Good electric hotplate for cooking on the road?

[lc94fsh]

Could any of you recommend a good inexpensive hotplate I could use to cook on the road? I have a converter so it can have a normal plug as long as it's under 410 watts.

 

[LeeRevell]

I have this one I got at Wally's.....

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aroma-Single-Burner-Portable-Electric-Range-Hot-Plate-AHP-303/5871070

Works well, but it's 800 watts. Most any hot plate will be 800 to 1500 watts - it takes power to cook with electric.

 

[decodancer]

Try an electric fry pan, you can cook almost everything and no need for a bunch of pots and pans.

 

[Zil]

I have an inductive hot plate. I use with my cast iron pans as well as other newer stuff. The electric fri pans are a good idea. You can't do much cooking less than 1000 watts.

 

[lc94fsh]

Can you get electric fry pans from Walmart or something similar? I've never heard of that.

What do you guys use personally? Would it be wise to go gas cooker? They're very expensive though. All i want is a hot surface to cook on so we can eat cooked food lol.

 

[Lucky mike]

A simple single burner gas unit is around 20 at walmart......watch yardsales and fleamarkets for a 2 burner gas or buy a small gas bbq

but you cannot cook on a converter /inverter for very long with a hot plate type burner ....they draw heavy on the batteries

 

[decodancer]

They make a 12 volt electric fry pan too. I've got it on my Amazon wish list. Costs about $20 if I remember.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Most vandwelers use propane for cooking, it is easy and simple to use and don't have to worry about finding a place to plug in for electricity. Electric burner will use up your battery power fast and you will not be able to cook for long periods for stuff that might take longer to cook. I have been using a single burner propane stove but you can get them in 2 burner stove also, walmart will have them in the camping section. You will also find there a hose to hook up the bigger propane bottles so that you can cook for longer time than what the little 1 lb propane will provide.

 

[wagoneer]

Just can't see the wisdom in using electric cooking. The most outside I ever got was to cut a metal coat hanger in half stick each end into a hot dog and stick it in any wall plug takes about 10 seconds just be careful.lol

 

[PastTense]

Have you considered an electric crock pot? This one for example is 170 watts:
http://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCR...1407862331&sr=8-2&keywords=electric+crock+pot

Here is their full list:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=dp_brw_link?ie=UTF8&node=289940

I would agree with the other posters about propane being the better option.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Have you considered an electric crock pot? This one for example is 170 watts:
http://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-SCR...1407862331&sr=8-2&keywords=electric+crock+pot

Here is their full list:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=dp_brw_link?ie=UTF8&node=289940

I would agree with the other posters about propane being the better option.

I've never used a crock pot, but I'm under the impression that crock pot cooking requires running the crock pot for many hours?

170 watts at 120 volts requires only 1.4 amps. 170 watts at 12 volts requires 14 amps. Factor in the usual inverter inefficiencies, and you'll be using roughly 16 amps every hour it runs.

If you have a single 12 volt house battery, it will be rated at about 110 amp hours. Since you can only deplete a battery to 50%, that means you have a usable 50 to 55 amp hours. Pull 16 amps an hour out of it, and 3 1/2 to 4 hours of running the crock pot will use all of the usable power in your battery.

I've said it before, but I'll repeat myself. If you want to cook with electricity, you need a shore power connection, a generator, or a HUGE battery bank.

Regards
John

 

[PastTense]

Yes, the OP should clarify his situation.

But the electric crock pot would seem to work in a situation where he is driving for several hours and puts the food in the crock pot at the beginning of the day's trip--and eats at the end of the day's trip. This depends on the generating capacity of his alternator--thoughts on this scenario?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Yes, the OP should clarify his situation.

But the electric crock pot would seem to work in a situation where he is driving for several hours and puts the food in the crock pot at the beginning of the day's trip--and eats at the end of the day's trip. This depends on the generating capacity of his alternator--thoughts on this scenario?

I confess I didn't think of that particular scenario.

It should be doable. The van's alternator becomes, in effect, the generator I mentioned needing.

If I were doing it, I believe I would hook it up to the engine battery, NOT the house battery. And I would want to avoid depending on cigarette lighter plugs. 15 amps is a LOT of current. Dedicated heavy wires - 8 gauge, maybe - ending in Anderson Powerpoles. And the crockpot wire converted over to powerpoles too.

Regards
John

 

[Spirituallifetime]

For cooking while driving RoadPro makes a 12v crockpot and a 12v oven. I haven't used these but I've heard good things about the RoadPro oven.
http://www.truckers-store.com/store...t-15-Quart-Slow-Cooker,-Black_1098086766.html
http://www.truckers-store.com/store...dPro---12-Volt-Portable-Stove_1098086764.html
These can be found in most truck stops also.

 

[PastTense]

RoadPro looks like it makes lots of 12 volt stuff which might interest Vandwellers [These are the Amazon results--which after shipping appear cheaper than Spirituallifetime's references.]:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_89_0?rh=i:aps,k:RoadPro,p_89:RoadPro&keywords=RoadPro

 

[lc94fsh]

Tell me the hot dog thing really works, that's awesome

 

[akrvbob]

I've been using the Roadpro oven for years and I love it!! At first I thought it was Chinese junk or a toy, but after I bought one I fell in love with it.

Highly recommended.
Bob

 

[Zil]

Passing 120 volts through a hot dog works. 120 volts can hurt you, be careful.

 

[highdesertranger]

in grammar school we did the hot dog thing with a 6v lantern battery. but you are not really cooking the hot dog just heating it up. hot dogs are precooked you can eat them cold right out of the package. I really don't understand why so many people want to cook with electricity, it's very inefficient. I myself don't even like electric cook tops in houses. highdesertranger

 

[Zil]

It is the Alice's Restaurant theory. One big pile (power plant) is better than many small piles (cook fires).