My New "Toy", an Outdoor Stove

We recently bought an outdoor umbrella from Costco. I decided to go back to Lowes to look for a umbrella stand that matches my patio set(click here to read about it) which I bought last year. There I waltzed into Lowes thinking I'll only be spending the most $50... haa... which fool would believe that would happen to me???

I happened to walk by the outdoor grill section and decided to say "hi" to this outdoor stove that I've been eyeing for the past 2 summers. Fall came and went and this outdoor stove never went on sale. A sale assistant told me last Fall that this stove would never come down in price. I was so dissapointed... until yesterday. My little visit to the stove showed me a yellow tag.. it said "Clearance $95. Was $119". I couldn't believe my eyes, as I never expected it to be in sale. I quickly ran to the shelves to see if there was anymore stock and there stood one!!!. I quickly ran and grabbed a cart and got the assistant to help put it into the cart.

Why was I that crazy to buy that stove??? Firstly I wanted an outdoor stove to fry my Salted Fish and not stink up the house!!!!! Secondly, it has 21,000 btu that means the fire power is huge... yahoo... I can try frying Char Koay Teow and Tai Look meen...hmmmm.. do I have the talent of a Hawker??? That is yet to be seen.. oh... and best part... the grate where you place your pot.... its reversible, you flip it and the bottom part is made to fit a wok.

Its called ...*drumroll*... Char Broil Outdoor StoveTop. If you want more info, go to go to Char Broil's site I was too excited and couldn't wait for hubby to come home. I decided to install it myself and it was pretty easy to follow the instructions. However do becareful with the final part which is installing the Control Knob in Step 6. You have to make sure the "dot" on the knob is at the OFF level. That will ensure a smoother installation. Its not design default if it doesn't go in properly.. its because we have to make sure the dot is at the correct angle. I figured this out while 2 men(I shall not name names) tried to help thought it was design flaw.. hehehe ahem ahem.. ... but all it took was one smart or stubborn cookie to figure that out... Because it something to do with propane tank and it was me that did the installation, I didnt' take any chance, I dragged the stove out to my driveway and stood good 10 feet away while my hubby turned it on for the first time. I'm proud to say my hubby still has all his hair and eyebrows. Phew!!!! If not malu only....

BTW.. They didn't have stock for the umbrella stand... and I ended up with a more expensive purchase than planned... *excited giggles*. I've not cooked with this stove as I've a busy weekend and I'm working on my weekend project. I'll take photos when I cook on this stove.

my lovely stovetop

*update*

I showed my neighbor who happens to be a vietnamese couple my new stove. I helped the wife call all the neighboring Lowes to see who still has stock for this stove and none did. I told her to go back to the one where I bought mine and just try to see if they could get a good price for the "display" unit. They went and did what I told them to do... shhhhh..... they managed to walk out of Lowes with a $5o-something stove. What a bargain.. a display unit that has never been used!!!!