Camp Chef Pie Irons
Reviewed by
DrPhun
+293
November 28, 2014
Works surprisingly well.
Pros
- Works surprisingly well
- Fun around the camp fire
- Easier to clean than expected
Cons
- A little heavy
When I was a kid, there were a couple of these things at a cabin my family had. I wasn’t ever allowed to use them, so of course they fascinated me.
I bought one at REI a short time ago and used it while car camping (it would be too heavy to carry) to make grilled cheese sandwiches over a campfire. It worked really well.
The instructions said to butter the bread before putting it into the iron. Instead, I heated the iron over the coals and then used a stick of butter to lube the inside. The bread didn’t fit perfectly due to variations in bread size, so a little poked out the side beyond what was clamped in the sides of the iron – I trimmed this off, but the instructions say you can let this burn off.
I was worried that it would be easy to burn the sandwich, but even though the fire was very hot (thank goodness for long handles!) that wasn’t a problem. I did take it away from the fire and open it up to check a couple times to check on browning (and I was holding over the coals, not sticking it in the coals.). This is cast iron – not sure if the cast aluminum ones burn more quickly due to less thermal mass.
Cleanup was not bad — by lubing it up well, I only had to wipe it down with paper towels and then a more thorough wash when I got home.
Anyone have any suggestions on other sandwiches to cook in it?
Source: bought it new
Price Paid: Don't recall
