Marine Stoves?

[Comodave]

I’m staying with electricity. Not a great photo but I bought this 120-V convection microwave still in the box from a builder whose customers changed their minds. Still some cabinet work to do, but the new countertops (not pictured) are almost in!

Have you checked the ventilation and clearance requirements? Convection ovens create a lot of heat. The ones I looked at needed 12” clearance above them. We put a convection microwave in a previous boat and installed a 120 volt bilge blower to evacuate the heat. We bought a remote plug at Sears that turned on the blower when the microwave came on and then turned the blower off after the oven went off. Ran a duct from the blower to the engine room vents and put the hot air out the vent. Worked great.

 

[Aquabelle]

We are looking at replacing our electric stove/oven combination unit with an induction stove top and speed oven. No propane to worry about. Stove top doesn't get hot, easy to clean and is very efficient. Speed oven bakes, broils, convects and microwaves.

It is true that a convection microwave (I think that's what you mean by Speed Oven) can run fine off a suitable inverter and we do this often....up to a point. You wouldn't want to do a 50 minute roast without starting the genny though, unless you have a much bigger House bank than my 940Ah. A propane cooktop doesn't require genny start obviously. So 90%+ of our cooking is done without genny start and without limiting our meal types. That's important to us.

I'd like to hear from those who have induction cooktops whether when using 2+ burners, genny start is needed.

 

[Comodave]

We are looking at replacing our electric stove/oven combination unit with an induction stove top and speed oven. No propane to worry about. Stove top doesn't get hot, easy to clean and is very efficient. Speed oven bakes, broils, convects and microwaves.

I saw a Kenyon induction cooktop that had a silicon pad that would stop pots from sliding and also contain spills.

 

[Quadcap]

About five years ago I installed Dickinson Mediterranean Three Burner Propane Stove. It has been a great stove. I highly recommend this stove. Here is the website
http://dickinsonmarine.com/product/mediterranean-three-burner-gas-stove/

 

[Lioness]

Force 10 or Dickinson

IMHO, there are really only 2 alternatives for a marine grade propane cooktop/stove, Force 10 and Dickinson. I’ve owned both and they function well. Your dilemma is 2 or 3 burners. With my Dickinson 3 burner, it’s hard to use 2 of the 3 at the same time. When using the large burner, only a small pot will work on either of the other 2. There’s no way to use all 3 burners st the same time. If I were to do it again, I’d only get 2 burners.
Regarding the oven, with both brands the oven works well in broil and bake mode. Get a pizza stone for the bottom of the oven and it will cook much more evenly. I hope this helps.
Phil
Lioness, DeFever 49

 

[DDW]

That issue (can only use two burners) was also true of the electric stove I had. It has been removed and replaced with a Force 10 propane. You can use all three at one time on it. The Dickinson has had some complaints about the burners being too hot. On the Force 10, the two small burners are borderline not big enough. Both are reasonably well built

One thing you don't get with an RV stove is fiddles. Underway if you want tea or coffee, that keeps the pot on the stove even if you don't want to cook a four course meal.

I hated the electric stove. I don't put up with one at home, and didn't like starting the genset just to make tea.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

Inland, fresh water. I bought a new R.V. propane stove with oven. It was around $300 and was one of the best changes I made to the boat. Four burner, one is high output. Oven is nice on occasion but mostly used for storage. Following the L.P. guidelines can be a pain but worth it. I can Boil a gallon and a half pot for sweet corn in just a few minutes. It is also nice in the AM if you don't want to start the Gennie for a cup of coffee. I will never have an electric stove, neither at home or on the water.

pete

 

[ecruise]

We just removed a "marine range" (propane) from our Monk trawler and replaced it with a new "take out" range from an RV. Original was a Magic Chef. New one is a Dometic. The two units are basically identical.

 

[OldDan1943]

Bruce, what's with the upside down anchor on the cabinet face?
No comment on your legs.

 

[Imp]

We really want an oven, and prefer gas cooking. Additionally, if we go gas, that's less battery bank we have to worry about if we wanna cook while out on weekend trips.

I spent several years cruising with a propane gimballed stove + oven, & for safety reasons absolutely prefer that type of stove. However, in all that time I only used the oven once, when I got up at 4 am to avoid the 120 degree daytime heat (Sea of Cortez) to bake a birthday cheesecake for a special friend. I baked almost every day, especially bread, but did all the rest of my baking on top of the stove to avoid unnecessarily overheating the salon. I even did frequent pizzas, albeit small ones, that way. The folding camp-type ovens are pretty lame & take forever, but you can easily learn to stovetop bake usually any thick-bottomed pot. A glass top allows you to view baking progress without removing the cover. Pineapple upside-down cake is traditionally a stovetop treat, & a cast iron skillet with lid works perfectly. A glass top allows you to view baking progress without removing the cover. A thick pressure cooker makes a fine stovetop baker. Either use a flame-tamer under any pot or a shallow rack (like the one in your pressure cooker) in the pot, or both. I had to hammer down the corners of my bread & square cake (also for casseroles) pans to make them fit, but it was an easy fix, & I baked stovetop bread for thousands of miles. When in Mexico I picked up a local stovetop oven with a glass lid; it was perfect because it was very wide. Note that stovetop baking time is about the same as in the oven.


My skipper (Fly Boy) & I are currently boat shopping on the East Coast, & as a Californian (though I've been in NC a quarter of a century), have been very surprised that most boats in this region rely on electric cooking, so I plan on replacing that kind of stove if our new acquisition doesn't have propane (a generator in an anchorage is a real downer). However, depending on the new galley configuration, a stovetop alone will suit me fine. I used to teach Provisioning at the Newport Beach Sailing Center (Orange Coast College), so expect to spend a lot of time in the galley, but can't think of any dish for which I will require a regular oven. Stovetop baking might sound like an inconvenience, but it is surprisingly easy & a lot of fun.

 

[angus99]

Have you checked the ventilation and clearance requirements? Convection ovens create a lot of heat. The ones I looked at needed 12” clearance above them. We put a convection microwave in a previous boat and installed a 120 volt bilge blower to evacuate the heat. We bought a remote plug at Sears that turned on the blower when the microwave came on and then turned the blower off after the oven went off. Ran a duct from the blower to the engine room vents and put the hot air out the vent. Worked great.

I talked to techs at both GE and True Induction, who say there are no problems with the install. Still, I’d like to get the heat out of the galley so I plan to install a power vent. Your system sounds great; thanks for the description.

 

[CaptRowlands]

Just replaced an older electric stove/oven for similar reasons.

Went with an induction cooktop and quality convection toaster oven. Required the modification of countertop and installation of two shelves.

Once I had the materials aboard the project took 3-4 hours plus finishing. Existing electric circuit was adequate and the new ‘appliances’ have significant safety features, modern convenience.

 

[Comodave]

I talked to techs at both GE and True Induction, who say txhere are no problems with the install. Still, I’d like to get the heat out of the galley so I plan to install a power vent. Your system sounds great; thanks for the description.

I found the neat relays at Sears when I was installing the convection oven, however I use one regularly when I am sanding to turn the shop vacuum on and off as I turn the sander on and off. Really a big help when sanding.

 

[OldDan1943]

Just replaced an older electric stove/oven for similar reasons.

Went with an induction cooktop and quality convection toaster oven. Required the modification of countertop and installation of two shelves.

Once I had the materials aboard the project took 3-4 hours plus finishing. Existing electric circuit was adequate and the new ‘appliances’ have significant safety features, modern convenience.

Induction stove top? Is your boat 30amp 120vt or 50am 120vt?
How many "burners" can you support?

 

[CaptRowlands]

Boat service is 120VAC with (2) legs of 30A each

Induction cooktop draws maximum 1,800w at 120vac. Similar for. Oven. Each is fed by a 20A breaker on different feed legs.

I have found this s great alternative to installing new gas system. Only downside of my installation is it requires shore power, genny or inverter which I find acceptable.

 

[Bryant]

Stove

We have an electric stove/oven combination that works great and I have none of the worries that accompany propane. I would consider going that route. I know many people are happy with propane but the system only has to leak once to cause major problems. Won’t happen with electric. Just a thought.

 

[angus99]

They finished the Corian yesterday. I still have some woodwork to do around the convection/microwave, including the power vent between oven and cooktop.

 

[OldDan1943]

Boat service is 120VAC with (2) legs of 30A each

Induction cooktop draws maximum 1,800w at 120vac. Similar for. Oven. Each is fed by a 20A breaker on different feed legs.

I have found this s great alternative to installing new gas system. Only downside of my installation is it requires shore power, genny or inverter which I find acceptable.

This is becoming a viable alternative to my Force 10.

 

[ranger58sb]

It is also nice in the AM if you don't want to start the Gennie for a cup of coffee.

FWIW, easily solved with an inverter. Works for afternoon popcorn, too.



-Chris

 

[Comodave]

They finished the Corian yesterday. I still have some woodwork to do around the convection/microwave, including the power vent between oven and cooktop.

Your counters look great. My slab of solid surface material is on a truck heading from Tucson to her as I write this. New countertops is my next project.

 

[angus99]

Your counters look great. My slab of solid surface material is on a truck heading from Tucson to her as I write this. New countertops is my next project.

Thanks! Can you point me to the relay you used to start the ventilator when using the oven? How’d you hook that up?

 

[Comodave]

It is simple. Just a box you plug the oven into the power tool outlet and plug the fan into one of the accessory outlets. The name on the back is Current Tap. Model number is 24031.73335.23479. I have had these for a long time, don’t know if they still make them or not but someone must make something similar.

 

[Comodave]

I just looked on Sears website. Did not come up under Current Tap or under the part number...

 

[Comodave]

I found some similar switches by googling automated vacuum switch. You might see if you like any of the ones it finds. They are commonly used to turn on dust collectors when using power tools.

 

[angus99]

I found some similar switches by googling automated vacuum switch. You might see if you like any of the ones it finds. They are commonly used to turn on dust collectors when using power tools.

Great, thanks.

I think I can accomplish the same thing by plugging the fan into the dedicated circuit that the oven runs on. When the oven breaker is on, the fan will be.

 

[Comodave]

That would work but we don’t typically turn the breaker on and off each time we use the oven. My wife would not go for that...

 

[DDW]

Pretty sure more people get electrocuted by 110V on a boat than die in propane explosions. Everything has its risks.

How do you bake chocolate chip cookies in a pan?

 

[Imp]

How do you bake chocolate chip cookies in a pan?

If you are asking about stovetop baking just use whatever flat pan you have that will fit in your stovetop oven. However, the most practical way on the stovetop is to bake pan chocolate chip cookies, similar to blonde brownies, then cut into squares for serving. I use an 8 X 8 pan.

 

[thataway]

We have gone to induction cook top (2 burners) and a combination microwave convection oven. The only complaint about the over, is that it is not all that good for grilling or toasting. Thus we have a small horizontal surface toaster over. But, one may find a combination micro/convection with better grilling capability.

We have combined that with Lithium Ferrous Phosphate cells, to Give a battery bank capacity of 200 amp hours, and a 2500 watt Victron pure sine wave inverter charger. Pro Nautical Battery to Battery gives the higher charging profile when running off the engine. Eliminates the need for a generator for cooking. (Of course propane is a great way to cook also, but a bit more dangerous. One must have an LP solenoid value if using Propane for cooking and heating.

 

[Imp]

We have gone to induction cook top (2 burners) and a combination microwave convection oven. The only complaint about the over, is that it is not all that good for grilling or toasting. Thus we have a small horizontal surface toaster over. But, one may find a combination micro/convection with better grilling capability.

I started cruising with a stovetop toaster on my propane stove, but quickly discovered it was faster & easier to just toast bread, bagels & English muffins on a flat griddle. Tossed the tacky toaster. Sunday was traditionally waffle morning, so found it worth the space to carry two stovetop waffle irons. That way the crew of two could breakfast at the same time.