Induction cooktop

[wincrasher]

I got this Duxtop http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 induction cooktop. Thought it would be something I'd try out. It's superthin and easily fits in a drawer. My Magna cookware and my kettle are all induction compatible. Basically, if a pot has a smooth flat bottom, and is magnetic, it should work. A clad pot may not work. Most are imprinted the an "induction compatible" logo on them. All your old cast iron pans would work.



Note that it's kicking back an error code (E3) which means undervoltage. I'm plugged in on a 15A drop cord, so I suppose that is the case.

I'm undecided yet on if I like this thing. I have a compact butane stove I bought for my boat that works fairly well.

There are dozens to choose from on Amazon, all pretty much have mixed reviews. The worst reviews are the "as seen on TV" brand. They range $50 to $100 mostly. My butane stove was $25 and the bottles are $2.

[Davydd]

We have been using our induction cooktop mostly outdoors. It has been far more convenient than our Coleman propane cooktop. In fact we may leave our Coleman home on our next trip. We have the electrical capacity use the induction cooktop while boondocking.

[wincrasher]

Yes the Coleman can be clunky to use. Unpacking it, setting up the bottle, etc. I stopped carrying one of those about a year ago.

I've enjoyed my butane cooker as there is no setup - it's all contained in a small housing, including the butane canister. You just push the igniter and go.

This is the one I have - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It will cook 4 hours on a can of $2 butane.

The induction certainly is no fuss. I am surprised at the electrical draw. It's just as much as a hotplate or anything with a heating element. For some reason, I expected it to be much less. So I'm not convinced on the "efficiency" claims. Definately, if someone is looking for one of these, to get one that is all glass. Some have the blister type buttons, which I think is where they will wear out and fail. They are ALL chinese made, so I don't really see much difference in the quality of any of them. Just the power ratings, size and button types vary.

[booster]

Although we are much more likely to use our Magma propane grill (off the van tank with a 15' hose) than a stove type burner, when we do need a stove top burner we use a Coleman Fold-n-Go. It is very small to store compared to the bigger units, but still has two burners with good capacity. Takes no more than two minutes to set up and have running. I agree that the bottles are a real PITA to use and store, and if we had to use them things might be different. We carry one bottle that is rarely used, and when it is used it most likely to be lighting a campfire with propane torch head on it.

[Davydd]

The efficiency of an induction cooktop is its speed. It will heat up faster than anything else from what I can tell. But you are right about its energy needs but compared to something like a hot plate or electric skillet the cook time is faster thus less energy used. As I mentioned, we have two factors that make it practical - we have battery capacity to spare and we have the inverter large enough to have 120VAC all the time. If you don't have that then it is a shore power accessory and you would have to carry a boondocking option.

[goreds2]

We use the NuWave induction cooktop in the girlfriends RV instead of the gas stove. We also have the NuWave Oven which we us instead of a BBQ grill.

[JohnnyFry]

We have an induction plate in our Class B and love it. We also have a full size induction range in our home so I am well versed in using this type of cooking device. It reacts as fast or faster than a gas burners without the downside of putting combustion products in the cooking space. As far as power use goes, it is much more efficient than a standard electric range because it heats only the pan and not the element and cooktop. All the energy is transferred to the pan. This also explains why it react fast when you turn the heat down.

John

[Sehc]

My on-grid inductive single will boil a liter of water in 6 minutes. The same as my electric kettle, faster than my electric stove. But it still takes 10 minutes to cook pasta. I have a Coleman Butane Stove. I haven't tested that against the others, but it seems fast. It is compact, stores easily, does not have the propane smell. I will keep the inductive for on grid or generator use as I really do like the way it cooks.

[BBQ]

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I have posted this in another thread before... it is worth repeating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmRy9s-41KY

[JohnnyFry]

Remember that cooking pasta involves boiling water. You can't get it hotter than 212°F no matter how big the burner is. Once the water boils any kind of burner, electric, induction or gas, takes the same time to cook pasta, or eggs.

[JohnnyFry]

I love mine ( It is a Fagor) and use it both inside and out. No combustion products inside and no lag. I also have a full size 4 burner induction range in my home kitchen which I bought because gas was not an option. I now like it better than gas and, of course, MUCH better than electric.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFry

Remember that cooking pasta involves boiling water. You can't get it hotter than 212°F no matter how big the burner is. Once the water boils any kind of burner, electric, induction or gas, takes the same time to cook pasta, or eggs.

Very true but induction gets you to 212 degrees faster than gas or electric. I don't know how that equates to net energy consumption but it is a lot more convenient as is the after cool down. The other advantage I like is the no guess precise heat control.

[avanti]

But, this wouldn't work:

[Twinbridges]

Our Midwest has built in induction and 600 ah of lithium. Works great and creates no heat inside. Very easy to clean as well as being very fast. But I still love cooking outside if the weather is good. Have two burner stove with two 14,000 btu burners and aluminum lightweight tank that is light and will last a good while. I LOVE outdoors as camping!

When weather is tough, could to have an indoor solution but nothing beats outdoors on some beautiful USFS or BLM land.

[Davydd]

We use a portable induction cooktop so we can use it outdoors as well. We realized that if we built it into the countertop it would kill a drawer space. So why not have a portable one that you could store in that drawer and keep your countertop clear for use the 95% of most of the time it is in use?

[booster]

We have never used our gas stove top, and only used our Fold-N-Go outside propane stove a couple of times. 98% of our cooking is on the grill, or a quick microwave heatup of the other stuff to with the grilled things.

I have no idea what we would do with an induction burner, except let is sit in a drawer. Outside gas grill cooking is much better tasting, in our opinion, and being outside with an electric burner just isn't like camping to us.

[Eraygunz]

Hi.
I bought my wife one of the new wave cookers.
I figured it would end up in the RV......my actual plan really.
She has not used the stove since she got it.She loves it!
It is FAST,and I mean FAST.
And with out a flame to worry about. I think it's better and safer in the small space of the RV.
I will probably have to buy another to keep in the RT.
Between shore power,generator,and solar......she runs just fine on all of them.
Cheers
Eddie

[DCHitt]

Originally Posted by Eraygunz

Hi.
I bought my wife one of the new wave cookers.

What model/brand did you get?

[Eraygunz]

Hello
Hers is a Nuwave 2.
Got it brand new in the sealed box on eBay for 45.00$
And honestly,she hasn't used the stove since.
Cheers
Eddie

[BBQ]

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Those wave cookers are amazing.

The quartz light just sizzles the meat to perfection in no time.