What induction cooktop do you use?
- Thread starter chickadee
- Start date
OCD Overland
Explorer
I never got one, but did a good bit of research on the portable ones. The only ones I could find that had a true low setting were the upper end Volrath cooktops, which are pricey but seemed worth it at the time. The others just turn on and off to get a low heat, which isn't great.
comptiger5000
Adventurer
Not great, but in-line with normal behavior for most electric stoves. So if you're used to cooking on an electric stove already, it's not a big deal. And using a pot / pan with a lot of thermal mass helps make the cycles less noticeable too.
We have a home high end convection cook top that is about 30 years old. Works great!
Immediate heat. Immediate off. Wife and I both love it. We put it in New when we bought the house.
Cycling on/off ratio is how it controls the heat setting. Works like that.
More time on is high, less is low. Cycles quickly, so smoothes out the difference.
Requires ferrous metal pan bottom (attracts magnet), which tend to be thick.
The pan bottom IS, essentially, the burner. No waiting for the heat to transmit itself into the pan.
Immediate heat. Immediate off. Wife and I both love it. We put it in New when we bought the house.
Cycling on/off ratio is how it controls the heat setting. Works like that.
More time on is high, less is low. Cycles quickly, so smoothes out the difference.
Requires ferrous metal pan bottom (attracts magnet), which tend to be thick.
The pan bottom IS, essentially, the burner. No waiting for the heat to transmit itself into the pan.
OCD Overland
Explorer
From what I saw when looking at them, the problem with the on/off method for the inductions was that the hot was really super hot, and people were complaining about burning foods on low because of it. I'm sure some brands are worse than others and heavier pans would mitigate the problem, but the way I saw it was that even at three times the cost, the relative added cost of a really nice one was minimal in the context of the entire camper build out. Add to that the assumed added reliability and longevity of a commercial unit and it seemed like the way to go.
In the end, we went with propane since we're traveling solely in the US.
In the end, we went with propane since we're traveling solely in the US.
DiploStrat
Expedition Leader
We used a True Induction, counter top, single burner model similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/True-Inducti...206170&sr=8-4&keywords=true+induction+cooktop
Had two drawbacks:
-- Poor at simmering because, as noted above, to get the lowest settings it has to pulse, a bit like a microwave.
-- First one died after a time, but was replaced under warranty.
Now have a built in, two burner, Dometic model. Performs much the same way. All in all, much easier to deal with, and much less expensive, than the diesel stove which we also had. Especially in warmer weather when the long cool down was annoying.
Had two drawbacks:
-- Poor at simmering because, as noted above, to get the lowest settings it has to pulse, a bit like a microwave.
-- First one died after a time, but was replaced under warranty.
Now have a built in, two burner, Dometic model. Performs much the same way. All in all, much easier to deal with, and much less expensive, than the diesel stove which we also had. Especially in warmer weather when the long cool down was annoying.
spressomon
Expedition Leader
What type of battery system(s) are you guys using to power these induction cooktops in your RV?
OCD Overland
Explorer
Lithium - four 100Ah Dragonfly LFP batteries with their built-in BMS, and the Victron MultiPlus charger/3000 watt inverter. And we ran 20 amp 120 throughout so that we could plug in a cooktop inside or out. 640 watts of solar. Power is rarely an issue, though in the winter it's still iffy. Right now, we're parked in the shade and the panels are covered in snow, and it's 7° so no charging will be happening today. In these conditions, we just don't use the inverter and the batteries will last for days.
Down at Big Bend a few weeks ago we had sunny skies, and even then we would just barely recoup our power use when we used the toaster oven the night before - similar power draw to an induction. That's one of the reasons why we went with a propane cooktop. If we could tilt our panels, that would make a huge difference. I have a 200w portable, but I haven't wired for it yet, and I think that will make a big difference as well.
So we have the option to add an induction cooktop but right now we're pleased with LP. It's cheap, lasts for weeks and in the US can be found anywhere. Once we exhaust the US and Canada and head down south, we'll probably want to rethink things. But by then we'll probably be looking to swap out for something like an Earthroamer or Tiger anyway. That's a ways off and by then everything solar and battery will be quite different I'm sure.
Down at Big Bend a few weeks ago we had sunny skies, and even then we would just barely recoup our power use when we used the toaster oven the night before - similar power draw to an induction. That's one of the reasons why we went with a propane cooktop. If we could tilt our panels, that would make a huge difference. I have a 200w portable, but I haven't wired for it yet, and I think that will make a big difference as well.
So we have the option to add an induction cooktop but right now we're pleased with LP. It's cheap, lasts for weeks and in the US can be found anywhere. Once we exhaust the US and Canada and head down south, we'll probably want to rethink things. But by then we'll probably be looking to swap out for something like an Earthroamer or Tiger anyway. That's a ways off and by then everything solar and battery will be quite different I'm sure.
Reviving this topic, maybe can get some extra input. Trying to find if the Kenyon Silken2 temperature setting is worth the extra $400. The others just have power setting and can't just set to target a temperature.
Anyone with a Kenyon Silken2 can talk about if they use the feature ?
Anyone with a Kenyon Silken2 can talk about if they use the feature ?
spressomon
Expedition Leader
FWIW, I just installed a True single induction burner into our little Escape 15A...so far it works great. I had a Mr. Induction we used as a portable device until it fell out of the cabinet and cracked (thanks to then ************ suspension on the trailer) and it worked fine too. We use a Duxtop portable at home but its bulky and noisy (fan) and along with extended warranty available ala Amazon and the fact True has been around a while, these were the primary reasons for picking True (1600w single burner/element).
I thought about a two burner induction but didn't think of too many times I'd have two pans atop it and the counter space in our little 15A is limited anyway...
And I, after trying the temperature setting on all 3 of the induction units I've used, haven't found it useful; they're arbitrary anyway. Whereas, I just use the 1-10 power selection and visual inspection on the pan's contents...to adjust temperature/power settings. It didn't take very long to get a feel for the settings...
The one feature on the Mr. Induction I miss, but not a deal breaker per se, is the one-touch ability to go to the highest setting. And the child lock, apart of most of the induction burners, is another annoyance. Too bad that feature can't be turned off for...folks like us w/o small children. Argh.
I thought about a two burner induction but didn't think of too many times I'd have two pans atop it and the counter space in our little 15A is limited anyway...
And I, after trying the temperature setting on all 3 of the induction units I've used, haven't found it useful; they're arbitrary anyway. Whereas, I just use the 1-10 power selection and visual inspection on the pan's contents...to adjust temperature/power settings. It didn't take very long to get a feel for the settings...
The one feature on the Mr. Induction I miss, but not a deal breaker per se, is the one-touch ability to go to the highest setting. And the child lock, apart of most of the induction burners, is another annoyance. Too bad that feature can't be turned off for...folks like us w/o small children. Argh.
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