Electric ternatives to gas?

[Ian_Edwards]

For those who have generator, and/or a big battery bank and inverter, the obvious alternative to gas is an induction hob and electric oven.
The withdrawal of Calor 3.9kg cylinders has made this a more attractive proposition.
The boat is fitted with a gimbal Force10 3 burner gas cooker, so any replacement must fit in the space.
I've looked on line and I can see 2 possibilities. However, these units are very expensive, typically around £ 5 to 6k, much more than I'd like to spend.
When I look at readily available induction hobs and small electric oven, they are much cheaper than that.
Designing and building a SS frame to integrate these into a gimbaled frame has to be relatively easy, and I’m thinking about having a go at that, and getting one made by a local fabricator.
Before I do that, has anyone been down that route, and would like to share the "lesson learnt "?

 

[PaulRainbow]

Can't help with the conversion part Ian, but our "new" boat came with a halogen hob and a combi microwave. I swapped the hob for an induction one, which is really good, seems very efficient. The combi is a Panasonic, microwave, grill and convection oven, great bit of kit.

We live aboard and typically use about £50 of electric per month, wouldn't want to go back to gas.

 

[Tranona]

Is this in the £5-6k bracket?
gn-espace.com/product/oceanchef-3-induction-cooker/

 

[Kelpie]

Or do what we've done- a Remoska portable electric oven (ours was £20 secondhand but I think they're under £100 new) and a Vango Sizzle hob (£80). The Vango sits on top of the gas hob.

 

[FWB]

There’s always paraffin…
Taylors Cookers & Heaters
Or diesel…
Wallas Diesel Hobs And Ovens Archives - Kuranda UK Ltd

 

[PCUK]

I would avoid diesel ovens and hobs as they are a faff compared with gas. My solution to the small gas bottle problem was to buy a bottle to bottle hose and fill them myself. Saves money as well having a large bottle.

 

[geem]

We went thr other way. Our boat was built with electric hob, electric oven and had a microwave. We stripped the lot out and installed a gas cooker

 

[st599]

Didn't see any gas at Boot Düsseldorf - electric hobs and cookers everywhere.

Presumably need a decent battery bank or Lipo for days at anchor.

 

[NormanS]

Electric is good if you're always going to be less than a trailing cable length away from a supply.

 

[PaulRainbow]

We went thr other way. Our boat was built with electric hob, electric oven and had a microwave. We stripped the lot out and installed a gas cooker

But, as per post #1, are you in the "For those who have generator, and/or a big battery bank and inverter, " camp ?

We have a 12kva generator and everywhere we go our engines are running, with alternators capable of running a 2.5kw inverter on their own. Gas would be a huge no-no for me.

 

[NormanS]

But, as per post #1, are you in the "For those who have generator, and/or a big battery bank and inverter, " camp ?

We have a 12kva generator and everywhere we go our engines are running, with alternators capable of running a 2.5kw inverter on their own. Gas would be a huge no-no for me.

Ah! Those quiet secluded anchorages, with the call of the birds, and the sight of otters playing.

 

[geem]

But, as per post #1, are you in the "For those who have generator, and/or a big battery bank and inverter, " camp ?

We have a 12kva generator and everywhere we go our engines are running, with alternators capable of running a 2.5kw inverter on their own. Gas would be a huge no-no for me.

We have a 5kVA genset. We stripped out the 1000Ah of batteries as not necessary when cooking on gas. I do have a 155Ah (at 24v) alternator to fit so we can run the 2kw watermaker directly from the 3kw inverter/alternator combo incase of genset failure. Electric cooking full time other than with our induction hob in harbour is a huge no no for us. We don't reside in a marina. Life is at anchor. The ease of getting cooking gas here is simple. They refill our grp gas bottles. It works out at about £12/month on average.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Ah! Those quiet secluded anchorages, with the call of the birds, and the sight of otters playing.

With the windows closed and the sound system on full, we don't hear the generator or those pesky birds

 

[Sandy]

I will be moving to the 'decanting from a big bottle of gas' group as I don't have space for a generator.

 

[dunedin]

The Calor Gas withdrawal is I suggest a red herring. Swapping to Camping Gaz is simple enough, and probably only add circa £100 per annum to typical running costs. So perhaps a 50 year payback to replacing the cooker etc. Even a cheaper built in option likely to be a 25 plus year payback.
More importantly:
- needing to run generators for cooking will spoil the anchorage - for you and everybody else
- gas cookers rarely fail - but what happens if your generator fails mid Atlantic or similar
Like one of the posters above, we have a portable induction hob (under £50);which we use when on shore power, and Camping Gas when off grid. Works well, and good resilience. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017WBRY7G/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[John_Silver]

Is this in the £5-6k bracket?
gn-espace.com/product/oceanchef-3-induction-cooker/

£4750, when YW reviewed one back in 2020. So probably is by now……

 

[V1701]

Or do what we've done- a Remoska portable electric oven (ours was £20 secondhand but I think they're under £100 new) and a Vango Sizzle hob (£80). The Vango sits on top of the gas hob.

Yes I've had one for years also bought 2nd hand, new they're a bit more fancy and £150 plus now. They are great for roasting, casseroles/curries, etc. It's not a slow cooker more like a mini oven, the heat comes from an element in the lid. I have an electric combi & a gas oven and use the Remoska the most. The main pan is non-stick and standalone, I do the dishes in it afterwards...

 

[geem]

Yes I've had one for years also bought 2nd hand, new they're a bit more fancy and £150 plus now. They are great for roasting, casseroles/curries, etc. It's not a slow cooker more like a mini oven, the heat comes from an element in the lid. I have an electric combi & a gas oven and use the Remoska the most. The main pan is non-stick and standalone, I do the dishes in it afterwards...

At anchor?

 

[V1701]

At anchor?

Sorry FT liveaboard on shorepower...

 

[lustyd]

For most of what we use an oven for these days a dual air fryer would be a better option if going electric, although it would cut out one or two options. Removes the need for gimballs in most instances thanks to the baskets.