Frypan “baking” on an induction hotplate (or Refleks diesel heater top or stove top)

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Not pretty, but it still smells good! I used fresh pineapple.



I believe this will the "best" all around type of cake from now on. So easy to make!

John

Not pretty? It looks just wonderful .

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Found my Mothers lost khruchiki recipe. Its just a simple Polish cookie that has to be tasted to believe. I would be sent a big box from Mom every Christmas when deployed or TDY. It can be made in a skillet or pan on the Refleks Im sure, SWL, but you have to cook with oil.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup cold butter
4 lg egg yolks
1 Cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Oil for deep fat frying
Confectioners sugar

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, beat egg yolks until foamy; add milk and vanilla. Stir into crumb mixture until dough is stiff enough to knead.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead 8-10 times. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Roll each portion into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle; cut into 4 x 1 1/2inch strips. Cut a 2 inch lengthwise slit down the middle of each strip; pull one of the ends through the slit like a bow.
3. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry dough strips, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Thats it!

John

That will be a recipe to try when I am eventually land based again so it will have to wait . I have never deep fried on board - when at anchor it is a safety issue and also I would then have used oil to try and filter and store or somehow dispose of.

In the meantime with a huge bag of yeast bun dough chilling in the cockpit, I have a few days of those delicious rolls to “frypan bake” daily . New trials need to be put on hold for a while until all these are consumed.

SWL

[Seaworthy Lass]

This experiment has been highly successful. Gas usage has plummeted down to nothing here (the bottle has been off for over a week) and at this time of year when all the hatches are not open, this also has the huge advantage of having zero combustion released water vapour, helping to keep the boat bone dry inside.

For everyone who has the power to use induction hotplates on board, the technique of covered frypan baking I have described in this thread should work equally well, largely eliminating the need for an oven. No special bread or pizza or cake or scone recipes have been used here, just much smaller batches have been “baked”. That and using a shallow frypan on low heat and keeping it covered for the bulk of the baking time has been the key.

I think the benefit will go up dramatically in a hot climate when the induction plate can be put in the cockpit to totally eliminate any heating of the interior using a gas oven.

Bon appétit everyone .

SWL

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

All I can hear are mmmmmmm noises coming from the other settee in the pilothouse .

SWL

That's a swarm of small dinghies circling around outside waiting to strike Dick Turpin style "Your pizza or your life"

[LostBiker]

Originally Posted by Pete7

That's a swarm of small dinghies circling around outside waiting to strike Dick Turpin style "Your pizza or your life"

Dont forget the black helicopters in the background!


Yes, I consider it a great success! NOT the dinghies or helicopters around your boat, but the fry pan cooking part.

Oh, yes SWL - a pot of hot oil on a boat is just asking for trouble especially with young ones in a tight space like we have.


How about breakfasts? We like MCcann's steel cut oatmeal every morning (add fruits and nuts along with some cane sugar and a little milk) and it cooks just fine on the Refleks. All the usual breakfast items can be made as well. One pot meals are great and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches get eaten fast. We made lots of pop corn on the stove last night after the pizza, so theres no shortage of things to cook. Added benefits have already been mentioned - not using LP to cook greatly lowers the amount of moisture in the interior.

We're also coffee and tea fiends, so the kettle and coffee pot are close by to be put on the stove.

At 30ft, our boat is way too small for the Refleks 60M. Doing research for our next boat - a Hunter 40, we'll be getting a 2000V as recommended by Refleks. I was tempted to cut out a small section of the fiddle on the 60M like the 2000V that SWL has, but was told not to by the next owner (my son). The 2000V is more pan handle friendly. When it warms up outside, we'll just use the dual burner Nuwave induction cook top to make the breads, rolls, cakes, pizza, one pot meals, etc. just like the Refleks stove. We also have a grill so we'll still use gas for cooking outside.

Time to make some dough for rolls.

John

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by LostBiker

How about breakfasts? We like MCcann's steel cut oatmeal every morning (add fruits and nuts along with some cane sugar and a little milk) and it cooks just fine on the Refleks. All the usual breakfast items can be made as well. One pot meals are great and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches get eaten fast. We made lots of pop corn on the stove last night after the pizza, so theres no shortage of things to cook. Added benefits have already been mentioned - not using LP to cook greatly lowers the amount of moisture in the interior.

We're also coffee and tea fiends, so the kettle and coffee pot are close by to be put on the stove.

Yes, the Refleks hotplate can be used to cook all this and just about everything else that is normally done on a gas stovetop too .
Pan size restriction is the main limitation.

Originally Posted by LostBiker

Time to make some dough for rolls.

Have fun!

SWL

[LostBiker]

Your pizza dough recipe on the 3rd rising on my neighbors boat.


Pizza night (again) but with a few more people. This is great! We'll cook on ours and eat next door.

John

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Given the surge in induction cooking, this technique could also probably be successfully adopted. I will need to wait to summer to try it out.

Six months have passed since I first started this thread and with the onset of spring and increased solar power, I have now had a chance to use an induction hotplate for the last two months.

I can report that the technique works extremely well, even more so than on the Refleks hotplate, as the temperature control is infinitely better.

In addition to bread and pizza and cakes and sweet rolls, I now “bake” cookies as well (following Chotu’s suggestion made earlier in this thread).

A few tips:
- Thin quantities work best as the food “bakes” more evenly from top to bottom.
- It does need a little experimenting to get the correct power setting and baking time.
- A teflon sheet cut to fit the bottom of the pan helps to keep some things from burning and makes flipping the dish easier if the reverse side needs to be cooked as well.
- A shallow pan and well fitting lid help to keep the temperature at the top high and therefore the food cooks more evenly.

I think the technique would also work well on a gas or alcohol stove top burner, making it invaluable for those who do not have an oven or do not wish to waste gas or heat up the boat unnecessarily while cooking, or who wish to eliminate the moisture that is a byproduct of burning gas.

SWL