Good Cookers?

Compared to a 'good' domestic cooker the marine cookers are mostly dreadful.

This has been discussed several times on the forums in the past years and like many, I gave the Spinflo Nelson the compliment of being best value as far as I could make out and the yachting press generally seem over recent years to agree.

I therefore bought my Spinflo Nelson nearly 3 years ago and although we use it little, it does a reasonable job in most areas.
BUT....
possibly to keep the weight down, it is exceptionally tinny and is some areas, poorly designed.

* the top hob surface has joins and areas where dirt easily gets trapped. Most domestic hobs now have a top that is all in one and wraps over at the top edges to just cover the body of the cooker front, sides and back. The spinflo Nelso does not.
* The pan stands are not ideal for very small pots as the gaps between the support are too large and not spaced correctly and can allow the small pots to fall over without the pot holders/supports in place.
* The pot holders do work but are flimsy and are not positive in their adjustment.
* The outside glass of the oven door gets v. hot.
* The oven door has a sprung coathanger type locking strap which is reasonably effective, yet ours sprung open in a seaway.
* There is no built-on lock to stop the cooker gimballing.
* There is no adjustment on the width for the gimbals and I made new arms to give a slightly improved gimballing range and wider to attach in the space I had.

In its favour,
* it does grill toast as well as any other marine cooker I've experienced.
* It's oven appears to heat at a good temperature throughout.
* Its burners light well and the hob ones give a good heat.
* the oven burner has to be lit with ingniter touching the burner right at the back of the oven. There is not push-button igniter on ours for any burner. If you wish to relight the oven burner when the oven is hot then risk of burning your arm on hot surfaces is 'real'.

With mains power and especially if liveaboard, I would strongly recommend buying an induction hob or two.
We bought a couple of the Swan hobs like this.....
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sour...2&ie=UTF-8#q=swan+free+standing+induction+hob
We now use one at home and keep one on the boat to reduce the gas use.

My plan in winter of 2013/14 was to make up a gimbled tray with pot holders to put them in the boat instead of the oven.
This was to test out before going to warmer climes. My thought being that I may not want an oven but perhaps induction hobs and microwave.
The Microwave is on the boat but now lays unused in the wardrobe due to me being out voted!

S
 
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boatmike said:
.. So it looks like a Dometic unless anyone can suggest why not..........)
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I can't suggest any reasons why not.

Tho the Spinflo is UK made and I suspect that the other may be from lands beyond the rising sun. The top of the Nelson is also rather good at catching spills from pans without them dripping into the works. Mine has always functioned very well.
 
boatmike said:
.... at around £420 the Dometic was cheaper. They are really taking the pee with £58 extra for a grill pan though. Cant see how they justify the price of that! So it looks like a Dometic unless anyone can suggest why not.
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The Neptune 4500 includes a grill pan, has more powerful burners, more powerful grill, more powerful oven. Worth a look.
 
pvb said:
The Neptune 4500 includes a grill pan, has more powerful burners, more powerful grill, more powerful oven. Worth a look.
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the Neptune is the updated version of what used to be sold as Plastimo and made by Leisure Products in Bolton. Was always the big competitor to the Spinflo, but the older model was rather old fashioned looking. Functionally however it always rated roughly the same. has a thermostatic oven and electric ignition for the burners. I fitted the version without the grill and was quite pleased with that. Never see the point of grills on a boat as they make an awful mess if used for grilling meat and most are rubbish at toast.
 
Tranona said:
Never see the point of grills on a boat as they make an awful mess if used for grilling meat and most are rubbish at toast.
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Mine is notably good at toast, albeit only two at a time of course. And of course you can't make cheese on toast by any means other than a grill (or blowtorch? :) ) and I have hazy memories of making an awful lot of that for late-night visitors on some Scuttlebutt event or other :)

Pete
 
Force 10 we had on our previous boat was excellent, also use one on a boat we have use of, great cookers! Own boat has a Taylors paraffin another excellent cooker though yes a little more fussy. Much prefer not having gas though! I bought the the Force 10 New old stock at a boat jumble, complete with gimbals, pan clamps all complete with instructions, seven years ago £400.
 
I would look at the GN Espace. I found it better than the other models on the market, with no connection, but a very pleased customer.
 
prv said:
I'm another happy Spinflo Nelson owner. Been used for cakes, bread, homemade pizza, etc quite successfully. The main niggle is that the whole of the lower front is the glass oven door, so there's nowhere to mount the conventional bolt to stop it swinging. The manufacturer's solution is that the gimbal shafts are threaded, with a kind of large wing-nut to clamp against the brackets they pivot on, but it's obvious that the leverage involved makes this a non-starter. I just rest the oven door on my leg whilst opening it, but it would probably be possible to attach something to the side or bottom of the cooker to provide a lock.

Pete
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I have screwed a shoot bolt to the bottom right corner which has a matching catchment plate on the galley side. I replaced the silly wing nut things with something that does not get in the way of the top surface.
 
prv said:
Mine is notably good at toast, albeit only two at a time of course. And of course you can't make cheese on toast by any means other than a grill (or blowtorch? :) ) and I have hazy memories of making an awful lot of that for late-night visitors on some Scuttlebutt event or other :)

Pete
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Ah well - I am not allowed cheese on toast as it upsets my potassium count. The Taylors in my old Eventide is the best for apres sail (or apres pub) food. Left on low with baked potatoes ticking over for anybody who fancies them. Coffee pot on the hot plate. What more could you want.
 
DJE said:
Replaced an ageing Flavel Vanessa with a Spinflo Nelson on the previous boat and agree with all the comments above. Generally very good but let down by some non-stainless parts and a bit difficult to clean in places.
The new boat came with a SMEV cooker which - based on a few months use - seems better made than the Spinflo. I think SMEV and LadyInBed's Dometic (domestic?) are the same make.
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I fitted my SMEV 18 yrs ago & still looks like new
 
I was told at the London Boat Show that Taylor stoves are being made once again. Not sure how true this is but would certainly recommend the Taylor stoves.
 
boatmike said:
So it looks like a Dometic unless anyone can suggest why not.
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From looking around the Sometic Starlight does not have SS pan suports and as I said above, that would disqualify it from consideration for myself personally.

Boo2
 
Sinbad1951 said:
I was told at the London Boat Show that Taylor stoves are being made once again. Not sure how true this is but would certainly recommend the Taylor stoves.
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Looks fine in a classic boat, a bit out of place in a modern one, but in any case costs over two grand so won't be appearing in one of mine :)

Pete
 
pvb said:
But it's ludicrously expensive - you could buy a sensible car for the same money!
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Unfortunately, we don't have room for a car on Nooka. But good food is an essential part of travel for us. If we don't have a decent stove, we will eat out way more often - such that by the end of our first year's voyaging I expect the GN 4 burner Ocean Chef, which I hope is being installed literally as I type, to be possibly the best investment we have ever made - and if you ever bump into swmbo please swallow your scepticism and reinforce that line or I'll be walking the plank!
 
ohmaggie said:
Unfortunately, we don't have room for a car on Nooka. But good food is an essential part of travel for us. If we don't have a decent stove, we will eat out way more often - such that by the end of our first year's voyaging I expect the GN 4 burner Ocean Chef, which I hope is being installed literally as I type, to be possibly the best investment we have ever made - and if you ever bump into swmbo please swallow your scepticism and reinforce that line or I'll be walking the plank!
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If you are as happy with it as I am with he GN Espace 4 burner Levante, you and she will be fine. My rationale is the same as yours. I love cooking, want to eat as well on the boat as we do at home, and consider the cost money well spent. The Levante does, in fact, cook much like a domestic cooker and the grill is excellent. It will do toast to perfection and also grills meat, fish etc. quite happily. Good food is an essential element of a good holiday.

It's a particular pleasure to surprise guests with a proper, freshly cooked three course "welcome" dinner, as most seem to come expecting....er....Fray Bentos or something. No such foodstuff has ever darkened our companionway. We have a good wine cellar as well. :)

Edited to add - Long ago, when I was a young thing working on yachts, I sometimes had to cook as well as acting as mate. On one occasion I was paid a compliment I have always treasured. A man who had been with us for a couple of weeks, cruising in Britanny, shook me by the hand at the end of the trip and remarked - "that's the first time I've been on a yacht and looked forward to my food!" I would like all my sailing companions to look forward to theirs :D
 
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Serin you are a man after my own heart. It's difficult to judge how many people regard their ovens without tasting their food. That's not a criticism of those who replied to my original question whom I thank profusely for their responses but Soo and I both love cooking and generally eat better at home than when we go out. One serious obsession we both have is hygiene. Many of the cookers we have looked at have a serious failing in that the separate grill has no top plate and any food spatter would go straight up to the inner workings of the hob above where everything including sensor wires are totally exposed. I really can't come to terms with that but unless I spend lots of squids the one that I have settled for is the Dometic Moonlight. It has 3 burners and a grill in the main oven that would be a lot easier to clean. My only problem is they redesigned it last year and the previous super stainless steel burner caps have now been replaced by enamelled carbon steel which is a retrograde step. Bloody value analysis to reduce the price I suppose. However I have found one of the old ones that has been used as a display model at a real knock down price so it's a win/win all round! As we will be on shore supply a lot I have also invested in a Tefal induction hob and a microwave and with the gas bbq on the aft rail for steaks/fish etc we should eat reasonably well and look forward to our food. No Fray Bentos on our boat either!
 
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