InstaPot - size?

[DebraOak]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]Hello! In exactly twelve months from today, I will be on the road. Countdown preparation is real now and the first thing I need to learn to do is to cook differently. I want to get into the habit now. While I will have propane or butane tanks outside of my van to use intermittently alongside the grill, my main form of cooking inside heat will be an insta pot. I've heard glorious things about it - including its low wattage use - and am ready to buy. Which size do I buy???[/font]

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]I am single, traveling alone, but love to make soaps and other dishes ahead too.[/font]​

[font=Tahoma,Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]Anyone using the insta pot regularly have suggestions as to the size I should get?[/font]

 

[WanderingRose]

I bought a 5 qt first, then the 3 qt when it came out, and the latter is best for one person and for traveling, in my experience.

Nice to have the big one, if you want to cook a quantity of something for a crowd or the freezer, but the smaller one is more practical.

Opt in for the glass lid accessory, too, for when you are simmering something or using it as a crock pot.

 

[B and C]

What are you considering as low wattage?

I had to go look (again). I have a regular pressure cooker that I can use as a big saucepan if needed. Great for chili or a roast. Not sure what size it is but works well on my propane cooktop. From what I was seeing for wattage (1000 watts), it would kill my 350 Ah battery bank. I also carry a small roadpro crock pot that works off 12V but have only used it while driving.

 

[XERTYX]

Look into the hotlogic mini. Havent used one but they claim to use 45watts. They're a slow cooker for sure. You wont have a meal ready in 10 mins.

I'm planning on testing a new in box 350 watt rice cooker with steamer basket option I bought for $6. Many people use rice cookers for a variety of things not only rice.


*Edit*

The 3qt instapots are 700 watts. That's as much as a small microwave oven.

Instant Pot LUX Mini 3 Qt 6-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Sauté, Steamer, and Warmer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071FGTXDW

 

[jimindenver]

It seems near every person that I design for wants to use a insta pot and they do too. I think the wattage range has been 700-100 watts for the insta pot. My designs tend to run 800 watts of panel and 450 Ah of 6 volt AGM or 300 Ah of Lithium batteries. They have no issues running the insta pot during the day.

Doesn't a insta pot use a lot of power in the beginning and then drop off?

 

[XERTYX]

I believe the do Jim. But I dont have any data on startup vs running wattage. The OP has a Rav 4 so unless that's the tow vehicle I'm worried they wouldnt have near the wattage to use this as their main source of cooking.

Also my biggest concern was puekert effect if they're using lead acid. That's a huge draw on 1 or 2 batteries in a rav4.

 

[maki2]

They are perfect for people who are afraid of cooking with a gas flame and people who don't want to stand over the stove and keep an eye on what they are cooking.

It should be sized in relationship to your eating habits and the size of your fridge. Small fridge then you need to cook in small quantities. If you don't like to eat the same leftovers for a lot of days in a row then you should also get the small unit.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

. . . Doesn't a insta pot use a lot of power in the beginning and then drop off?

Same as any thermostatically controlled heater: max power until set temperature reached and then cycles on and off to maintain.

 

[jimindenver]

just like my cook top. The small burner is 470 watts until it reaches temp and then cycles. Long term cooking doesn't take as much power as you think. The big burner take 1070 but even then it's only going to use so much power before it starts cycling unless you leave it on high for boiling water. I generally stick to the smaller burner and practice the opposite of inductive cooking. I let the pan heat as I prepare the food.

 

[MrNoodly]

I know nothing about hot pot cooking. So why that versus other forms of cooking?

 

[XERTYX]

I finally found a real world test of the instapot used on battery power only. Although there were some variables as he ran 3 tests. A 5 min steam, 30 min pressure cook, and a 4 hour slow cook without letting it cool down in between but it seemed to be consistent. The 4 hour slow cook used 24.5Ah coming up to pressure was using around 63 Amps for 10 minutes or so and then it was occasionally cycling to keep warm but the running amps werent astronomical.

He was using 4 golf cart batteries so a decently designed battery bank should have no problem. I wouldnt attempt it with 1 maybe even 2 walmart deep cycles. But 3 should fit the bill I would think.

 

[Trout]

MrNoodly,

Potatoes in 5 minutes once up to temp.  It is a pressure cooker and overall uses energy efficiently.  We make hummus from scratch with dried chick peas, 60 minutes later it's being devoured.  Beans cook quicker as well without having to soak, even quicker if you do soak overnight.  Cheap cuts of meat come out very tender as well
I like the insta pot brand as it is higher quality and it uses a stainless steel pan instead of a "coated aluminum" pan.

 

[DebraOak]

What are you considering as low wattage?

I had to go look (again).  I have a regular pressure cooker that I can use as a big saucepan if needed.  Great for chili or a roast.  Not sure what size it is but works well on my propane cooktop.  From what I was seeing for wattage (1000 watts), it would kill my 350 Ah battery bank.  I also carry a small roadpro crock pot that works off 12V but have only used it while driving.

Yes, I'm not up-to-speed on wattage yet. I've watched Bob's good explanations but without actually experiencing any of the off-grid realities, I've a lot to learn. I know I'm going to get double the solar of what I need in order to not take my batteries below 50% on regular use but how that will happen, I've no idea. I also have a commercial quality blender I'm taking along and won't give up. That will use a bit. Maybe my jackery will pitch in on those occasions.

 

[DebraOak]

I finally found a real world test of the instapot used on battery power only. Although there were some variables as he ran 3 tests. A 5 min steam, 30 min pressure cook, and a 4 hour slow cook without letting it cool down in between but it seemed to be consistent. The 4 hour slow cook used 24.5Ah coming up to pressure was using around 63 Amps for 10 minutes or so and then it was occasionally cycling to keep warm but the running amps werent astronomical.

He was using 4 golf cart batteries so a decently designed battery bank should have no problem. I wouldnt attempt it with 1 maybe even 2 walmart deep cycles. But 3 should fit the bill I would think.

Super info! Thank you so much. I don't plan on hour long or multi hour long slow cooks. Using it for daily dinners and the occasional soup batch.

 

[XERTYX]

I was surprised at that data myself. Even more surprising was how darn difficult it was to find ANY info whatsoever. Considering how popular they are I'd have thought there would be dozens of videos.

As far as calculating watts the quick estimate I use as a general idea is to divide AC watts by 10 that's closeish to how many amps it will draw from the battery. If you have an inefficient inverter that may be lower than reality if you have a decent one that will be more than it actually uses.

I.E. 700 watts I'd figure a 70 amp drain. In that video he was seeing 63 amps draw. So it's an over estimate. I like to figure on worst case scenario.

Then remember that the amount of time those amps are used is how you figure amp hours. But if you're using a lead acid battery it cannot put out 70 amps very long. Maybe only a few minutes before it conks out. That is due to the puekert effect. To counter that effect you'd add more batteries in the bank.

If using lithium it can provide lots of on demand power. So that's a consideration to take into mind in your build. You're likely gonna need 4 walmart deep cycles or 4 golf cart batteries to be able to handle such a high startup amp drain.

On the other hand lithium is much lighter can provide lots of on demand power and of course is more expensive.

But I'd think 3 walmart 29DC batteries should work with that if you're putting enough charge with solar back into them. And if they're full in the daylight hours when you're using it much of that draw will come from the solar.

 

[Qxxx]

Good info. I guess I'll stick with my 9" frying pan and 1-burner propane stove, then I don't have to increase solar from 100W to 1500W watts. When I am out camping, I don't mind spending a bit of time directed towards preparing meals.

 

[B and C]

Using household 120V appliances is appealing to say the least because they are inexpensive and what we are used to using. When we become the power company, it doesn't come as cheaply or easily as when we had grid power in a house. This is why I was trying to suggest a cooktop pressure cooker, they have been around for a long time and there has been improvements of the old weighted topped ones. If you are learning from scratch on pressure cookers anyway, you might as well learn the frugal way too.

 

[Qxxx]

Yes, I'm not up-to-speed on wattage yet. 

Watts is simply volts times amps, so 12V * 3A = 36W. 

For reference, typical laptops will draw 40W or so. Although this normally will be via a 120VAC inverter, or roughly 120VAC * 1/3A, so you can figure the approx load on your 12V battery from the first formula, via 40W/12V = 3.3A, or a bit more due to inefficencies in the inverter.

If you have a 700W AC or DC device, work backwards to find approx amps.

700W / 12V = 58A, quite a lot, and especially for whatever wiring is in your RV. Once past 5-10 Amps, you need quite big wire.

And if you run 58A for an hour, then it draws 58AH from your battery. A 100AH battery is already half depleted.

 

[jimindenver]

Remember that most of the devices spoken of are 120 Vac, not 12 volt. So the big run of wire is between the bank and inverter, not through out the rig. There are 12 volt A/C's and microwaves that pull like that but they are not the norm.

 

[Qxxx]

To echo what jim just said, and add to what I said earlier, the "wattage" drawn, at 12V or 120VAC, will be roughly equivalent, ie 700W at 120VAC is about the same as 700W at 12VDC, but the "current" will be roughly 10 times larger in the 12V part of the system, so that part will need the much bigger wires. Else the wires will melt and possibly burn down your RV.

Anyone who plans to have 700W loads really needs to have a very competently designed electrical system.