Which/How many appliances do you have?

[Jack]

I don't have a van yet, but I'm trying to plan which kitchen appliances are reasonable to bring and how many are too many.  This is the ONLY area where I have difficulty down-sizing because I love to cook!  Even so, I do want to keep it simple.  Here's what I'd like to bring and would love your honest feedback.  Too many?  A reasonable variety?

1.  Propane Camp Stove.  Options include:  (Links are just so you can see the item.  I'm not affiliated!)
- single burner
- dual burner
- combo with one burner and a grill (From Amazon: Coleman 2 Burner Grill Stove Combo)
- combo with two two burners and an oven (like a toaster oven)  (From Overstock) 

2.  Instant Pot  (Pretty much an all in one when you have electricity.)


3.  Electric Kettle (I hate microwaves and won't have one.)

4.  NutriBullet (for smoothies and use as a mini-blender to make sauces, dressings, etc.,)

5.  Toaster Oven (If I don't get the Coleman combo in #1).  Good for reheating and making cookies!

So, what do you think?  I'm wondering if the Instant Pot might be overkill for one person, but it's so versatile and would be a cold weather item when I don't want to go outside to cook!

 

[lenny flank]

That's a LOT of electricity.............

Are you planning on using shore power? Generator? Solar?

EDIT: -- I have the ultimate in "simple", I do all my cooking on a homemade alcohol stove that cost basically nothing to make.

 

[Jack]

Well, I wouldn't be using them all at the same time!  Just one at a time.  And the propane stove wouldn't need power.  But still, I'm new to this and don't have a van yet.  I'm learning from scratch when it comes to power sources.  I'm keen on solar, though.  (I had to do a search to learn what "shore power" was.)

Don't microwaves use a lot of electricity?  TVs?    I won't have either of those.

Edited to Add: Started my power/electricity education early and learned what you meant when you said that's a lot of electricity! Still, I'd like to have them, and I have the time to learn and grow in my decision making. That's why I love this site!

 

[lenny flank]

You need to do some math.

First, list all the things you will want that use electricity, and how many hours per day you will want to use them.

For each item, check how many watts it uses (it'll be on there somewhere)--divide that by 12 to get the number of amps it will draw from your battery bank. Then multiply the numb er of amps for each item by the number of hours you want to run it, and add all this up. This figure in "amp-hours" will tell you how much electricity you will actually be using each day. Double that number, and that is the minimum size battery bank you will need, in amp-hours.

To estimate how much solar panel you'll need to charge that, take the number for the battery bank and double it again. That is the minimum amount of panels, in watts, that you will need.

To guesstimate cost, figure $1 for each watt of solar panel capacity, $2 for each amp-hour of battery bank, and around $300-400 for controller, inverter, and wiring.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have never looked into that Coleman oven but boy that thing is expensive. have you looked into a Camp Chef,

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camp-Che...175035&wl11=online&wl12=7857646&wl13=&veh=sem

a couple of points about electricity,

heating anything with electricity is very inefficient.

it is always cheaper and easier to conserve electricity then it is to make it.

just because you are not using those electrical appliances all at once doesn't really matter as much as the cumulative effect.

highdesertranger

 

[MrNoodly]

Single burner butane stove. That's it. It's enough for my limited cooking skills.

 

[Jack]

Great comments! I clearly need to learn how to change the way I think about electricity and appliances. That's good. I'll learn.

As for the items I linked to, those weren't the exact items I was considering, just the type. I think what I need to do is not think about my appliance wish list until I understand how the different types of power sources available work. On the other hand, all of these appliances are things I've seen other van dwellers have with them. I don't know how they powered them, but, again... I clearly have a lot to learn. But that's part of the fun and the process, right?

 

[Almost There]

I  cook on a one burner butane stove inside the van most of the time. But I also have a 2 burner propane stove with a 20 lb tank that I set up outside for doing long cooking jobs (chili, spaghetti sauce type things) and I have a Coleman folding oven that I use on the propane stove.

The combination of the 2 stoves also allows me to help cook for a crowd for parties!

The only electrical kitchen appliances that I carry are a small immersion blender and a tiny food chopper. Neither are used often but when needed will run off the the 400 watt inverter in the van.

Kettle is a stove top, rice cooks well in a pot on the stove and I have moved to couscous as a great substitute. It takes almost no power because all you do is heat the water.

When you're your own power supply company one learns to think differently about electricity!

Most of my power use is for the fridge and freezer because having them is a very necessary part of my lifestyle.

 

[Dingfelder]

It does use electricity, but I like my HotLogic mini and regular size cookers, available on Amazon or from the maker's site. A HotLogic cooker is a slow-cooker, but it weighs almost nothing and folds flat for easy storage. You can use almost any kind of pan or dish in them. You can do unattended, all-day or overnight cooking, but some dishes do cook in just a few hours.

I like that I can use it without heating up my trailer, too. I put a wooden cutting board under it just to be super safe, but very little of the heat makes it outside the bag.

You can't bake bread with it because it doesn't get hot enough, and likewise can't get a crust, but otherwise, it does most of what I might want an oven to do at a fraction of the cost, weight, and size.

 

[Cammalu]

I have an instapot (a small one). I use the generator for it. I think it would suck the life out of a battery

 

[rvwandering]

Even though we have an RV we rarely plug into the grid so our electric appliances are minimal. In fact, we have no electric kitchen appliances. We cook most meals on our propane stove and have a stovetop oven for baking, a tea kettle for hot water, and toast bread on a griddle.

We cook very similarly to the way we did when we were stationary in a house. It's surprising how easy it is to improvise. Hold off on acquiring anything new until you get your van and live in it for a while. If you already have some favorite appliances take them but you'll probably find that most aren't practical in the long run.

 

[Jack]

I won't lie, I was a bit discouraged when I realized you can't just plug something into solar energy and have at it. (An S&B comfort with unlimited electricity, I guess.) But now I'm kind of excited!

My hermit life of routines and habits is being chipped away at. Goals, challenges and learning new ways to think are presenting themselves and I like that. I'm looking to have my routine life of complacent existing shaken up! I'm a massively detail-oriented and organized person and I love figuring out how to do things in the most efficient way. So, until I learn about the power sources available to van living, I'm lowering the kitchen/cooking on my list of things to plan for. I'll still participate in the cooking forum though because I love it. I've lived all over the world and all over the U.S. I not only enjoy cooking food from many different countries, but also food from throughout time - the Victorian era, Edwardian Era, Depression Era, Pioneer times, etc.

I'd like folks who respond to any of my posts to know I'm listening and taking notes - everything from homemade alcohol stoves and where to do the cooking, to learning to see/think through other people's experienced eyes.

 

[highdesertranger]

that's a great attitude Jack. highdesertranger

 

[QinReno]

Yeah Jack, once you accept the idea that you may be pooping in a plastic bag, taking a shower only once in a blue moon, and eating a more mundane diet because you don't have enough power to run a frig/freezer, then it's all cake and swiss cheese after that. OTOH, if you have 400-500W or so of solar, then you can have most of the regular electrical appliances.

 

[Jack]

Thanks guys. While I do love to cook, I don't mind in the least not doing much of it. I'm more than willing to go from Foodie Fanatic to keeping meals simple and quick. Food as sustenance instead of an obsession, so-to-speak.

If it turns out that I have a one-burner propane stove and one pot, I'll be content. It'll be enough. It would just be nice to be able to do a bit more than the basics. Not necessary, but nice.

 

[Jack]

Wow. It's interesting how much has changed in the last 31 days since posting this thread. The newbie excitement has worn off and simplistic realism has set in. As far as appliances go, I'm not looking at any of these things anymore, except possibly a camping oven. The electric kettle would be nice because, if I have coffee, I have groceries. But it's not essential.

I love to cook but I find myself keeping meals more and more simple as time passes. I can see that becoming even more so living in a van.

 

[lenny flank]

You learn quickly what is a necessity, what is a luxury, and what you can do without.

 

[travelaround]

Necessity: lots of solar panels and dual heavy duty batteries so I can run anything I want to run.

 

[Jack]

I don't have any intention on skimping when it comes to solar panels. Like my water tank, I'm planning ahead and going bigger than I need to grow into it. Some things are just better done right the first time... in advance.

 

[rm.w/aview]

I don't have a van yet, but I'm trying to plan which kitchen appliances are reasonable to bring and how many are too many.  This is the ONLY area where I have difficulty down-sizing because I love to cook!  Even so, I do want to keep it simple... and would love your honest feedback. 

Using two pocket stoves left over from backpacking days when cooking outside and a propane stove when cooking inside, and occasionally the InstantPot.