Induction vs Gas Cooking

[Dockhead]

My gas system has been out of commission since last summer, and I only just now got around to fixing it.


Just for fun -- to give myself pleasure of using a newly restored system -- I cooked a meal on it, rather than on the NuWave induction hob I have been using in the meantime.


Wow, I forgot what it's like to cook with gas!! It's slow, hard to control, and STINKS. I have to run the exhaust hood fan to get the combustion products out of the boat. Just to think I was cruising for decades with only gas cooking, and without even an exhaust hood.


I had just totally forgotten how gas sucks, compared to induction! There will be no gas on my next boat!

[Auspicious]

If it smells combustion is poor. You have to take a toothbrush to the burners. It's a ten minute job. You may have to take a paper clip to the primary orifice. That's a two minute job. What is the flame color?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

If it smells combustion is poor. You have to take a toothbrush to the burners. It's a ten minute job. You may have to take a paper clip to the primary orifice. That's a two minute job. What is the flame color?

Flame color is normal blue, and there is nothing wrong with the burners. It's not poor combustion -- it's combustion -- at all. And combustion PRODUCTS. In the cabin.

[sailormed]

Take off the burner plate and look below. I found a thick layer of something that looked like brown sand that must be a combustion product. It caused the flames to become more and more yellow. Sucked it out and nice bleu flames after that.

[roland stockham]

There is also the safety aspect, gas is potentially the most dangerous system on a boat. induction does look good if you can provide enough electrical power.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

There is also the safety aspect, gas is potentially the most dangerous system on a boat. induction does look good if you can provide enough electrical power.

I agree totally.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

There is also the safety aspect, gas is potentially the most dangerous system on a boat. induction does look good if you can provide enough electrical power.

For most people it will be 1 extra battery, an extra solar panel and an upgrade on the inverter.
I tested usage rates and I did the math.

[rslifkin]

I've been considering swapping my old style coil electric stove for an induction unit, although it's hard to convince myself to replace a perfectly working stove. I'm not a big fan of propane on boats, as it's not just flammable, it's pressurized and flammable. I figure I've got enough flammable stuff on my gas powered boat already, no reason to add propane to that mix.

[bensolomon]

Is induction cooking a reasonable choice for a modest cruising boat of 37 feet? How much extra battery and dokarvwould be needed. I hate having CNG on board.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

. . . I'm not a big fan of propane on boats, as it's not just flammable, it's pressurized and flammable. . . .

AND heavier than air . . .

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I've been considering swapping my old style coil electric stove for an induction unit, although it's hard to convince myself to replace a perfectly working stove. I'm not a big fan of propane on boats, as it's not just flammable, it's pressurized and flammable. I figure I've got enough flammable stuff on my gas powered boat already, no reason to add propane to that mix.

Biggest challenge I see for swapping out a Princess electric stove is keeping an oven in the mix. One of the high-end toaster ovens such as Breville SmartOven is a good option. Guessing that 85%-90% of cooking is stove-top. Induction and a decent battery bank could keep you in good shape.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Adelie

For most people it will be 1 extra battery, an extra solar panel and an upgrade on the inverter.
I tested usage rates and I did the math.

Three meals a day for only 100 AH?
We do this every time, the converts say it takes almost no power at all, others say physics don’t work like that, it’s still heat, and heat takes lots of power. Regardless of the source, a calorie is a calorie.
It really is the same argument that goes on for electric propulsion, the faithful say it’s great, can easily do it, others think not.
However I think it boils down to some heat items up for cooking and some cook unprepared items, and the energy requirement varies greatly.
Of course I will get arguments that thats not true from the faithful.

Of course I believe most struggle to get to 100% SOC daily and throwing another 100 AH into it isn’t trivial.
I strongly suspect that most electric cooking is done when the generator is running, or they motor very often, but I know I will get arguments against that too.

The trick is I suspect is to cook in the early afternoon when there is excess Solar, excepting those that are fully charged by Noon of course, they can cook all meals on excess Solar.

Any battery bank is not going to keep you in good shape, you have to manufacture the power first.

Why bother with LED lights if you have so much power you can cook with it?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by bensolomon

Is induction cooking a reasonable choice for a modest cruising boat of 37 feet? How much extra battery and dokarvwould be needed. I hate having CNG on board.

CNG is lighter than air and vastly safer than LPG. I would have no problem having CNG on board if it were widely available.


As to electrical power required -- you can do the math yourself based on your own cooking patterns. You do need abundant power on board, in one form or another, either stored or generated or preferably both, to make it work.


I have 450AH * 24v of batteries; I can do a little cooking off batteries on the induction hob but I would not cook a whole meal without running the generator unless the main engine is running.


Induction cooking is probably not practical on a boat without either a jumbo solar installation or a diesel generator.

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by bensolomon

Is induction cooking a reasonable choice for a modest cruising boat of 37 feet? How much extra battery and dokarvwould be needed. I hate having CNG on board.

Try a single hobb induction hot plate. Most cooking will be 300W-600W (approx 20-40 amps at 12vdc). 1-2 batteries and a decent sized solar panel will suffice as long as you're not doing a full Sunday dinner with braised brisket, etc.

Peter

[rslifkin]

Induction needs less total energy input than a coil electric or gas stove. The heat goes directly into the pan with less loss to the ambient space, so you need less total heat for a given amount of heat into the food.

In my case, I don't have an oven anyway, just a microwave. Boat was built in the 80s, so of course a microwave can do anything, right?