Propane cooktops

[Dave Siegel]

I'm glad that I have stirred the interest in induction cooking again. You are all right. There is nothing like electric cooking but induction cooking takes it over the edge. I found 3 burners built-in tops for around $700 that have no knobs protruding, it uses a touch pad sensor in the ceramic glass top. That burner is 240 volts. Then I have found 2 burner models that have control knobs and they are 110 volt.(Good for those 30 amp hook-ups.)

Both of those are out of my budget for now so I use a plug in 110 volt model I bought on e-bay new for about $120 delivered. It is the Spurentown?? model. Here is the e-bay listing number:  300118045857 just put that number in on e-bay and it will take you right to it. $85 + $25 shipping. (It even comes with a neat pan to cook with.)

Good cooking to you.

Dave Siegel

[HighTechRedneck]

(It even comes with a neat pan to cook with.)

Do induction cook tops require special pans?

[Dave Siegel]

Induction cook tops do require special pans. No aluminum for example. But then again aluminum cookware is not good for your health either. I found that good cookware with heavy bottoms don't work to well either. Just a thin weigh metal pan, can be the porcelain type, they just need to be metallic and magnetic, or the type that a magnet will stick to. Cast iron will work but they are usually too thick and require a much longer cook time.

Thin stainless works very well, even though stainless is not magnetic?? Go figure? No glass corning ware either.

Dave

[HighTechRedneck]

My pans are mostly the stainless steel with copper bottom.  I wonder if they would work with an induction cooktop.

[Dave Siegel]

I would try. I found that pans with heavy bottoms took longer to heat things using induction. Thin pans like the one that comes with the unit are very efficient. Once you see it you can understand better.

Another cool thing about induction is if you have a pan on the cook top that comes to a boil, when you reduce the heat to simmer let's say, the heat change and reaction in the cooking food is instant. You are far less likely to burn food with this system, and conversely if you do.......it really gets burned.

Dave

[Len Silva]

A look at the site mentioned shows that thet are mostly talking about residential or commercial units with elements 0f 2-3.2 kw.  I think the little 1200 watt portables would have the same drawbacks as a 1200 watt hot plate, notably not enough power.

We definitely like to cook pasta and especially boiled crab.  I think it would have to be outside on propane.  Even the RV propane cooktops and ranges have pretty small burners when it comes to "cooking large".

My next bus will have a residential gas stove in it, with a large, powerful vent to remove the excess heat.

Here is a review I found on the Target website;
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=cm_reviews_dp_seemore/602-0892107-1038202?ie=UTF8&coliid=&frombrowse=1&alt%5Fview=custReviews&asin=B0009EXY28#R2WURN2ERA1RVS

I purchased this burner because I am stuck with a lousy rental electric stove, and I wanted something quick to heat that I could use on the countertop or table, and I liked the idea that the induction burners cool quickly, for safety's sake. This burner does come up to your chosen temperature (low is listed as 120F, high as 440F) almost instantly, making it as responsive as the gas stove I wish I had - but it truly does go cool to the the touch 30 seconds after you turn it off. It's compact and only weighs a few pounds, so it truly is a portable option for use anywhere you've got electricity.

As for how it cooks, I've found that it runs to the hot side even when set to "medium," so I have to adjust the heat up and down a bit as I cook a dish, which is not difficult with the easy-to-use touch pad on the front. But even set on the highest level, this burner took perhaps half an hour to bring a few quarts of water to boil for pasta, an experiment I won't repeat (I moved the pot to the stove).

And a friendly warning about magnetic induction burners, since this isn't made clear in the description: You can ONLY use cookware on it that is made of magnetzed metal. No anodized aluminum like, and not all stainless steel is magnetized. If a refrigerator magnet sticks strongly to the bottom of the pan, you're A-OK. All cast iron and enameled cast iron works great, but double-check your stainless tri-ply (some high-end brands, like Cuisinart, don't work).

Lots of the great cookware Target sells works perfectly well on the SR-1851, I'm happy to report. I'm so glad I got this - it's a great improvement over electric coils for stir-fries and the like. I can understand why powerful induction cooktops are very popular throughout Europe, considering what this little table-top model can do.

Len

[Dave Siegel]

Hi Len glad you chimed in. That 1200 watts when used in induction cooking is really hot and really fast. I find I can wake up my food by starting on high for about 10-15 seconds then I turn it to low/medium and cook from that temp range. The 1200 watt high setting is powerful enough to heat a pot big enough to cook a pound of pasta at at a high roll.

But you are missing the entire purpose, there is NO ambient heat. NO extra heat in the cabin, no heat at the cook top, nothing that you can get burned on. In a small space like our coaches, that is very important.

Here is a link to the built-in models.....just for comparison. Like I said they are a little pricey but well worth the little extra if you are starting from new.  Be sure to get the entire line of link in.

http://www.compactappliance.com/xq/JSP.detailmain/Kenyon_Horizon_2_Burner_Cooktop/itemID.11263/
itemType.Product/iProductID.11263/qx/shopping/product/B42501.htm?mtcpromotion=NextTag%3ECooking
%3EBuilt-In%20Cooktops%3EB42501

Dave

P.S. I cooked a 3 gallon "Lo Country Boil" on ours and it was magnificent. I did it outside though because the pot was so big.

[DavidInWilmNC]

Len,

Something like this http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/CTG212FDW.html?mv_pc=dt might work well for you, too.  It's definitely not a residential stove, but who wants the heat of a gas oven in a bus?  I'll probably have one of these plus the induction cooktop in mine.  For now, I'll use a 2 burner electric hot plate like I do in our camper.  It heats much faster than the gas 3 burner cooktop.  I really don't want to run the generator just to have A/C, lights, and a burner on all at one time (on a 30 amp service).

David