulator
As mentioned above, I was also Twin Connection CV/R Regulator along with the Camping Chef DLX. This handy little device enables you to connect cartridges or canisters to your Campigaz stove, which initially sounded redundant, but now that I've tried it, I don't think I'll ever leave it out of my camping stove setup.
Why? Because it lets you swap out your fuel source to either on the fly. You might have a half-empty canister on you, which runs out on the second day, and what are you going to do if no one else has another one? You're in the right pickle. With the Twin Connection CV/R Regulator, you can swap them in and out in seconds.
The Campingaz Twin Connection achieves this by having both the Campingaz Refillable gas cylinder screw connection and the Campingaz Easy Clic Plus cartridge connection as a single unit. Either connection can power the device; however, only one fuel source can be connected at any time, preventing excessive gas flow.
The Campingaz Twin Connection is recommended for use on Campingaz cylinder double burner appliances with a maximum of 2000 Watts per burner and single burner appliances with a maximum of 2500 Watts.
Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove review: verdict
The Campingaz Camping Chef DLX Stainless Infrared Gas Stove is a perfect blend of old-school design and modern features. It's portable but big enough to fit two decent size pans simultaneously, and thanks to the double 1500W output and the 1500W infrared grill, you can cook whatever you want on it fast.
Once you've done cooking, the unit will cool down quickly and cleaning the Camping Chef DLX is also a breeze. Better still, you can easily fold it up and transport it, thanks to the suitcase-style integrated carry case. It might not be small enough to fit into a hiking backpack, but it's an excellent solution for car camping (and balcony cooking sessions).
