Is Induction Cooking worth it? @overland-workshop

[@merv190]

Just come back from a 11000 km trip, NT, SA, WA north. I have a 2 burner cooker, cooking 2 times a day and stopping for cup of tea twice as well. 2 x 2kg gas bottles lasted 3 weeks then refilled both in Broome ( cost $12 each) and used about half a bottle in the next 10 days. My setup is built around gas so won’t be changing. I have always used gas and find it convenient with no problems.

[@BubblesTheCat1]

I know this has nothing to do with overlanding, but since I changed my burners in my apartment from gas to a double plate induction hob, I can't stop smiling. No running out of gas at the most inopportune time, and all you need to clean the stove is a damp cloth. I have kept the gas (in a spare room) for when there's a power outage (like loadshedding). Apparently, most large restaurants have also switched from gas to induction because of their obvious advantage over gas. Safe travels, and happy cooking! 😁🇿🇦🙋🏼‍♂️

[@trevorhicks7852]

Thanks Andrew - well explained. For us: 100ah lithium, no inverter, lasts us about 3days on average for lights fridge phone charging and diesel heater without any recharging. Cooking and boiling water: a butane cooker - 1 butane canister lasts about a week. The simplicity, weight, size and price of what we've chosen compared to what an induction cooktop requires may make an interesting video. Just a suggestion.

[@michaelsecomb4115]

We have gas on our van, but also bought a compact induction cooker. We are fortunate to have enough solar (2 x 190) and Enerdrive lithium (200 amp) feeding a 40amp charger and 2000 inverter. This setup allowed us to go 56 nights in Tasmania without plugging into mains power, so it works. I like the idea of going fully gasless to save the gas weight, but would need a larger van than we want to tow to get the rooftop space for the necessary solar to go gasless. We also use the induction cooker at home, which has much more solar.

[@michaelsecomb4115]

AGMs charge at about 12.5 volts, but lithium need 14 volts to fully charge. A smart vehicle charger will step down the charging rate as the battery charges, so the battery may never fully charge. Our Defender has a charger which operates at a flat 14 volts, so no problem. Otherwise, you need a dc-dc charger for full charging. Lithium cost maybe twice as much as agm, but last at least 3 times as long. I've had both and love lithium.

[@krimke881]

It's quite simple. The answer is always yes. But it's also; it depends on your setup. My setup as example: I use my induction top all spring and summer until the sun don't charge the batteries efficient enough anymore (4x100Ah) Then It's all gas. The savings are (calculating only gas refills): 600NOK yearly. Not much, but it all adds up. I run a Jetboil zip, a Primus Gravity all winter. One for reheating fluids, and one for cooking food. My cooler runs on gas all year, unless I can use 12v which I shuffle on and off to save batteries. All this works very very nicely. And I don't have to have posts and pans for induction and gas and I can use the cooker I need for the efficiency I need whenever I need. I just have a frying pan and a Hario kettle for the induction. These two also works on gas. It's cost effective, very lightweight, and It never breaks down. It's flexible, have no gear extra. Which means, I use the gravity and Jetboil ALSO on hikes. I ALSO have my kitchen bench free. NOTHING is installed into the bench. It's almost 2m (except the sink) so I can use it to also do other stuff on. It's what you need in a van. Everything needs it's on space, and everything should be possible to use to more than thing, as far as possible. I sometimes want a 3L pot for the induction, so It's possible It'll be purchased, if I find one lightweight enough and capable enough on the induction top. It will probably save me 300NOK more. But simplicity and cost effective are the priorities. and yes, you HAVE to have lithium to get cost effective setup. I couldn't do without that and DC-DC charger. It's not what you should. It's what fits your style, bank account, or goals.

[@TsavoTouring]

The big disadvantage I’m seeing for overlanders at the moment is that most shipping companies aren’t letting you transport lithium batteries on RORO or containers as far as I know. Ive heard that flat rack is okay with some companies… but I wouldn’t count on it.

[@17Viking]

I appreciate the tech but I don't get the hype over induction cooking for remote travel and camping. Maybe I'm missing something, but in my opinion induction is too complicated. That inverter must be heavy - plus the other equipment needed to run a single hob induction cooktop. It's difficult to beat using gas - one of my 2 burner gas stoves is 35 yo and still working without a problem. My other stoves will probably last as long (periodic hose replacement is a good idea). I can't imagine we'll be seeing portable induction cooktops lasting nearly as long. If it breaks you'll throw it out because it's probably not economical to repair - then you'll buy another - and soon after that it breaks........ Gas setups would generally be simpler lighter, more flexible and are possibly more reliable. A couple of minutes to hookup a gas bottle isn't really a problem. Wind is rarely a problem and easy enough to manage. Gas stoves even work in the rain. A 4kg gas bottle lasts us for at least a few weeks travelling - cooking plus heating water.

[@BubblesTheCat1]

Both have their benefits and drawbacks. At home induction is better than gas because: 1. It's cheaper to run (they use very little electricity), and 2. You don't need to go to the gas supplier to refill gas bottles, and then carry said gas bottles (which are heavy) around, and in your car. 3. You don't run out of juice in the middle of cooking something on the stove. I've also had my two plate induction hob for 7 years now, and nope, it hasn't broken yet. I'll admit, the glass can break if you drop something heavy on it, but the glass can be replaced separately. Each to his own, but I'm also glad that I don't have gas with the possibility of a leak in my house anymore. Gas leaks can kill you, and gas can explode. Induction can't kill you 😁

[@17Viking]

@@BubblesTheCat1 I agree each has their benefits. Home use requirements are different to overlanding - there are too many variables to simply declare one is cheaper than the other. Back to travel setups - induction cooktops might be light but have you tallied the weight of all the extra equipment required to reliably power one overlanding? Most >2000W inverters weigh more than a full 4kg gas bottle that is sufficient to run a gas cooktop for weeks. You must take into account the additional battery capacity, wiring, switching, solar required etc to have reliable power for induction plus other power demands. Gas setups would typically weigh less including the bottles - maybe 12 - 15kg total for the entire cooker setup. If you run out of gas you haven't planned well and are probably just as likely to run out of fuel for your vehicle or battery power while cooking. Gas supply has never been a limitation for our remote travels in Australia. Water, fuel and food are going to limit you well before the gas bottle is empty. Gas can be dangerous if not handled properly - not a good idea to carry gas inside the vehicle. Lithium batteries and 12v systems also come with risks that increase in harsh conditions due to heat and vibration. I reckon it really comes down to user preference.

[@BubblesTheCat1]

@@17Viking For overlanding gas is definitely simpler and more convenient. When I go camping (just a car with a trailer), I wouldn't even think of induction and all the extras that go with it. I just use a gas bottle top cooker. Much simpler and cheaper definitely. 😊🙋🏼‍♂️ from 🇿🇦👍🏻

[@deriusnorris4463]

What about using the multi fuel stoves like the Coleman dual fuel? No gas... Success many issues especially in Africa(but to get a good second hand one here is like chicken teeth.) Africa... Yup lithium setup is expensive. So we use gas no issues. However we have 200w + 100w portable solar and 200ah AGM batteries so we have a portable induction cooker which we use if 1. Midday African Sun or 2. if we are parked up at a place with electricity. We also have a cheap Chinese silicon kettle which works fine off a 1500watt inverter. Another question to ask is how often you going to camp, if it's just once a year it's not worth the setup IMHO. We try to once a month and 2 long trips (2 to 3 weeks a year).

[@johnboudreau5135]

Do you need special cookware ( pots and pans ) for an induction cooker? Also, just for fun because I am old school. Regarding gas, propane or naptha?

[@AlphGen]

If a magnet sticks you can use it

[@DreamBig]

What about a 2 burner petrol + induction ? Why petrol instead of gas ? Easier to get, no adapter needed from country to country. That’s my choice, and so far I’m happy with it…

[@ValRigoli]

IMHO the most economical way to boil water is NOT with an induction stove or gas burner, you are far better to use a compact 700-1000W 240V kettle, boiling enough water for two cups takes about 2.5 min and consumes only 4.2Ah from your batteries. So it is WRONG to claim that boiling water is best done on gas, as apposed to using an induction stove, because you just wouldn't do that, that would be stupid!

[@BubblesTheCat1]

The best way to boil water will always be a kettle, as the heating element is sitting in the water, and not underneath a pot, incurring heat losses.