Which propane cook top to get???

[ZOFCHAK]

&nbsp;I'm working on converting my van and have decided to go with a built in propane cook top.&nbsp;&nbsp; Now the question is which one?&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />So far the Ramblewood Green 2 burner LP version is leading my list, but I was wondering if anyone else had any quality units that they could recommend?&nbsp; The Ramblewood Green top runs about $275 shipped which is more than I prefer to spend, but I'll be making the counter top specifically to fit whatever grill I get.&nbsp; I figure it's better to get one that will perform and last over the long haul than have to reconfigure the entire thing if it fails.&nbsp; Also any brands or models that I should stay away from?

 

[Les H]

Can't beat a coleman two burner stove. Been around forever, and even a top of the line model wont set you back more than $100

 

[ZOFCHAK]

&nbsp;I considered the Coleman, but the newer ones seem to get pretty mixed reviews.&nbsp;&nbsp; I'd really like to stick with a built in as I'm going to hooking up a bulk propane tank in the unit as well.

 

[akrvbob]

I am a big fan of Coleman stoves and wouldn't buy anything else. The way I would look at it is you can get a 2 burner for $60 and it should last you forever. But lets say you are right and you buy the rare bad one and it breaks. How many $60 stoves can you get for $279? I think there is no possibility that the Ramblewood would outlive 4 Colemans. Walmart sells a $20 hose that let you hook it up to a bulk bottle. I always keep a green bottle as backup so if the bulk bottle runs out, I can just switch and finish cooking dinner.<br /><br />Plus, even if you are a city vandweller, I'm sure there are parks in your town where you can set up the stove on a picknic table. Being portable can be a big plus.&nbsp; Coleman now makes lots of models of stoves. One is a 2 burner with a regular burner and the other side is a grill. I have friends with it who love it. They barbecue on it all the time and say it works great. One appliance that does two jobs. Again, just go to the park and take it out to a picnic table and use a little green bottle.<br /><br />But if you want a built-in, I would start checking out junk yards for wrecked RVs. Just take the cooktop out of one of those.<br /><br />Or, if you want to go all out, I would consider one of these ovens:<br />http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Cam...47470771&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=propane+oven<br />Bob

 

[Les H]

I have my coleman screwed to the counter top so it doesnt shift around. I plumbed it and my buddy heater to a 20 lb tank with a "T" fitting. For cooking outside the van if i dont want to heat it up ( or stink it up, depending on what i am cooking) i have a single burner stove that runs on a 1 lb bottle, or i can connect it to a 20 lb tank with an adapter. Someone else who did this cooking 2-3 times a day, had their 20 kb tank last almost 9 weeks. In addition to the propane stoves, i also have a folding biomass ( charcoal/twigs/newspapers/woodstove pellets, etc) grill/stove made by Pyromid. They are so efficient, they are used in third world countries by rescue personell and missionaries when solid fuel (wood) and liquid or gas fuel is very scarce. If i am backpacking, i take my coleman Max micro propane/butane stove. It weighs 5 oz, including fuel. I dont know if the search function is still not working, but there is a great sticky thread in the cooking forum about what people have, use, like, dont like and so on.

 

[ZOFCHAK]

&nbsp;Thanks fro the recommendations. I ordered a Coleman 2 burner propane unit yesterday and hope to have it for next&nbsp; weekend when I start the conversion.&nbsp;&nbsp; I still need to find a long extension so that I can use the grill out the passengers door, but it looks like there are a few different ones available.&nbsp; Hopefully I can put the money I saved over the Ramblewood Green unit towards gas for my next trip.&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[caseyc]

I also have the Coleman stove/grill combo, but I've noticed I rarely use the stove portion of the unit.&nbsp; I sometimes wish I got the all grill unit instead (without the stove) so I can slap on more ribs and chicken wings for barbequing!&nbsp; Only negative thing I can say about the stove/grill combo unit is that it gets super greasy on the bottom of the grill, and it gets very hard to wash clean after the grease has been burned in for hours.&nbsp; The metal piece on top of grill is also hard to clean and gets all grimey.&nbsp; I recommend placing foil paper on the bottom to help lessen the grease you have to clean off the unit.&nbsp; Doesn't hurt to also place a sheet of aluminum foil on the metal piece on top that holds the food.&nbsp; I foresee a day in the not so distant future when I will simply dump the entire unit because there will be so much burnt-in grease build-up that won't go away.<br /><br />I also have the Coleman single burner stove and some heavy duty pots and pans to go with it.&nbsp; Only noticeable small inconvenience is you have to use a lighter for this unit, but not for the stove/grill combo unit which has a built-in lighter button.&nbsp; Cleaning this single burner stove is very easy, and I simply use a wet-wipe to wipe off stray grease or food.&nbsp; The majority of the cleaning is the pot and pan you will be using for cooking on this device.&nbsp; Best to use a non-stick frying pan, which makes for easier cleaning.&nbsp; I recently made the mistake of getting a stainless steel frying pan (without the non-stick), and even a little bit of food grease can be hard to&nbsp;clean off.<br /><br />Can you tell I hate grease, haha!&nbsp; <img src="/images/boards/smilies/nono.gif" alt="" align="absMiddle" border="0" />&nbsp; By the way, both units mentioned above simply take a can of Coleman propane for cooking which you can buy in many places.&nbsp; I seem to recall that a can of Coleman propane is very cheap at Walmart, and can be used more than several times&nbsp;for cooking before it runs out.

 

[SoulRaven]

Hmmm built in stove in the van... Maybe consider the stove multitasking and doing double duty in and outside of your rig... The heat, splatters and smells of cooking inside are all negatives in most weather... I have a double burner and BBQ for outside and a single burner inside for those nasty days... Just a thought, works very well for me... Coleman stoves are the only stoves i have ever owned, considering I am still using the ones bought many years ago...<br /><br />As for bulk propane, i have two 5lb/1gal tanks, 1 gal of propane lasts about a month for me (cooking, coffee, cleaning), bigger tanks seem to not fit into the scheme of things in a van IMHO...