12volt cooking - best choice?

[PureFolly]

What is the best way to go for 12 volt cooking on a 20' Hunter.

I will be using a Sears Rechargable battery pack that supports 12 volt ac and dc power units. Looking at 1 to 2 day overnite triips to cook breakfest and light dinners. No gas grill if I can help it.

What is your experience and perferences on 12 volt units? Grill, Hotplate?

I would like a cooking surface of 12"-18" or best 18" to 24".

Too much junk out there to tell, so experience is always the best choice.

thanks,
PureFolly. . .

 

[kloudie1]

PureFolly.. Making heat with 12 Volts is an expensive proposition. My suggestion is that you seriously consider a small propane hotplate to do cooking. The Sears battery pack will last about 5 minutes if you ask it to make heat. There are a couple of hotplates that use a small cartridge of propane or the one pound disposable propane cylinders. Some have the safety cut-off controls.. There has been a lot of discussion on this forum of late concerning this. Another option that is safe is the Origo hotplate which is un-pressurized and uses alcohol as fuel. The fuel is available at a great price in the home improvement stores in the paint section. Good luck with it, and scrap the idea of 12volt heat unless you are carrying a motor driven generator, or some really big batteries.

 

[seadaddler]

Agree

I agree 12 volt cooking is not good unless you are hooked to constant recharging.
Propane is the better way to go with the little propane bottles as fuel and easy to carry,I use them on my boat for the portable Magna BBQ,I also have a propane stove top with oven in the galley,most new sailboats use propane for cooking in the galley.
I don't see how 12 volts will last long for cooking.
Nick

 

[Steve Dion]

Search for Iwatani Cassete Butane Gas Stoves. They are under $50 and cook really well. I personally have not heard of any 12vdc cooking applicances are worth a damn.

There are others on the market too. These are used by cooks at breakfast/dinner buffets to cook

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

What do you have against gas grills?

With a 1 or 2 burner Coleman propane camp stove and a gas grill, you can prepare gourmet meals just about anywhere.

The grill must be mounted to overhang the water and the propane cylinders must be stored on deck, never in an enclosed space...but both are easy to deal with. There are a variety of grill mounts for boats (grill can be removed for storage), and stands that let you use 'em on the beach...and canvas slings for the propane bottles that hang on lifelines.

Cheap, simple and clean.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Do they even make these things?

I've never even heard of a 12 volt cook top!!!
I saw a 12 volt soup heater for a car cigarette lighter that drew 40 amps and blew the fuses EVERY time it was used. Took about 15 minutes to heat an 8 oz cup of water to "pipping hot." That would be 10 AH for a cup of coffee. Hate to see what the AH cost would be for a full meal.

 

[PureFolly]

thanks for the Advice.

Thanks for your comments.

I do not have rails on this sailboat, that is why I was looking at 12 volt , but I can set it up with a handle or rails.

Gas it will be!,

thanks,

Purefolly

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

There are a bunch of different grill mounts

For the rail...for the gunwale...adapters for rod holders...or a bracket that goes on the outside of the hull.

If you're creative, you can use a plain ol' tabletop grill. A PO of my boat did that...removed the legs that were on it...drilled 4 holes in the bottom of it...and bent 1" steel tubes to make new legs. He sank two flagpole holders in the transom...when the grill was used aboard, the front legs sat in the flagpole holders, cantelevering it over the water. When used ashore, it just sat on all 4 legs. I especially liked that it had nice rectangular cooking surface with a hinged lid...and that parts when needed were available from any hardware store that sells grills.