Cooking with fire is an entirely different proposition to using your conventional grill or oven. It's thrilling, it's elemental, it’s visceral.  Chefs like Niklas Ekstedt have made it fashionable, creative and exciting. 

Which is no surprise. Those long, hot afternoons.  The appetising, mouth-watering aroma.  The elevation of flavour from the smoke. The almost primal appeal of cooking with fire.

But … the problem with “barbecuing” is that it can be somewhat of a challenge to do it well.  Even – dare I say – intimidating at times. 

Do I need special techniques?  Do I need to be very manly and rugged?  Do I need some Special Forces goggles to keep the smoke out of my eyes, every time the wind changes?  As many of us know to our cost!  And – if we’re honest – it can all be a bit of a faff, especially when you embrace the magic of cooking with charcoal rather than gas. Gas doesn’t add extra flavour, the flavour compounds from fire cooking actually come from the aroma created from the fire.  

How To Make Cooking With Fire Amazing And Easy.

There is now an answer to all of those problems.  The new Charlie Charcoal Oven … which makes cooking with fire easy, and less time-consuming, and more delicious than ever before.  

This article will explain everything you need to know about cooking with charcoal and fire; and why cooking with the Charlie Oven is effortless.  With none of the risk - and all of the reward.  

Cooking with charcoal and fire takes food to a whole new level. With the Charlie Oven, there are no special skills required, but it makes you feel like a chef every time you use it.

 

Why Cook With Fire - It's All About Complex Layers Of Flavour

Like anything with food, it really all boils down to (pun intended) TASTE. Cooking with fire – from charcoal and wood - creates new layers of flavour, depth, complexity and sophistication that you simply cannot achieve with gas. It transforms the taste of – well – pretty much anything.

Meat and fish?  Seafood?  Of course.  But think sauces, vegetables, fruit, desserts, cream, gravy, pizzas, paellas, stews. All transformed to something special through the alchemy of fire and smoke.

Enjoy cooking outside all year long

With a Charlie Oven, it’s a piece of cake (yes, you can cook puddings in it too!) even for beginners to learn how to cook with charcoal and fire.

But having a few top tips in mind can help ensure that even your first few attempts are - shall we say - well-received by your expectant audience. None of that waiting around for ages, standing in the garden with your drink getting warm, your tummy rumbling, only for the barbecue-ist to rustle-up a burnt offering in the (approximate) shape of a sausage. 

When you cook with charcoal and wood there’s a world of flavour waiting for you to capture. The challenge is to harness all those smoky notes, rather than just letting it all escape into the air. Some equipment like kamados and kettle bbq allow the smoke and heat to escape when they are opened.  

If you’re not lucky enough to live in a location where you would naturally cook outdoors all year long (which, sadly, excludes everywhere in Britain!), you’re missing out on lots of delicious meals and an excuse to get together with friends and family more often. 

What’s the answer?  Given that winter can be long, cold, wet and gloomy, and even “summer” is absolutely no guarantee of what you might deem to be “barbecuing weather”, consider investing in a proper outdoor oven.  

The Charlie Oven is designed with a front-opening door, and totally weatherproof finish, to allow you cook outside come rain, snow, or shine.  

No autumn leaves landing on your food, no fine drizzle to take the sizzle out of your charcoal, no blasts of cold air whipping the heat away as soon as you lift a big old lid.

Charlie Oven Makes Outdoor Cooking Beautiful
 
Outdoor cooking equipment is rarely considered a thing of beauty in the garden. Often tucked away in a corner, maybe looking a little the worse for wear after a winter outdoors.
 
With the Charlie Oven we made it our priority to make our ovens look beautiful. We have a range of vibrant colours which add interest to the garden all year round.