StoveTops
Gas or Electric Stove Tops
Summary
Propane stove tops are the best choice for a sailboat and electric is best for a motorized boat. Propane is also the preferred choice of chefs. Propane offers better control and the heat can be changed rapidly. On a motorized boat the safer choice is an electric stove top with efficient induction burners. It removes the need for carrying a second fuel type onboard. AAmpere (amp), SI unit of electrical current disadvantage of induction is that you must use ferrous metal cookware like stainless steel, cast iron, and enameled iron, with a flat bottom. Other types of cookware won't work on an induction burner.
Introduction
Choosing a stove top is relative to your type of boat and your choice of cooking oven. On a sailboat an oven is likely to be propane gas or a small diesel heater/oven combination but on a motorized boat the oven might be diesel, electric or propane.
If you're planning on using propane for the oven, you can also have a gas stove top. Cooking with gas is the preference of most chefs because it offers better control and the heat can be changed rapidly.
If your oven is electric, then an electric stove top is obvious.
If you have a diesel stove for heat, you could also have a diesel oven. With a diesel oven, there are two issues: what to use for a stove top since diesel burners are a poor choice, and what to do if the diesel oven were too hot to use in the summer.
For the diesel aficionado the solution is twofold: an ACAlternating current electric stove top and a large microwave oven. This gives the best summer/winter combination; spreads the risk of total failure over two different energy systems; and decentralises the heating in winter since there are at least two heating sources.
There are other reasons to consider electric cooking on a motorized boat:
- Safer.
- Easier to clean than gas.
- Less waste heat and lower air-conditioning costs.
- Superior low heat control.
- Faster cooking with microwave, convection and induction stove tops.
In passing, you can also reduce energy consumption by developing some best practices:
- Use ceramic or glass pans -- they cook food 3.8 °Cdegree Celsius, SI unit of temperature (25 °Fdegree Fahrenheit) degrees lower than metal pans.
- Match the pan to the burner size.
- Fill ovens as much as possible.
- Maintain seals.
- Limit pre-heat time.
- Maximise use of microwave -- most efficient oven type because it only heats the food, not the pan.
- Use convection where microwave is not possible -- convection ovens cook in 10%percent less time at 3.8 °C (25 °F) lower. The US Dept Energy estimates convection is 23% more efficient than a standard oven.
- Use a pressure cooker on a gas or electric stove top to use up to 70% less energy (no direct comparisons with microwave available).
Types of Electric Stove Top
The type of electric stove top you choose depends on your psychometrics. From an energy perspective, induction types are clearly the best. In decreasing order of energy efficiency, the choices are:
- Induction types
- Ceramic glass with halogen heat sources
- Other radiant elements under ceramic
- Standard coils
- Solid disks
Induction elements use less than half the energy standard coil elements use. They transfer electromagnetic energy directly to the pan, leaving the cook-top itself relatively cool. A disadvantage is that you must use ferrous metal cookware like stainless steel, cast iron, and enameled iron, with a flat bottom. Other types of cookware won't work.
Ceramic glass units with halogen elements are the next most efficient. They deliver instant heat and respond quickly when you change the temperature setting. They are very easy to clean. They work best with flat-bottomed cookware. A disadvantage is that they stay very hot after you turn them off. Other slightly less efficient radiant elements are also available under ceramic glass.
Standard electric coils are among the least efficient, and are difficult to clean.
Solid disk elements are the least efficient. They are easy to clean but heat up and cool down slowly and use higher wattage elements.
See also DieselStoves and ElectricalCapacityAC).
