Watch: FireDisc Cooker – The Grill That’s Not a Grill
Russ Chastain 08.16.17
When I saw “FireDisc” in the subject of a PR email in my mailbox, I wasn’t quite sure what to think. I actually pictured some sort of wood-burner that uses proprietary wood discs as fuel — but that was way off.
It’s pretty much a huge frying pan with a propane burner below. The pan (or Disc) sits atop a powder-coated steel stand, which is reminiscent of a stand for a turkey fryer. The difference is that this stand is made in two pieces which nest together, and come apart easily to make it a lot smaller for transporting. And although it has 4 legs instead of 3, the fact that it’s flexible should allow it to adjust to uneven surfaces (theoretically, anyhow).
Here’s what they say about it:
The FireDisc portable propane cooker was designed to be easily transported. Unlike charcoal grills which don’t disassemble and are difficult to transport, FireDisc is easy to bring along. It will easily fit into a truck, boat or RV. The flexible stand also adapts easily to uneven surfaces.
The entire FireDisc system consists of two stand sections that nest together without tools or hardware, plus the disc itself, which sets on top of the stand. It takes mere seconds to assemble or disassemble, and the three pieces lay flat for easy transport or storage. The FireDisc features heavy-duty, high polished, tempered ultra-high carbon steel construction. The stand and burner are all powder coated with a premium thermoplastic pure silicone resin that’s baked on at 450° F to form a virtually impenetrable protective skin.
There are two types of Discs: Deep or Shallow. I would prefer deep, because it has sides — to prevent the food from flying hither & yon as it’s stirred or flipped. Also, they claim you can use it as a large cookpot for liquid meals like soups, or for deep frying:
FireDisc comes with either a deep or shallow pan. The deep pan allows you to deep fry and cook soups, stews and chili and a larger volume of food. The shallow pan is great for anything non-liquid and it takes up less space. Both pans provide an ample cooking surface that allows users to cook multiple food items at once due to the varying temperatures on different areas of the disc. FireDisc Cookers are available in both a 36-inch countertop-height stand or a more compact 24-inch tall model.
This short commercial shows you the basics, claiming “It’s like a grill without grates or a wok without walls.”
They also say it “seasons like a cast-iron skillet and cleans up fast with just water.”
They come in two heights: 24″ and 36″ and from the get-go they are set up to take small disposable propane tanks. I suppose this is what allows them to tout its portability, but I would imagine that would cost a lot more than hooking it to a standard refillable propane tank. For $20, you can buy a 4-foot hose to allow you to do just that.
Standard colors are limited to red or black, but right now they have “limited edition” models available in a few team colors on their product page.
Considering the prices ($279.99 for a 24″ shallow, $399.99 for 36″ deep) I would expect a FireDisc to include all options, including the longer hose, the $34.99 “Wind Helmet” to allow it to work in windy conditions, and the $12.99 “Firepower Orifice” for faster heating of soups and chilis when the deep pan is really loaded with stuff. But that doesn’t seem to have hurt the popularity of the FireDisc, and it does look a lot more useful & flexible than any grill.
This fall FireDisc commercial shows some good-looking grub being scorched up in camp:
The deep pan is described as 22″ diameter and 5″ deep by the guy reviewing it in the following video.
https://youtu.be/7k7A6gVK89Y
What do you think? Worthwhile, worth the money, or worth the wait for a wave of Chinese imitations to hit the shelves in Wal-Mart?
