Induction stoves for boats

[Pelagic]

Dockhead's thread about propane lockers has me reviewing induction cooking.
Never used, but for those who have installed on board and are using, any advice and product recommendation?

This is what I have read so far

Pros and Cons

[nigel1]

Another source of info

https://theboatgalley.com/induction-cooktop-on-boat/

[DeepFrz]

I suppose if you have a 240 volt system on board, don't mind running the generator or have a goodly sized battery bank and inverter and can work out a pot restraint system they are a good to go system. I hope Dockhead tries one and gives us a review.

[double u]

my thinking in this matter goes along this line:
main-cooker+oven with propane
have one-plate electric cooker (induction or "standard" ceramic) powered from inverter plus electric water-kettle (& most importantly: the nespresso machine)
use the electric cooking/bopiling only when batteriebank is full & sun is up (solarpanel) to save gas (&sso have to run around less often buying some)

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

I suppose if you have a 240 volt system on board, don't mind running the generator or have a goodly sized battery bank and inverter and can work out a pot restraint system they are a good to go system. I hope Dockhead tries one and gives us a review.

I've read elsewhere that they're the bees knees, assuming genset and ferrous cookware.

Haven't paid much attention to voltage; do they not make 110V versions?

Also haven't seen much discussion of using these with an inverter. Our current 110V 3-burner cooktop wouldn't run on an inverter...

-Chris

[a64pilot]

A little like airconditioning, it takes POWER.
People will argue that it doesn't but to produce heat takes enormous power, it's just Physics.
If you have a gen and don't mind using it, then electric cooking may well be exactly what you have been wanting.
However an average sailboat that is trying to get by with Solar, forget about it.
Anything can be run off of an inverter, just takes a big enough bank and inverter to do it.
However unless you have a BIG bank, maybe best to run the genny when you cook, and if your running the thing daily anyway, well then why not cook electrically when you do.

You can buy inexpensive 110V portable cooktops and try it out first


What is the plan for an oven?

[offpist]

We love our double induction plates.
Yes it uses a lot of power but its not during an long time.
(1054W solar/1000ah lifepo4/3000W inverter)

[double u]

I was actually not thinking about "cooking" in a french sense, more like "hot milk for cocoa" or fired eggs, so this would be only 10min max (which I know is still a sizeable Ah-chunk at 2000W)

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

A little like airconditioning, it takes POWER.
.................

That seems to be difficult for many people to understand. At home, there are wires to your home and virtually unlimited electrical power. That's not the case on a boat. A boat is a self contained "world". You want power, you have to make it yourself.

[CaptTom]

Originally Posted by double u

I was actually not thinking about "cooking" in a french sense, more like "hot milk for cocoa" or fired eggs, so this would be only 10min max (which I know is still a sizeable Ah-chunk at 2000W)

How about a small microwave? You'd only run it for a minute or two at a time. You can certainly make hot cocoa. Not fried eggs, but if you like poached, these work pretty well:


We're finding all kinds of ways to avoid using the electric range (and genset) by using the microwave.

[John Holbrook]

Question is what setting do you need to cook your eggs in 10 minutes? Is the halfway setting hot enough and does it use 1000w?

Originally Posted by double u

I was actually not thinking about "cooking" in a french sense, more like "hot milk for cocoa" or fired eggs, so this would be only 10min max (which I know is still a sizeable Ah-chunk at 2000W)

[senormechanico]

FWIW, our home microwave (and I expect a lot of other brands) pulse full power when you use lower settings, is just lowers the duty cycle.
For example, half power runs full for a few seconds, then off for a few seconds.

[double u]

Originally Posted by CaptTom

How about a small microwave? You'd only run it for a minute or two at a time. You can certainly make hot cocoa. Not fried eggs, but if you like poached, these work pretty well:


We're finding all kinds of ways to avoid using the electric range (and genset) by using the microwave.

of course, of course, I just forgot it, microwave we're gonna have!

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by senormechanico

FWIW, our home microwave (and I expect a lot of other brands) pulse full power when you use lower settings, is just lowers the duty cycle.
For example, half power runs full for a few seconds, then off for a few seconds.

I'm pretty sure that is how they all work, or at least all I have ever had did, you can hear the Magnetron cycle.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by John Holbrook

Question is what setting do you need to cook your eggs in 10 minutes? Is the halfway setting hot enough and does it use 1000w?

Probably a lot less than 1000W. If you ran at 2000W for 10 minutes with a couple of eggs in an iron/steel frypan, it would probably be glowing red hot