Here at GH it’s no secret we love cooking and dining alfresco. Whether it’s preparing our next barbecue, packing up a picnic or even just enjoying the perfect pitcher of Pimm’s (which, less face it, is as much a fruit salad as it is a drink), we firmly believe everything tastes better in the sunshine. So when we heard of a brand-new piece of kitchen kit marketed as ‘an air fryer for your garden’, we had to check it out.
The Doori Outdoor Cooker is part rocket ship, part traditional tandoor. If you think you’re unfamiliar with a tandoor, then your next takeaway curry will reacquaint you – the fierce, super-heated cooking power of these traditional Indian ovens is the reason everything from chicken tikka masala to garlic naan tastes so incredible. Tandoors cook food super-fast in a smokey atmosphere rich with aromatic flavour from the food juices (and usually a generous dash of melted butter or ghee) splashing down on hot coals, in a way that’s almost impossible to recreate in a domestic environment – until now.
Sure, if you search ‘DIY tandoor oven’ there are lots of suggestions – some involving nothing more expensive than two large terracotta flowerpots – but trust us (we’ve tried) they don’t even come close to the real thing. We do know one particular food obsessive who built one from scratch in his backyard. It took a whole summer, an incredible amount of money and now takes up a substantial chunk of former lawn (no grass can withstand the heat of a tandoor!) and cannot be moved. If they ever sell the house, the tandoor will be thrown in for free.
Enter the Doori. With a sleek silver rocket-ship-shaped design (there really is no other way to describe it) and neon orange handles (super insulated, to protect your hands), it’s surprisingly light and easy to move around, so can be stored away when not in use and easily pulled out as needed. It takes up significantly less space than an equivalent kettle barbecue and thanks to its insulating nature (part of how it cooks so fast), it gives off less ambient heat than a regular grill, so you can sit closer to it – great for entertaining in tight spaces. Just as in a traditional tandoor, the food is cooked on long skewers, held vertically above a low bed of charcoal, which allows heat to radiate all around them, including through the thick metal of the skewers, speeding up cooking and delivering an amazing smokey char to the outside, as well as reducing the risk of that classic British BBQ blunder – charred on the outside, raw on the inside.
We tested the Doori out with seafood (piri piri prawns), a classic yogurt-marinated tandoori chicken, chunky paneer and vegetables dusted with shawarma spice and plain new potatoes, parboiled in advance. Everything cooked in a fraction of the time it would have on a barbecue (that air fryer marketing quote sounding less hyperbolic with every moment!) and, quite apart from how delicious everything was, there was something so wonderfully theatrical about presenting giant skewers for people to dine from. One big meal later, we were very much sold.
A non-exhaustive list of the pros of the Doori outdoor cooker:
- Faster cooking thanks to the insulated, vertical cooking design, allowing for 360° heat transfer
- Easy to light as coals can be piled in a small, insulated area, much like a chimney starter
- Speedy to clean – just wash the skewers, far easier to do in a sink than a messy grill grate would be (and yes, you really do need to wash your BBQ grate)
- Compact, easy to store when not in use and takes up less space when in use than a regular barbecue
We tried to write a cons list, honestly we did. But after a weekend of pondering it came down to ‘you can’t really cook burgers on it’, but then we spotted that you can also get a horizontal grate to sit in the lower third of the cooker, for classic barbecue grilling, so suddenly the Doori is not only super cool, it’s a multitasker – space ship, tandoor AND barbecue!
Sold? We have a few tips for getting the most out of your newest cooking obsession.
- Place a parboiled potato or chunky wedge of lemon on the end of each skewer after the main ingredients, this both prevents the food sliding off the end and means a precious bit of protein isn’t at risk of sitting directly in the coals where it could get ruined. Charred lemon is also amazing squeezed over the finished food, so doesn’t go to waste!
- Marinate wherever possible. The intense heat of a tandoor means lean proteins in particular benefit from a little help to keep them moist. Yoghurt is traditional and can be spiced any way you fancy, or just go with some melted butter or oil (along with some flavour enhancers, such as garlic and chilli).
- Keep food chunky. It makes it much easier to skewer things, as larger chunks are less likely to break apart if you do this less than gently (as is decidedly likely after a glass or two of rosé).
- Don’t waste the residual heat of the oven! Once you’ve finished cooking your main meal, wash the skewers (let them cool first – while you’re eating) and make toasted marshmallows (spread them on a digestive biscuit with a spoonful of Nutella for a cheat’s s’more), or wrap baking potatoes in foil and place them in the bottom, directly on the coals. Re-cover with the lid and leave overnight – in the morning you will unwrap the most amazing smoked jacket potatoes, which can be enjoyed still warm from the coals with cold butter and a sprinkle of salt.
Our best ever BBQ recipes - it's time to get your grill on!
Emma is Cookery Editor for Good Housekeeping and loves nothing more than sharing her bottomless enthusiasm for all things food and drink with anyone who wants to learn (and even those who don’t!). From super simple one pan suppers to showstopping wedding cakes and everything in between, there’s very little that doesn’t come out of her kitchen. When not developing recipes, writing features or styling food for photography she can be found hiding behind the mountain of cookery books that’s slowly overtaking her house, or exploring restaurants, food shops and festivals in search of the next big thing to share with readers. On the rare days when she’s not thinking about food, you’ll find her in a cosy pub at the end of a long walk with her dog and expert food taster, Angua.
