Gas stove vs induction burners

[Toddna]

Hi
My husband and I are planning our build for a 5.0 and we are considering an induction cook top vs the propane gas cooktop. We are not planning on getting the oven. I am looking for thoughts, pros and con’s.
Thanks

[JohnK]

Originally Posted by Toddna

Hi
My husband and I are planning our build for a 5.0 and we are considering an induction cook top vs the propane gas cooktop. We are not planning on getting the oven. I am looking for thoughts, pros and con’s.
Thanks

We often use a portable single induction burner hotplate when hooked up. With the induction burner set to 1500 or even 1200 watts, if our water heater is also on electricity and we are simultaneously using other appliances such as a toaster or an electric tea pot or a cube cabin heater, it's easy to draw too much current and the system shuts down leaving us with battery power only and no battery charging.

If you go with an induction cooktop you'll be having to spend lots of time load shedding electrical appliances you normally use just to keep the induction stove on. In my humble opinion induction cooktops realistically will require an entire system upgrade to a heavier trailer electrical system.
John

[Toddna]

Originally Posted by JohnK

We often use a portable single induction burner hotplate when hooked up. With the induction burner set to 1500 or even 1200 watts, if our water heater is also on electricity and we are simultaneously using other appliances such as a toaster or an electric tea pot or a cube cabin heater, it's easy to draw too much current and the system shuts down leaving us with battery power only and no battery charging.

If you go with an induction cooktop you'll be having to spend lots of time load shedding electrical appliances you normally use just to keep the induction stove on. In my humble opinion induction cooktops realistically will require an entire system upgrade to a heavier trailer electrical system.
John

Thanks so much this is very helpful

[dstreight]

Our little 15A is all electric including a built in single "burner" induction cook top I installed. We love it. No CO, easy to clean, etc. But, just like all electric appliances, you will need to supply the proper voltage & current: Easy when connected to shore power but more complex & $$$ if you are not going to be connected to shore power (i.e., "boon docking/dry camping").

Although we consider ourselves "foodies", we don't like splatters and mess in our little trailer. So, for preparing anything seared, fried, etc., I use a compact single pan butane/propane burner for searing steaks, fish, etc., outside. We also have a portable single induction burner/element, but a vast majority of our camping is out in the middle of nowhere so the little butane/propane burner gets used when we need to cook something outside (conserves battery capacity).

[bborzell]

We replaced our 20 year old DCS gas range with a new AGA 5 burner induction range some months back.

The cooking experience in our home has changed dramatically. Better temp control, much easier cleanup and no more products of incomplete combustion (bad air) all combine to make this the best kitchen appliance purchase we have ever made.

I would like to see a trailer manufacturer build something with induction cooking designed in from the ground up.

[Jim Bennett]

Most folks I know are rarely plugged into the grid as camping is getting away from it, so unless you had a real good solar and battery combo, how would you cook when off the grid?

We are on the grid some, but less than 20% of the time overall. Some of the sites we had to don't even have power within many kilometers.

We love our 36" induction range at home though this is new to us only a year old now. If it could be made reasonably priced and very effective to use in the trailer while off the grid I would consider it.

I do like the idea of some bringing a portable induction stove along.

[oldwave]

We have a propane three burner in our trailer but rarely use it. We carry a commercial grade induction single burner. We also have an outdoor two burner low pressure stove as well as a butane single burner made in Japan. I’d say a single induction burner with a backup butane single is a viable way to go when you have no shore power. I don’t know any fiberglas trailers with 50 amp service but going with all electric camper I’d be tempted . It’s not that hard to retro fit with a new panel and input cord or have the manufacturer install at time of construction

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I do like the idea of some bringing a portable induction stove along.

I'm with you there. But I guess we have to remember that a lot of folks, maybe more back East, don't have the opportunities to boondock like we do and spend a much higher amount of time on shore power. Personally I'd never get myself into a situation where I needed a large amount of lithium and solar to run one. I like a simpler life.

As much as I've liked cooking on an induction stove from time-to-time I have to say that propane meets all our needs. While I read about induction cooking on the forum when using the propane stove in the trailer it's never crossed my mind that I need anything else.

Ron

[Jill]

We carry a portable induction burner that I use instead of the propane stove any time we have hookups. Most of the time I plug it in and use it outside to keep mess and smells out of the trailer. It works so much faster than the propane stove and I don’t get overheated like I do when cooking on the propane stove inside. It really is a win win situation.

[Selkirk]

I have only ever heard of multi-element induction cooktops being OEM installed in large Class A RV's that feature 50A shore power, a large on-board generator (8KW range), and/or an obscene amount of solar and battery capacity.

[brroberts]

We just carry a cheap hot plate for the times we have shore power.

[Hawkeye Ed]

We carry and frequently use a Nuwave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop whenever we're connected to shore power. Because it has selectable heat settings (600, 900 & 1300 Watts) we can use it even with other AC power draws like space heaters. https://a.co/d/6zha7Af

[RonW]

we did not have the propane cooktop or stove installed during our build and now have a wonderful spacious kitchen countertop in our 21C - we keep both a small portable induction cooktop and a small portable propane cooktop in our cabinet and take one or the other out when needed. We LOVE induction cooking - and have never had the problem mentioned above but really never use other electrical appliances at the same time (after all, we are camping!) Having had only induction cooking in our home for 45 odd years we are used to the occasional blip LOL!!! P.S. we use a Breville countertop oven and built a pull out shelf in the space the built-in oven would have been.

[Downsized]

If you are planning on towing with an electric vehicle I wouldn’t hesitate to go induction as the vehicle will have at least a 120 kWh battery if not bigger.

If not I would go propane.

[lostskier]

My 2019 E19 had three burner stove top with oven. Got tired of loose screws and not using the oven much. Removed it, put in a new countertop, and installed a convection oven/microwave. Will use a portable induction for stove top. I tested the portable induction plate to see what kind of electrical demand I had on my 270amp lithium battery. I cooked frozen hash browns for 10 minutes, and it took 8% of my battery. I can live with that. No more loose screws from gas stove top, or oven door flying off, lol. I posted pics of my mod in the Escape Owners Facebook site.

[CE Vogel]

Lots of good advice given here. The 'best' choice depends on your camping style. An induction cooktop requires 120VAC, which you don't have when boondocking or stopping in a rest area for lunch. You could opt for the inverter option which will run the induction cooktop for a while, but will drain your batteries. Not a problem for a lunch stop, but a big problem if boondocking for several days. Some have suggested a portable induction cooktop for use when shore power is available, and the propane stove when shore power is not available. This is what I have and it works well for me.

[Cascadian]

I will echo some of the other thoughts on this thread. We have a new 5.0 after camping in our beloved 17 for the last 5 years. Never used the indoor stove for anything beyond boiling water in inclement weather. I don’t want a greasy trailer. We’re not boondockers so I now run an extra cord from the 20A plug on the stand to cook with an induction hot plate. It’s brilliant (serious foodie here) but still keep a portable propane stove on board in case I need to stand ankle deep in rainwater to cook a proper meal.

[Rossue]

Originally Posted by RonW

we did not have the propane cooktop or stove installed during our build and now have a wonderful spacious kitchen countertop in our 21C - we keep both a small portable induction cooktop and a small portable propane cooktop in our cabinet and take one or the other out when needed.

Great idea- so no matter what you've got coffee at least in the AM!

We have a dual induction cooktop in our van conversion powered by a GZ 3000X that has a 2KW pure sine wave inverter. The induction cooktop does impact the 280 AH battery and cannot run both burners over level 5 together. It is nice for the van & if we ever do a new countertop will seriously consider your option in our 21C- which has the largest countertop of any Escape trailer, btw.

[Jim Bennett]

We use Our Dickinson Caribbean range inside a quite a lot. Bad weather, dark night, etc. The performance is fantastic so why not. Not often, but sometimes when baking using the broiler is a nice finish on some dishes. Putting water on for coffee is the first thing I do when I get up, and that is usually quite early. I go outside to do so if there is sunshine, otherwise put a pot on the stove inside. Using the range hood ensures all moisture and odor from cooking is draw outside.

Still, we do more cooking outside on the Ranger II stove or Dickinson Spitfire BBQ more. I love being outside cooking as being outside is the main reason we head out with the trailer anyway. As well, the odd time the added heat of cooking inside is not desirable, tough most often up here not an issue.