Electric Cookers

[Anthony1]

Advice please on electric cookers.

We are going to be on Outer Hebrides for couple of weeks soon and with 907 refills getting like hens teeth we are looking at the option of small electric cookers for where we have hook-up. I'm no electrician but understand volts x amps = watts so if on 10 amp EHU max wattage cooker is going to be around 2.3kW.

I've not yet bought my first Cali (yes I know still looking but hoepfully soon the right one will come up) and so have a 3 way Dometic fridge which obviously when off grid uses gas to operate. Therefore thinking always using EHU when avilable to save on gas.

Don't want to spend a fortune but any good suggestions???? Even the small gas bottles used in portable cookers are seemingly thin on thr ground!

We use this. But on our recent trip to the OH, 3 out of the four sites (one wild camp)
we were unable to get a EHU. I also carry this, for outside cooking if we don't have EHU.

 

[DavidofHook]

We use an induction 2 ring hob but I am very tempted to ditch it for the traditional two ring cast iron hob which they have in our local Lidl (£26.99). Reason is that as the surface of the induction hob is glass, pots and pans are very prone to sliding off unless the unit is completely level. We’ve lost a few fry ups over the years! Do others experience this? Pots and pans tend to stay put on the old fashioned hobs as they have more grip. However the heavy cast hobs tend to take longer to cool down snd are more difficult to keep clean.

Yes, we have a two ring Russel Hobbs cast iron hob. We only cook outside in the sun awning with rain guard. It takes all sorts of sauce pans, we have steel & aluminium. It plugs into the back of the electric input. We almost always have electric power but when we don’t (not often) we use a collapsible kettle on the gas for morning tea. We’ve had one for at least 10 years. It does take longer to heat up & cool down but hey! We’re on holiday.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

We have a 2 KWh Bluetti all-in-one battery and inverter unit, charged by a 200W foldable solar panel that takes in around 35 watts ph, even when cloudy. It can also be charged via a 12v cigarette lighter port when driving, giving around 72 watts per hour this way. We have used a plug-in induction hob on this along with kettle, toaster, the usual lights and laptops etc - all with no issues and more importantly no need for gas in the van, which was important to us.I recommend the move to electric clean energy and best of all it's FREE and we never need a hok up which we have found are often £5 extra per night!

Great setup and portable! I also had a similar setup in my Marco Polo. It was very convenient as I could also take it outside and use the Weber Pulse 1000 BBQ. The only inconvenience is the space it takes up in the van. I had an EcoFlow Delta Max and kept it between the front seats. Had to move it around when I wanted to change the seats but overall not a big deal. When I traded up to the Westfalia CJ I wanted to do an integrated solution. However, having the EcoFlow has been great on rainy days and I expect this coming winter when there isn't much sun to charge off solar. I've connected the Ecoflow to the outside AC input to recharge the batteries in the van when I am running low. Obviously can't do that if it's raining or snow outside but it tops me up in a pinch and I can then recharge it quickly inside somewhere over AC (typically an hour from empty). These portable power stations have come a long way!

 

[jts46]

We use a 2 ring hob & have done so for 25yrs outside under awning on camping kitchen had no probs at all cost use £18. Why use gas when u have hookup

 

[ejmoore]

We have a 2 KWh Bluetti all-in-one battery and inverter unit, charged by a 200W foldable solar panel that takes in around 35 watts ph, even when cloudy. It can also be charged via a 12v cigarette lighter port when driving, giving around 72 watts per hour this way. We have used a plug-in induction hob on this along with kettle, toaster, the usual lights and laptops etc - all with no issues and more importantly no need for gas in the van, which was important to us.I recommend the move to electric clean energy and best of all it's FREE and we never need a hok up which we have found are often £5 extra per night!

I can see the benefit of this as a long-term solution, but it's hardly 'FREE', as there's a large initial outlay - by the same token, using gas is free once you've paid for the cylinder.
However, it's probably a good investment for the future.

 

[Norfolk Jim]

Re gas, we carry a spare Campingaz cylinder (901) for use with a Cadac BBQ in the summer, which comes in handy if the 907 runs out (as it did the other day). But now we've got a replacement 907, which should last us about a year, we'll instead take a small gas camping stove with a little cylinder to use as a back-up. If you've got a Trangia, why not just take that as a back-up?
Also, in the Outer Hebrides we found that lots of campsites have a campers' kitchen with cooking facilities, so you might manage with that instead.

Yes I do have a trangia - incredible piece of kit but somehow I always seem to spill some meths somewhere along the line which stinks for ages and I hate the smell!! I have howver just upgraded to a smart Jetboil Zip - boy is that quick to boil anything and cools down v quick packs into itself with gas. Trangia goes on for ever though.

 

[Norfolk Jim]

We use this. But on our recent trip to the OH, 3 out of the four sites (one wild camp)
we were unable to get a EHU. I also carry this, for outside cooking if we don't have EHU.

View attachment 98775

View attachment 98777

View attachment 98778

ISO far we are booked onto 8 which do have EHU and 3 which don't. Those little Vango stoves are brill - I did have an MSR which I loaned to friend who was doning coast to coast - he lost it!!!! I now have a Jetboil Zip!

 

[Norfolk Jim]

we have used this on a few trips you can do everything in it, pies, stir fry’s, sausages…. ‘Tefal easy fry and grill’

View attachment 98773

Wow - where on earth have you the space to store that!!

 

[chockswahay]

I haven’t read this entire thread yet so apologies if repeating what may have already been said. The Vango induction hob is variable power so much nice to use …… I was considering an electric Nissan a while back (don’t laugh!) and found this chap very informative………..

 

[ejmoore]

Yes I do have a trangia - incredible piece of kit but somehow I always seem to spill some meths somewhere along the line which stinks for ages and I hate the smell!! I have howver just upgraded to a smart Jetboil Zip - boy is that quick to boil anything and cools down v quick packs into itself with gas. Trangia goes on for ever though.

I'd quite like a Jetboil but can hardly justify it, given that we already have half a dozen other little camping stoves we never use: Trangia; Caldera Cone; and a tiny solid fuel thing that weighs next to nothing but is pretty useless. I even have an ancient Primus stove in a converted biscuit tin.

 

[kave]

We have a 2 KWh Bluetti all-in-one battery and inverter unit, charged by a 200W foldable solar panel that takes in around 35 watts ph, even when cloudy. It can also be charged via a 12v cigarette lighter port when driving, giving around 72 watts per hour this way. We have used a plug-in induction hob on this along with kettle, toaster, the usual lights and laptops etc - all with no issues and more importantly no need for gas in the van, which was important to us.I recommend the move to electric clean energy and best of all it's FREE and we never need a hok up which we have found are often £5 extra per night!

Just looked up a 2kwh “powerbank”, a whopping 2400€ here. Add some solarpanels and its about 3000€.

 

[Elly Swanson]

IKEA do a portable induction hob in one and two ring versions. You don’t need fancy induction pans but they do need to have bases that a magnet will stick to. You can also buy a kind of plate for the top so that you can use non-magnetic pans too.

TILLREDA portable induction hob, 1 zone white - IKEA

This portable hob is perfect for smaller kitchens or wherever you need an extra cooking zone. 2 year guarantee.

www.ikea.com

 

[Elly Swanson]

I'd quite like a Jetboil but can hardly justify it, given that we already have half a dozen other little camping stoves we never use: Trangia; Caldera Cone; and a tiny solid fuel thing that weighs next to nothing but is pretty useless. I even have an ancient Primus stove in a converted biscuit tin.

Trangia do safety bottles now for your fuel. You can also easily get bio fuels that aren’t stinky like meths. The bottles store and dispense the alcohol safely and are easy to use.

 

[kave]

I can see the benefit of this as a long-term solution, but it's hardly 'FREE', as there's a large initial outlay - by the same token, using gas is free once you've paid for the cylinder.
However, it's probably a good investment for the future.

Well, if the quality of the batteries is near what is used as UPS batteries in server rooms it will be a very expensive solution. UPS batteries who sits still in a optimally conditioned area, almost never used, lasts about three years. A 2kwh unit is about 2300€, thats lots of gas to burn.

 

[Norfolk Jim]

Well, if the quality of the batteries is near what is used as UPS batteries in server rooms it will be a very expensive solution. UPS batteries who sits still in a optimally conditioned area, almost never used, lasts about three years. A 2kwh unit is about 2300€, thats lots of gas to burn.

Several hotel nights but in any case you've still got to store the batteries somewhere in the van!

 

[Norfolk Jim]

Trangia do safety bottles now for your fuel. You can also easily get bio fuels that aren’t stinky like meths. The bottles store and dispense the alcohol safely and are easy to use.View attachment 98881

They are good but meths is preferred fuel in the stove but I simply hate the smell!!!

 

[Toot-toot]

Wow - where on earth have you the space to store that!!

Lol in the cupboard under the sink…… the microwave lives in the sliding tray in the boot!!