Induction Cooktops

[bluwtr49]

I have read glowing reports regarding installing an induction cook tops as a replacement for the propane units but I have no personal experience with them.

Glowing reports aside I would be very interested in hearing about the drawbacks to the replacement. Also, if one were to undertake such a project what are the best brands available.

Thanks for any input.

[lenny-shawna]

We have a stove with a 3 burner propane cooktop. Love it. Propane was one of the must have's for us.

While we stay mostly at KOA'S or other full hook-up sites, boon-docking is something we will start doing more of therefore we wanted to rely less on electric.

We do however plan on purchasing a portable induction cook top allowing us to have the best of both worlds.

[bluwtr49]

Thanks again for the info. I broached the subject to DW and just got a strange look and was told in no uncertain terms to "stay out her kitchen" and she likes the propane just fine.

[chuckftboy]

While induction cooking may be the best thing since sliced bread, I thing LP will always work for me. I really like cooking with gas and since I only uses it for occasional heat to back up may heat pumps or heat hot water if I am off the grid, a tank of gas lasts between 1 and 2 years. LP, for me is very convenient

[cwdavis]

We have been cooking on an induction unit at home for about 4 years and have had a uniformly very positive experience with it. It is more than 90% efficient in converting electricity into heat -- in the pot or skillet. Gas, by comparison, is less than 50%. The induction unit boils water so fast that one can't cook a 3 min egg on the high setting -- the water boils so fast, an egg is not done in 3 min. By trial & error, we found that a middle setting (5 on a scale of 1-10) gives the perfect boiled egg.

The other good thing about them is that changing the cooking temp is essentially instantaneous, as fast or faster than with gas.

The only negative is that, as others have mentioned, the cookware needs to have an iron or steel bottom, but that's a negative only if you don't have any.

We're getting ready to hit the road full-time, and an induction unit will be in our coach ...

[bluwtr49]

I appreciate all the replies and may look into this more thoroughly. Outside of the power use they sound great. I'll have to think about the extra load since we already have a tough time living on 30 amps when that happens.

[webslave]

You are looking for drawbacks... Well, if we have electricity, either shore, generator or inverter, we can cook. Can't use out of propane as an excuse to not cook. DW doesn't get to experiment with overcooked or undercooked food because of lack of LP pressure (tank less than full), or altitude effects on burner efficiency; #4 or #2 is always the same amount of heat on our induction cooktop. The wife doesn't have time to do her nails waiting for water to boil on LP...the induction top is as fast or faster than the microwave. We don't get to breathe various cleaners trying to get burnt on food off and out of the burners; induction cookbooks are flat, smooth and can't burn food onto its surface.

In short, it saves us so much time and aggravation, that we now spend more of our time thinking of things to do besides slaving over a hot, wasteful LP burner.

[JFC]

We had a residential refrigerator installed on our Scepter several years ago, so the three burner stove was the only propane user in the coach.I purchased a True induction cook top and since I was having other service done, I had Oregon Motor Coach Center in Oregon install it and remove the propane tank. They did a great job. They turned the propane bay into another storage bay and used material that matched the original counter top to fabricate a recessed counter where the original stove had been. Being recessed, the original stove covers are still there so the entire counter is usable when the stove is covered. The installation was six months and two trips ago and it works great.

[2_Retired]

Also use the portable NuWave model. You must have the right cookware, as previously explained, to use it but it does replace so many other cooking tools, like a crock pot, electric fry pan, etc. I haven't used my propane cook top since I got it, over 2 years ago! Its portability is a feature I really appreciate. It can be used easily for any type of cooking, from searing a steak at very high temps to low temp slow cooking. Totally versatile.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I love my Nu-Wave. They have many more heat settings than any other product I've seen. My only wish is that it were smaller.

I store it on a cutting board that covers the (unused) propane range.

[gbopp]

We didn't buy one yet. But, I probably will soon. It seems like a great addition to the kitchen.
I would not replace the propane stove top even if they made a drop in convection replacement.

[DSDP_Don]

It's no different than a portable electric heater. It's max draw is 15 amps. The two burner models only allow a total combination of 15 amps.

No matter how hard you fight it or disagree, the wave of the future in large coaches will be all electric.

[Boxer_Lovers]

Can we assume you don't want to use one if you're limited to 30 amp servuce?

[DSDP_Don]

"bluwtr49".....At first we bought and tried a portable unit to see how it works and to use outside for cooking. We liked how it worked.

When we bought our coach, it was all electric with the exception of a two burner cooktop. The two burner top was small and was difficult to put anything larger than a medium pan on it.

Last year, I bought the True Induction cooktop, the same one that Newmar installs as standard equipment, and replaced my propane cooktop. This made my coach all electric and allowed me to remove my propane tank and gain a nice storage compartment. I had a huge built in propane tank for a tiny two burner stove.

Here is a picture of the install. True Induction makes a countertop and insert model. I bought the insert and it fit perfectly over my opening. I already had a spare outlet under the sink, so connecting it was easy. We now have a much larger cooking area and really looks more modern.

It should be noted that I'm a big believer in NEVER using my microwave or high energy draw units, like the cooktop, on an inverter, even though I have a PSW inverter. If I don't have power and need to cook, which isn't often a part of the way we camp, I start the generator. For the few occasions that we boondock and just need to heat water or a cup of coffee, I bought a small portable cooktop (butane).

I had a custom cutting board made that just fits over the perimeter of the cooktop and protects it when not in use.

[Greydennyhawk]

I love this nu wave as it goes outside and cooks up my bacon, doesn't splash up my RV countertop.
We also have used it as a crock pot, with a cast iron crock pan and lid, you can set the temp and forget it. People are always coming by to see what we have in the pot that smells good.
The only downside, getting used to the fact that if you remove the pan, it shuts off automatically.
I am used to it now, but it took a long time, because I am Polish.