Cook top Happiness

[garybo]

I'd like some real world comments, nothing scientific or theoretical, about using the Webasto X100 diesel cook top. Perhaps someone who's used it in more than one country.
I know about propane: fast, room heat + humidity.
Just used an induction cooktop with pot of water simulating cooking rice: boiled in 5min, simmered for 25 more min; no room heat; used 30A.
Next on x100: boiled in 20 min, simmered for 25 min; immense amounts of room heat, not much humidity!
(note: the slave burner was plenty hot to also cook on)
My summary: x100 would take 20 min to make water even for coffee and make a lot of room heat; cooking a meal for an hour would be more room heat. I'm trying to like the x100 if someone can elaborate on the happiness factor of the cooking part.
I know about the altitude, complexity, cost, etc. Bypassing these issues, I'd rather hear about how one likes/ copes with the cooking, being in the kitchen with the heat, etc.
Gary

 

[garybo]

Since there are no replies to my question, perhaps there aren't many overlanders who actually use diesel to cook on. So I'm guessing, in spite of all the warnings about the difficulties of getting propane world wide, overlanders still cook on propane, either inside or outside.
In an expansion of my question, after getting to the boiling of water, turning the unit back to low (#1) temp to get the water from boiling to simmering, as in cooking rice, the boiling continued for at least 10 more minutes, ie, it was as slow to cool the water as it was to heat the water. Same temps were transfered to the slave burner, ie, one cannot move the cook pot to the slave to cool down.
Thinking about this, I can only think that the only way to go from boil to simmer would be to move the cook pot slightly off the center of the cooking element, ie, to slightly off center. To keep the pot from falling off the edge, I would think a heat proof border would have to be built around the whole cook top.
So, again, we're looking for feed back about how one actually cooks on these tops. thanks, Gary

 

[FusoFG]

We have the wallas version (same as the webasto but sold at marine outlets) and we love it. It takes about 12 - 15 minutes to make coffee in a stove top 8 cup percolator. About 7 - 10 to minutes start perking and then another 5 minutes to finish. 3 minutes before it's done we turn the stove off if we aren't cooking anything else.
.

We never use the stove above medium heat, it just gets hotter than necessary above that. Cooking with it takes a little getting used to, but once you do it works very well. It's a little like cooking with cast iron pans, a little slow to heat up and a little slow to cool down, but very even controllable heat. The secondary burner has no direct heat below it, just the exhaust gases going by and it heats to approximately half the temperature of the primary burner. It's very easy to move the pan left or right to get just the right temperature without changing the temperature control. We cook eggs, bacon, French toast, grilled salmon, tuna, chicken, pasta, rice and everything comes out perfect.
.
The newer version has a much more powerful and reliable fan and it cools down much quicker than the original (we've had both) plus it has a switch for high altitude use. We didn't get the under counter enclosure with the additional fan because we already had the exhaust going out the side instead of the bottom. That should keep everything cooler beneath the counter but we've never had any problems with our current installation.
.
We (my wife, the head cook) likes it so much that in the new Ram Promaster van conversion we're building she wants another one even though the engine is gasoline and we will need a small diesel tank for the cooktop.

 

[garybo]

FusoFG What do you guys think about the cabin heat produced? When we "practiced" boiling/simmering water, had to turn on the roof vent for the heat (no humidity). Seems like, but we don't know, it wouldn't be comfortable where it's hot and humid, ?S. America. I know one can cook outside, but not where there's lots of flying things or raining. thanks

 

[FusoFG]

How high did you have the temperature setting? Don't turn it up anymore than you need to do the job. And if the water continues to boil for 10 minutes after you turn it down to 1, turn it down sooner.
.
Like I said it takes getting used to. It's not a propane stove that runs on diesel. It has a lot more thermal inertia.
.
Our original cooktop had numbers on the dial and took ten minutes to cool down. Our new one doesn't have numbers, just marks and the more powerful fan cools it down in 2 minutes. We loved the original but love the new one a little more because of the altitude switch. If you have the original model, maybe a range hood an exhaust fan would help.
.
We mostly travel in July, August and September these days and on our way to Yellowstone (never hot, high altitude) and Glacier (sometimes hot) the hottest, most humid places we go are Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. And they're pretty misable that time of year. We always make coffee in the morning and often a cooked breakfast and the heats never a problem.
.
When we stop a mid day and it's hot we open he windows (awning windows with screens) and turn on the maxxair roof vent that works even in the rain as needed, but we've never thought the cooktop was making the heat or humidity worse.
.
Cooking for an hour sounds like a long time to me. If Charlotte is cooking more than one thing she swaps the pans around so things come out at the same time. We cook minute rice, not because of the time, but because regular rice takes too much water.
.
Lots of things to consider, but several minutes cooking with the stove shouldn't be a problem unless it's so hot that coffee made in the morning and chilled in the refrigerator with cold sandwiches would be better anyway .

 

[garybo]

Exactly what we need to hear and timely. Thanks very much.