Nuwave Oven (Infrared Cooking Oven)

[Chipg]

I did a search and couldn't find anything here, this looks like it would be good for a boat. Does anyone here have any experience with it?

https://www.nuwaveoven.com/flare/next

Nuwave Oven Warning: Do not Buy Nuwave Oven Until you Read This!

On page three of this link they have a power consumption chart in Kw.
Powered by Google Docs

[denverd0n]

Take a look at the consumption notes and do the math on how much electricity it is drawing. I calculate that you'll need about 40 amps at 12 volts to run this thing!

Yes, it is a lot more efficient than a conventional electric oven. But a conventional electric oven is so horribly inefficient that no one would EVER consider trying to use one on a boat running off of batteries! This is better, but not better enough for me to see any use for it.

[Chipg]

My thinking was that the cook time is so quick I could run the engine for 10ish minutes when I used it a few times a week.

[osirissail]

Only 2 problems - first it is electric which means lots of power and inverters. Second it is made of glass which means it will break easily in a boat and then you have all the glass to deal with.
Normal cookware is stainless steel and plates, etc are plastic as they can bounce and fly across the cabin without shattering. Safety first.

[beiland]

For the most part we have simply adopted normal cooking apparatus from our home kitchens onto our vessels.....either gas or electric, stove tops, ovens, microwaves, hotplates, etc. And generally we have found the need to have the multiple different devices for cooking various items.

What if someone was looking to cut down on the number of, and perhaps size of these various apparatus? ...perhaps to cut down on electrical demand. or just make for a more compact kitchen with less 'machinery'.

Quite long ago I remember seeing an ad on TV for a cooking apparatus that used three different forms of heating all in one unit,....conduction, convection, and infrared. I went back to look it up today, and arrived at this NuWave device:

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Would one of these countertop units really serve a vessel that well? Or perhaps several of these units side by side in a custom enclosure?

Has anyone had practical experience with using such an apparatus on a boat?

I have never liked electric ovens/cooktops myself....and on a boat where I would wish to cook without having to turn on a generator?

Supposely more energy efficient....and I wouldn't think that would be difficult to outperform a conventional electric stove?

[beiland]

Originally Posted by osirissail

Second it is made of glass which means it will break easily in a boat and then you have all the glass to deal with.
Normal cookware is stainless steel and plates, etc are plastic as they can bounce and fly across the cabin without shattering. Safety first.

It is NOT glass, but rather polycarbonate...a very strong and tough plastic. It does not shatter.

[osirissail]

I notice the temptation of some to assume that a cruising boat is merely a funny form of a land house and that it has unlimited "kitchen" space, electricity and never gets shaken or thrown about.

All the wonderful and useful "newfangled devices" for assisting in the kitchen simply do not cross over to cruising boat use unless your cruising boat approaches the size of the "cruise ship." Cruising boats move - that is, even at anchor the boat rocks and rolls and cooking with anything that is not bolted down or restrained by fiddles can be hazardous to your physical health. You will notice on most cruising boats there is a "grab bar" running across and in front of the stove/oven so you can "hang on" for dear life should the boat rock, roll or list. Counter-top appliances that are not permanently bolted down can be extreme hazards to you or your dinner when the boat starts rolling.

Then there is - space - There simply isn't any space to store and use these type items that take up serious amounts of "square units" of counter top. Most everything in a cruising boat is 3/4 size for a reason - no place to store or use the item.

The number of cooking wizard products is also limited by where are you going to put it when you are finished with it. Storage space is at an extreme premium and what there is of it is used for "multi-function" or very basic types of food preparation items.

Then you have the power requirements. Generally speaking, cruisers do not have access to "alternating current - VAC" be it 120/240 60 Hz or 220 50Hz. Gensets are common only on the large end of the cruising boat spectrum. And they are noisy and require fuel and maintenance which can be expensive. If you look at the posted cruising/sailing boats under the member names who list them - you will find boats in the 20-ish ft to 30-ish ft range most often with larger boats less prevalent.

The most common fuel is propane/butane in tanks which requires only a "match" to light and use. For those with "safety" on their minds there are 12VDC safety solenoid systems to turn on/off the gas should there be a leak or other problem. Cooking with electricity is pretty much restricted to the largest yachts or ships.

So, although it would be wonderful to have a "mega-sized" galley with all the space and power to accommodate the latest and greatest kitchen appliances, it just isn't realistic in the world of cruising boats and cruising folk. And finally, a lot of folk go cruising to get away from "new-fangled" and return to the "basic" lifestyle where you cook and bake the old simple way - like grandma or great-grandma did. Cooking "from scratch" is a lost art and when you get into it - a very satisfying endeavor and way to prepare meals and treats.

[Nemo55]

Besides, i have used those Infra/Air cookers at home, and while they are kinda cool for the first couple of get to-together's,, the shine really wears off quickly,i ended up giving two of mine away to the Goodwill store.
Give me a good old set of pans any time.

[Dulcesuenos]

Just read the thousands of horrible reviews on them

[justlearnin]

Originally Posted by Nemo55

Besides, i have used those Infra/Air cookers at home, and while they are kinda cool for the first couple of get to-together's,, the shine really wears off quickly,i ended up giving two of mine away to the Goodwill store.
Give me a good old set of pans any time.

Out of curiosity... Why?

[osirissail]

That's easy to answer - Size, storage, power requirement, utility, and most of all aesthetics of the cruising lifestyle.

[Captain Dharma]

I have used my Nuwave2 Cook-Top both at home and on my trawler. It's true that it uses electricity (1200 Watts, I think), but rarely do I use it on full power (500º) and when you use a lower setting, the power draw is proportionally less. It's small, light-weight, super easy to clean, and cooks great.

Since we have very limited space in the galley, I like plugging it in, using it, unplugging it and storing it in its cubby. It doesn't get hot (only the pan gets hot) so it gets put away as soon as the cooking is done.

This method of cooking allowed me to remove the old broken propane stove, mount my toaster oven in its place, and then cover the whole thing with countertop. Bottom of counter top is insulated over the toaster oven. Now I have a decent prep area that I share with temporary cooking devices as needed with my oven tucked underneath.

** This all works fine on shore power or with the genset. I have yet to test the draw when powering it through the Inverter with batteries. I will report back when I do. So far the worst case? Run the genset for 20 minutes while I make breakfast.

[Tkeeth]

I have one of the cooktops. Its a nice backup for when running low on propane or to quickly scramble some eggs. Only use on shore power and at max it draws just under my breaker for that circuit, but never really need the max setting. I of course have plenty of power and a big genset, so the usefulness may be limited by those on the hook and using solar/batteries. Same deal with the microwave and toaster oven, can only use one of these devices at a time. Finally got the first mate trained on power consumption and when she bought it came home and told me what the amp draws were. I was impressed that she is starting to understand!

[beiland]

Originally Posted by Captain Dharma

...

** This all works fine on shore power or with the genset. I have yet to test the draw when powering it through the Inverter with batteries. I will report back when I do. So far the worst case? Run the genset for 20 minutes while I make breakfast.

Look forward to hearing your report.

BTW I had suggested one of the Nuwave induction units for this trawler's galley,...verses the conventional cooktop/ovens.
Redesigning the Pilgrim 40 Trawler / Canal Boat - Page 8 - Trawler Forum
The is quite a bigger/better variety of these inductive cooktop units in Europe and Asia.

[carpe vita]

I agree with Capt. Dharma. I own an FP Venezia. I have about 400 w solar and a Sunforce 600 wind gen. I also have about 700 amp hours of AGM batteries. I also have a 2000 Yamaha gas gen for emergencies.

A couple years ago, I removed the diesel genet because of reliability issues and awful noise. Our boat has all LED lighting now and I sit on a mooring with the masthead light on 24 hours and a bunch of LED blue lights that look cool at night and looks like someone is on board.

About 6 months ago, I removed the propane stove since the oven never worked properly. I had tried the NuWave and really enjoyed cooking with it. I also bought the oven.

I do have a little problem in the morning when the wind is light and when we have been on the computers late. If I am down to about 12.4 v, its not enough to cook on high. If you are cooking eggs, you want to be on low anyway.

I also sometimes have a hard time cooking a big pot of pasta at night, if it has been cloudy, which also needs high. I just fire up the Yamaha for a few minutes to bring to boil and I am done.

I believe this is the future as we are getting more efficient everyday. Next year, I'll have better panels and who knows what? Look what LED technology has done!