Most Versatile Cooking Appliance

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Marco Flamingo said:
I guess my favorite would be my single induction hob. 800 watts and it can make a pot of coffee in about 4 minutes. The best cooking pot for it is an induction pressure cooker. Much faster than an InstaPot. I have an InstaPot at home, but too bulky and a little clunky for my boat. The induction hob with the pressure cooker can be monitored so that no steam escapes from the pot and no condensation like always happens with propane. When it is 25F outside, cooking dinner on propane means that you won't see out the windows until underway in the morning. Not a problem with a sealed pot and induction burner.
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Got a link to see what you're using?
 
FlyWright said:
Frosty, I guess it depends on your frame of reference. I'm thinking trawler like the 34 LRC I own. What's your reference?
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Edit: I made a long post explaining my frame of reference; but it was wordy and what it boils down to is I don't have a trawler right now and so maybe should have stayed out of the thread.

The SHTF scenario wasn't specified, so I think we all answered differently based on what we figured the scenario might be.
 
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Marco Flamingo said:
I guess my favorite would be my single induction hob. 800 watts and it can make a pot of coffee in about 4 minutes. The best cooking pot for it is an induction pressure cooker. Much faster than an InstaPot. I have an InstaPot at home, but too bulky and a little clunky for my boat. The induction hob with the pressure cooker can be monitored so that no steam escapes from the pot and no condensation like always happens with propane. When it is 25F outside, cooking dinner on propane means that you won't see out the windows until underway in the morning. Not a problem with a sealed pot and induction burner.
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How do you seal a "pressure" cooker so no steam escapes?


The several I have used have rather large warnings about blocking the "steam" release.
 
markpierce said:
Reminds me of the time anchored off Glen Cove marina (located between Vallejo and Benicia on the Carquinez Strait) in the early 1980s. In our 17-foot-waterline-cutter. we lighted a camp stove when there was fuel overflow which created a large flame in the open cockpit. Almost immediately some concerned boater offered assistance. Thankfully, not needed.
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Thanks Mark. You reminded me of a time I could have burned down my 27' sailboat with a "safe" Origo alcohol stove. Thankfully I remembered that alcohol fires extinguish with water and doused it before it did any harm. That's a story for another time.
 
psneeld said:
How do you seal a "pressure" cooker so no steam escapes?

The several I have used have rather large warnings about blocking the "steam" release.
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There's usually some little steam before the smaller pressure relief seal (if there is one) pops up, and then there's usually a small amount of steam as the pressure valve rocks... but when the heat is set very low escaping steam around the valve can usually be held very low too, almost unnoticeable.

-Chris
 
ranger42c said:
There's usually some little steam before the smaller pressure relief seal (if there is one) pops up, and then there's usually a small amount of steam as the pressure valve rocks... but when the heat is set very low escaping steam around the valve can usually be held very low too, almost unnoticeable.

-Chris
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My point, but less heat often involves longer cooking times...ect...less steam noticeable at any given time but if duration is increased?


No free lunch so to speak.



Heat plus liquid usually gives off water vapor, if none at all escapes, pressure builds and you cant open the pressure cooker for quite awhile and like I said the warnings plus a good friend getting severely burned by a pressure cooker to me indicates they work fine if normal use and safety measures are used.


I like pressure cookers and induction seems the way to go, I would just love to know how to heat a liquid without releasing water vapor (without venting to outside).


The way I would guess is a slow cooker or solar/dehydration, but even those create water vapor to some degree. Water has to go someplace.
 
I'm not sure why the goal of no water vapor release. Also, a slow cooking pressure cooker makes little sense. The purpose of pressure cooking is to increase the pressure within the cooker which raises the boiling temperature of water and decreases the cooking time. Eventually some steam has to be released or you would have a bomb on your hands. Here's a good explanation:

https://www.finecooking.com/article/the-science-of-pressure-cookers
 
psneeld said:
My point, but less heat often involves longer cooking times...ect...less steam noticeable at any given time but if duration is increased?

No free lunch so to speak.

I like pressure cookers and induction seems the way to go, I would just love to know how to heat a liquid without releasing water vapor (without venting to outside).
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Yep, no free lunch. I didn't actually notice cooking times being much longer even when heat was turned down enough so the pressure valve was only gently rocking, vey little steam release. That's not scientific, of course. And this referring to the simple one-pressure cookers.

Just seemed to me when the rocker was moving more violently, maybe the amount of pressure inside was still approximately the same, and anything over what was necessary was actually being released by the rocker.

One of my Mom's pressure cookers had three (I think) rings on a rising thingy (technical term) inside the rocker, and each ring indicated another 5-lbs pressure as it became visible. I seldom used that; I think it was aimed at canning...

In any case, we got pretty good at keeping the rocker on dead slow.

Then quickly bringing pressure down if necessary by running cold water over the thing before opening. Not all that much steam release there...

-Chris
 
backinblue said:
I'm not sure why the goal of no water vapor release. Also, a slow cooking pressure cooker makes little sense.
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I suspect the only difference might have been 37 minutes per pound of roast versus 35-minutes/pound. (For example.) Slower, maybe... but not necessary slow.

-Chris
 
Ranger, you are correct. Once enough pressure builds such that steam is being released through the pressure valve, the pressure and temperature are maxed inside the cooker. Adding more heat will create more steam but will have minimal effect on cooking time. Just like an uncovered pot of boiling water. Once the water is boiling, added more heat does not raise the temperature of the water, it just makes it boil and evaporate more rapidly. On a side note, being that most of us are at or near sea level, water boils at a slightly higher temperature than at higher elevations, so that works to our advantage (and makes your coffee hotter!).
 
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However, water vapor inside a small boat occurs just from occupants breathing. The inside of a tent overnight can be covered with moisture even as breathable as many tents are.

The water vapor from breathing and cooking in any form with condensation on the windows in the morning is inevitable whether electric or propane cooking. It more likely from how you make your oatmeal or coffee in the morning than from last night's dinner unless you never opened a cabin door since dinner.
 
If any of you are feeling the urge to by an Instapot, Costco has them on sale right now. Their normal price is $80 and they have them now at $70. I picked up one for my wife the last time I was in Costco.
 
I was always told never buy your wife a present that has an electrical cord. lol
 
psneeld said:
... The inside of a tent overnight can be covered with moisture even as breathable as many tents are. ...
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The same mechanism that prevent the rain from coming through the tent fabric also prevents larger moisture droplets from going the other way. Modern tents are usually vented at the top under the rain fly.
 
My home and boat InstantPots do not vent steam when in use for pressure cooking. The digital controls prevent over pressurizing and the need to a steam/pressure release while cooking.

When I'm done pressure cooking on the boat, I normally take the unplugged unit out to the cockpit table to release the steam. It really cuts down on the interior condensation on cold days.

I also use the IP in the non-pressure cooking modes for soups, sous vide, saute, browning, etc as one would do when using a pot or skillet. It can also be used for sterilizing and canning, if needed.

Thanks for the tip, GFC! I was lucky enough to step in Costco a few months ago when they had the large InstantPot on sale for $59(!) so I replaced my old Cuisanart model with the IP similar to the smaller one I use aboard FlyWright.
 
FlyWright said:
My home and boat InstantPots do not vent steam when in use for pressure cooking. The digital controls prevent over pressurizing and the need to a steam/pressure release while cooking.

When I'm done pressure cooking on the boat, I normally take the unplugged unit out to the cockpit table to release the steam. It really cuts down on the interior condensation on cold days.

I also use the IP in the non-pressure cooking modes for soups, sous vide, saute, browning, etc as one would do when using a pot or skillet. It can also be used for sterilizing and canning, if needed.

Thanks for the tip, GFC! I was lucky enough to step in Costco a few months ago when they had the large InstantPot on sale for $59(!) so I replaced my old Cuisanart model with the IP similar to the smaller one I use aboard FlyWright.
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That sounds like a very efficient method for cooking since it is controlled rather than a human deciding when to increase or decrease the heat. I'm a decent cook and do 99% of the home and boat cooking but never use an IP or pressure cooker. Maybe I should start. I'd be more interested in knowing what are some favorite meals that you make, especially on the boat.
 
backinblue said:
That sounds like a very efficient method for cooking since it is controlled rather than a human deciding when to increase or decrease the heat. I'm a decent cook and do 99% of the home and boat cooking but never use an IP or pressure cooker. Maybe I should start. I'd be more interested in knowing what are some favorite meals that you make, especially on the boat.
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BBQ Ribs, baked Southwest beans, soups, bacon, sausage and eggs, sous vide steak and tri-tip, chicken, fish, shrimp, applesauce, various veggies, for starters. Check out the IP Cookbooks for other ideas. I usually use the cookbook timing and settings with my family recipe's ingredients...sometimes changing them a bit with cookbook ideas for variety.

Often, I pre-cook, freeze and vacuum seal individual portions of meals to reheat on the boat.

https://instantpot.com/list-of-authorized-and-recommended-books/
 
Come on, you old farts, the pressure cooker with the little thing at the top bouncing around is so yesterday. There are pressure cookers now with a built in pressure relief valve in the lid. The one I have (from India) has a lid that looks round but is just slightly oval. You put the lid inside the pot then bring it up into place, it locks like an aircraft door, from the inside so pressure can't blow it out.

In our sister forum - Cruising Forum - you will find a lot of discussion and use of pressure cookers as it saves fuel, is quick and produces decent results. And it can rescue items like meat that might have been stored not so well and have dried out a bit. The pressure cooker is also used for canning, popular with full time sailors living in the South.

Here is a link to the Cruiser Forum on a search I did for ''Pressure Cooker."

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/search.php?searchid=33743103
 
rsn48 said:
Come on, you old farts, the pressure cooker with the little thing at the top bouncing around is so yesterday. There are pressure cookers now with a built in pressure relief valve in the lid. The one I have (from India) has a lid that looks round but is just slightly oval. You put the lid inside the pot then bring it up into place, it locks like an aircraft door, from the inside so pressure can't blow it out.

In our sister forum - Cruising Forum - you will find a lot of discussion and use of pressure cookers as it saves fuel, is quick and produces decent results. And it can rescue items like meat that might have been stored not so well and have dried out a bit. The pressure cooker is also used for canning, popular with full time sailors living in the South.

Here is a link to the Cruiser Forum on a search I did for ''Pressure Cooker."

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/search.php?searchid=33743103
Click to expand...

Nothing comes up with that link.
 
psneeld said:
The several I have used have rather large warnings about blocking the "steam" release.
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This is the style with the rocker. When it starts to hiss, I turn it down/off. With induction, the reduction in heat is immediate. No worrying about turning so low that the flame goes out. The pressure (10/12 lbs.) is still there, it just isn't blowing steam into the air. Might take some fine tuning, but that's one of the things that induction excels at.

I think the brand name of my cooker is Presto and I was surprised that it was induction ready (magnetic) stainless steel. Didn't even say that on the bottom. I just tested it with a refrigerator magnet at Goodwill and was surprised to get an unused pressure cooker for $9.

I used to see my model of induction hob all over the place for under $50. Now the single burners seem to have much fancier controls and higher wattage. Mine goes from 1 to 8 (not even to 10!!), but I rarely go above 4. Maybe 1800W is for deep frying? Induction burners need a pure sine wave inverter.

Here I am baking a potato in the world's smallest Dutch oven on the world's smallest cruising boat (my 16' C-Dory). You can see that it is set at 2. It has a cast iron lid that lets me invert the whole Dutch oven a couple of times during the baking.
 

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I remember only too well, as a kid,a minor disaster, the contents of a stove top pressure cooker were spattered around the kitchen,ceiling included. Opening the top section before adequately depressurizing the cooker I think.
From that, and subsequent less dramatic pressure cooking events, these devices do from time to time, vent some steam. They can`t be designed to contain pressure without limit, there has to be a pressure relief safety valve. Including for reducing pressure before opening, or Mum and the kitchen ceiling gets it again.
 
"these devices do from time to time, vent some steam."

The weight of the stopper chosen controls the internal pressure and will usually wobble some,venting a bit of steam to maintain the internal pressure /temperature desired .

Without this feature there would be no way to select the pressure inside.
 
Other than the stove/oven and coffee maker, I'd bring my set of Magma nesting pans.
 
+1 on the insta-pot. Makes a great stew, chili, braised lamb shanks (braised anything) even while underway using the inverter outlets. Works well even in a whole gale. We've tried it and it didn't move around much locked onto the stove top of our Force 10 propane stove.
 
June Oven

Been using our brother & sis-in-law’s June almost daily while staying with them over the winter. That sold us so we ordered one. Also plan to change our outdoor Jennaire to a gas BBQ.
 
psneeld said:
For those that spend time in marinas, most along the East Coast do not allow grill cooking or outside open flame cooking aboard.
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That is discouraging to learn as we are considering relocating to the east coast and the pro's and con's were in a dead heat. Does that prohibition apply to electric grills as well? I have been in west coast marinas that prohibit gas grilling. I don't remember the exact wording, but I infer that it is the prospect of open flames jumping out of a grill, particularly one that is not built in to the boat. In any event, my grill (which is built in and looks like a smaller version of what might be found in a backyard "outdoor kitchen") was not objected to. As a practical matter, it would take close inspection to determine that it was gas and not electric.
 
MYTraveler said:
That is discouraging to learn as we are considering relocating to the east coast and the pro's and con's were in a dead heat. Does that prohibition apply to electric grills as well? I have been in west coast marinas that prohibit gas grilling. I don't remember the exact wording, but I infer that it is the prospect of open flames jumping out of a grill, particularly one that is not built in to the boat. In any event, my grill (which is built in and looks like a smaller version of what might be found in a backyard "outdoor kitchen") was not objected to. As a practical matter, it would take close inspection to determine that it was gas and not electric.
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Good catch, as far as I know, electric is fine. Flare ups could get you reported but I think the rules generally say propane/charcoal but electric is fine.

Some marinas have great pavilions or tiki huts, etc that are set up for community grilling, the marina even provides the grill and propane. Some even take their portable grill up or places that don't have setups just to be off the boat and docks. No problem there either in some places. But being on the boat is nice and my air frying Ninja satisfy as an electric grill if I don't want to leave the boat.
 
BruceK said:
I remember only too well, as a kid,a minor disaster, the contents of a stove top pressure cooker were spattered around the kitchen,ceiling included. Opening the top section before adequately depressurizing the cooker I think.
From that, and subsequent less dramatic pressure cooking events, these devices do from time to time, vent some steam. They can`t be designed to contain pressure without limit, there has to be a pressure relief safety valve. Including for reducing pressure before opening, or Mum and the kitchen ceiling gets it again.
Click to expand...

Wifey B: Today's devices are much safer than in ancient days. :rofl:
 
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