INDUCTION COOKING & Camping | Is it sustainable | Electric vs Gas | Overland Cooktop | Pots&Pans 

Well done! I have been using induction cooktops for a few months now and love them. The biggest adv is no reliance on gas, space, no flames in canopy, and a timer. Safe as!

Great and complete review. We've been using induction in the house for over 11 years and would not go with anything else. I recommend using culinary parchment paper over the cooktop to keep it absolutely clean, and that will not have any effect on performance. I was happy to see the outdoor comparison under wind conditions.

The biggest advantage for me when cooking outdoors with induction is that it is not affected by wind. If it's too windy when I want to use the gas hob on the barbie, I switch to induction. ☺

This has to be one of the most comprehensive and well put together reviews I have ever watched. Great work and thank you.

We have used the ru-vid.comUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!

Oh my, I can do this! I'm building out my van and had already planned on a 3000watt inverter tied to 300ah of Lithium giving me 3600 watts of available power. Couple of induction cooktops like those and I'm set! Thanks Mate!

one of the best all around tests I have seen..job well done mate!

When there is fire restrictions in National parks you can still use electric! Great review!

One of the most comprehensive reviews on this topic I’ve seen. Thank you!

Thanks for posting this. I appreciate you for doing this research. Good stuff! Sounds like induction is a smart way to go, as long as you have the power supply worked out.

Thanks for the in-depth reviews it’s been really helpful thank you

I'm a fan. My wife and I are building a skoolie. We didn't want a dedicated stove taking up counter space. I thought about these induction units, and you just convinced us. Great comparison and review. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Outstanding!!!

Awesome video, covering all of my questions about portable induction cooking at this point. Thanks for the effort!

I'm running a 280ah litium cell with a 3000w inverter with the twin plate Westinghouse induction, works great ! Can also run a sandwich press, coffee machine, air frier etc. Charging is managed via a 30/60amp DC DC charger, 30 in idle and 60 at speed above 60ks an hour. A typical 2 X pot cook up runs about 40-50amps, spag bowl for example, single cookup, bacon and eggs about 25 amps, hardly use my solar, as I get higher rate of charge driving, and I do more traversing then base camping. However can get 2-3 days being sensible without charge. However can also run the car for an hour or go for a drive for a couple hours. I love it. Built my own battery using prismatic cells. Lost power at home for a week due to storms and I just wanna lead from the car inside, kept my lamps, tv and fridge running the whole time, ran the car at idle for about an hour a day, however was gas cooking during that time as I had it. It's a 10+ year investment. I still carry a butane cooker as an emergency. I was running 2 X 100ah AGM, so by doing this I now have 250ah usable as oppose to 100 and also shed about 35kg of weight. Well worth the time and effort to investigate.

I found that using a bbq mat that you use on public bbqs to cook food on , I put it on the induction cook top and it saves any scratches to the glass top of the induction cook top and helps to keep the induction cook top clean and protects them as well. I like the induction cook tops during high fire risk times of the year when camping.They are handy when staying in a powered camp site, and give you options when out bush as well.

Hi Nathan. A very detailed and honest review on what is becoming an increasingly hot topic. From what I have experienced, comments are being made ( both for and against ) induction cookers based on here say. Your vid is going to help clarify a lot of unknowns. Thanks for the huge effort in putting it together.

A very informative and detailed review. I've been thinking about moving to induction cooking on my boat, and this video with the demos and test comparisons you showed has been very helpful in thinking through some of the issues i'll need to consider. thanks :)

Wow, amazingly comprehensive video - thanks!

Nice to hear an Aussie who isn’t a hobo. Well done.

Great and complete Video, exactly what I was looking for :)

Wow you are amazing with all the info and this is the most comprehensive review I have ever come across. I loved it and had no questions just options and know now what I need for my family's individual needs. Thank you

Outstanding demo. Thank you so much! Subscribed! Answered all the key questions. Will be following up on the Bluetti system and compare with Jackery’s. Happy and safe trails for you and your family. 🐾💫

I love my little induction cooktop. I like it for easy cleanup. I just keep a spray bottle of distilled vinegar and spray it lightly after each use. It also heats up extremely fast. I use it at home. I do have 400 watts of solar with two lithium batteries on my 24' Ho-Lo trailer. I want to get the Bluetti solar generator. You are definitely on to something here.

wow what an excellent professional review awesome job Nathan

We’ve been using a Duxtop 8100 for a few years. It can cook by watts or by temperature. We rarely use it on high, usually on watts and it cycles up to 660 watts and immediately drops as read on our Bluetti EB70. We are currently upgrading our power system but we traveled 100 days across the United States with two 400 watt systems with 200 usable amp hours of battery storage each. One in our van and one in our cargo trailer conversion. We charged the Bluetti from the solar panels with a 2000 watt Xantrex Prowatt inverter. I frequently heat with low watts and then once it’s hot switch to temperature control. We use it for 75% of our cooking and we use a gas grill for the rest. For really high heat we use a single burner Coleman stove. After our system upgrade to 600 Ah of EnduroPower Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries and 1200 watts of solar we won’t need the propane anymore. Good job on your video. Very thorough.

Nathan, I am really enjoying working my way through your reviews, for some reason you seem to answer all my questions. This is fast becoming my favourite channel 👍 I am really looking forward to 2022, a new Landcruiser 78 series & subsequent fit out. I had been agonising over what to do regarding cooking as I don’t want to carry gas inside the Troopy & don’t like hanging bottles off the vehicle either. You also made me think about throwing my bluetti into my Troopy as a backup to the in vehicle Lithium system, I won’t always do that but at least I have the option. At the end of the day, some part of my meal nearly always gets cooked over the camp fire anyway, so the induction might just become an easy was to cook the sides or extras.

Very good video, thanks for posting. A good addition to the induction plate will be an Instant pot. I have a single plate induction and supported by 240 amps lithium battery bank charged by a DC to DC charger MPPT solar controller. In a cmpervan or enclosed camping set-up also the humidity that lpg brings into the space is an important factor to consider. People have to also be aware of the legal requirements of transporting gas bottles in a vehicle when making a choice of the cooking system to be used.

best instruction video of gas v induction cooking ever on youtube , thanks

I know I am a little late, but this is a great video. I am applying your information to a backup power plan. Thanks

Just got a induction for this use. Mostly pan frying. Nothing boils as fast as MSR Reactor stove that I’ve seen so far. They are amazingly fast.

Excellent video and very informative, as others have mentioned, replacing the gas bottle that would last a week of cooking with a big lithium set that lasts 1.5 meals and takes up more room when including the solar and the additional cost too makes this a non starter for most, though for a dedicated camping trailer with onboard lithium and solar having both the gas and induction would give all the benefits. Thx for all your hard work, For the 4x4 only I will stick with the gas and for the trailer will add the induction.

Thanks for the analysis of options available. I love the pullout shelf!

Great video, one thing missed which is one of my biggest reasons for going to induction cooking is the ability to cook anywhere anytime regardless of fire bans. Never having an issue of if you can stop and cook is a huge factor. definitely good to see your tests in a real world situation outside to see the difference with open air.

Excellent video 👏🏿👏🏿 I plan build my own campervan and was 50/50 on whether to use an induction hob or go gas. You've just made up my mind with this review to go induction. Will need a good solar and battery setup though as I live in the not so sunny 🇬🇧

Fantastic review. Very comprehensive. Thank you for your efforts.

And such a good point about wind! I remember days when it was very windy that it was taking me ages to just cook a meal, induction just don't care about wind.

Great review, soo much neccessary information that you have given. Please continue your reviews.

Very full and interesting review. I think I am with you on the induction cooking.

Great information and very thorough. Thanks for the video.

Another very informative video.. Not only about the cooker and time but the requirements to actually run it .. Stay safe ..

Another great review. Thank you.

As a 200 owner have valued your content, just upgraded my setup to 200ah DCS battery in the rear deleting both front battery’s installed a safari twin burner induction cooktop with a Victron battery protect will disconnect all accessories at 20% for vehicle startup (have a jump start pack just in case tech fails) had a driveway test cooking dinner and breakfast used 50% battery. COVID restitution finish next week 1/11/21 so us sydney folks can get back out on the tracks again, won’t to see how long to recharge from 50-70% battery use as this setup charges direct from alternator

Awesome breakdown of induction cooking and comparison to other cooking methods... Have the 3 burner coleman and its a rock star but wind and elements with the induction could be a game changer .

I like the review, you touched on so many things that concern me about induction Cook top. I have a butan stove but now I'm going to invest now that you've educated me clear and precisely

Just watched the video. Thank you. Yesterday I ordered my first induction hotplate. After doing some hours of research I opted for the single-burner am z chef, in part because of good reviews, and in part because of the compact thinness. We'll see how she does. I noticed that most people's experiences are that these induction devices typically don't last very long. There are a few exceptions, but they are exceptions. Usually people end up replacing them within a little over a year, on average. One reviewer had tried various models, replacing one after another over a six year period. At that point he went back to an old-style, more reliable electric stovetop. Some induction units offer temperature control down to five-degree increments. Others are ten, twenty, or forty degrees. Some offer power settings down to 200 or 300 watts, and mention compatibility with lower-wattage power stations, like the Jackery Explorer 300. I don't know how quickly those can boil water, though, at the low-wattage settings.

Great Review! Thanks Mate 😊👍

Great video. Thank you for the information.

Very informative as always 10/10

Enjoyed the video, about to go induction cooking myself.

Nice vid. The cost of induction for camping is a nonstarter for me since I paid $20 for my Coleman 425 at a thriftshop and I've still not exhausted my cooking options with it. Might be buying a travel trailer in the next year or so and can definitely see the advantage of an induction burner, especially if your at a campground with shore power since I've never been to one that meters your electric. We've already used an electric space heater so we didn't waste propane heating an RV.

Another great video, love your work. Dual lithium for the 200 could be another good option. I’ve just purchased a replacement under bonnet lithium for my old aux and might dabble with a single induction cooker now I can run it.

Nice video Nath, I like how much efforts you put into these videos. Well Done! As far as the induction cooking goes it is just not for me like many other "must have" nowadays. When I go camping I have this thing called campfire which I enjoyed a lot mainly because I can't really use it at home. Each to their own... I do think that inside a caravan it would be a much better option with far more benefits than in the back of a car. Thanks for the video, keep them coming mate! Cheers🍺

I have induction cooktops in my motorhome- Love it - works Great

Just what I have been looking for. Very comphensive

wow kudos to you, you've done a lot of work to make this video.

Another tip. To just boil water, a $35 collapsible kettle works amazing. 900 watts power draw. Easier to get out and use than induction and a pot, for a quick roadside boil. I boiled water in a saucepan until I upgraded after seeing someone else do it. Got mine from Snowies.

Great reporting. One of the best I've seen and I've seen MANY. What I'm about to write is not meant in any way to criticize or dispute anything that you've presented here. This was a very high quality production, but although I don't make videos, I am a geek that loves to experiment and I also do all the cooking in my home, so I think I may have some worthwhile things to add to all the good data that you've presented. Here goes. I have a USA version 120 volt NuWave PIC Gold cooker. It can be set for 600, 900, or 1500 watts and has about 6 preset temps as well as adjustments at 10 degree F intervals. So, not exactly like yours, but I think they work similarly. The first thing I would say is that, to get the fastest boil time you obviously need the wattage and temp set high, but in addition, you have to have a pan that covers the entire coil or coils under the glass. If I measure the wattage use of my cooker boiling water at 1500 watts/ 375 F in a pan that only contacts 5 inches of the glass, it will only be using 5 inches of the coil underneath and the measured wattage will only be 580 watts of draw from the power supply and that translates into less energy going towards heating the water. If I immediately replace that pan with a pan with a 9 inch flat bottom surface, the wattage jumps to 1500 watts and that's nearly 3 times the energy going into the water. That is important to know for two reasons. Firstly, it may mean that if I have a very under powered inverter or solar generator I may still be able to do SOME cooking if I use small diameter cookware. My cooker allows down to 4 inches and I expect that that may even draw less that the 600 watt low setting on the control panel. The other thing is that, if you boil in a 4 inch hiker's type pot on a gas burner, you will probably beat the heck out of the induction cooker with the same pot, but if you pour the same amount of water into a 9 or 10 inch pot for the induction cooker set at it's max setting, it will probably beat a gas burner using a 4 inch pot by a significant margin. All of the temperature control ( with the exception of the 1200 USD cookers) is done by sensing the temp of the glass and making some inferences about the probable temp of the contents of the cookware. What that means for a user is that the material and construction of the cookware will have a lot of influence on the sensitivity of the cooker's temp regulation. For instance, stainless steel is said to dissipate and spread its heat very quickly and efficiently, whereas cast iron retains its heat and doesn't really heat that evenly ( I know that's counter to what you usually hear about cast iron, but I've seen it proven with FLIR cameras on electric coil stoves that clearly show the coils under the pot, through the pot, after some period of time) But I digress. What that means is that a stainless pot it going to keep the glass at a temperature that is closer the the temp of the contents because it passes the energy more freely to the contents then cools down and triggers the next on cycle. These cycles will tend to come closer together and yield good close temp control. The cast iron, on the other hand, lags more in passing its stored heat energy on to the contents and therefore takes longer to cool down to a temp that lowers the cooktop to a temp that will trigger an on cycle. Basically long pulses of energy then a long wait for the next pulse. This translates into wide fluctuations in the temp of the actual contents. Less than Ideal cookware material is probably to blame for the whole "you can't control it as well as a gas burner" rumor. When you turn down the burner under a cast iron pan it takes forever before the stuff in the pan cools down and when you turn the heat back up it comes up slow. Same same! The only other thing that I'd add is that you should always pre-heat your pan if you intend to do shallow frying because the induction coils can heat the metal so abruptly that it can warp or cause its ceramic or Teflon coating to dislodge fro the underlaying metal. A minute or two at 150 F will allow all the materials, the ferrous and the non-ferrous to expand together. Lot of words, I know, but I hope I didn't waste anyone's time. You sure have a beautiful country, BTW.

A very well-done video. Thanks

Nice video mate! I guess with anything you get what you pay for, and the initial high cost pays for itself over the long run.

Great vid mate👍 Reckon it's one of those finishing returns things, how often are you using/getting away etc.

Great video. Wish we had your sunshine here in England!

Great video and very complete! I have a portable induction hob on my sailboat and I can have in the galley or in the cockpit where it can be windy - excellent. What I would suggest rather than the inverter, run a DC cable back from the starter battery connect on the positive side a Cyril-Li-Charge to protect the starter battery and the liO2 battery *these are cheap- then terminate the cable with a XT60 plug which can go straight into the Bluetti. That way you safely skip the loss of the inverter. A little more complicated, you have to take care. But it is cheaper and more efficient - just a thought ;-)

Great review! We have been living on the road for 12 months using only induction cooking and love it

I know it sounds unbelievable, but I have interviewed every single cook on earth, and each and every one, picked gas. Love your videos.

Thanks so much I learnt heaps, safe travels

Excellent intro to induction cooking.

You can try Instant Pot pressure cooker for efficient cooking, simmering and steaming with electricity. They have also air fryer covers, so baking and roasting is an option too. I am testing off-grid lifestyle and considering electric kettle, induction single hob, contact grill to replace my old sandwicher, pressure cooker with air fryer cover and my old blender. In the future I might expand, food processor would be nice. I have 2.3 kW of solar and ac200max with 2x b300 extensions, so full stack, and it is more than doable. For winter a good backup power generator might be useful, depending on location.

thanks mate for the video. Love ❤ from Panjab !!

Thanks for the great video. Another great feature of induction is it can be used indoors which portable gas fuels cannot. Also, I believe in some States it is illegal to carry LPG cylinders inside a station wagon like yours. I have now just subscribed znd will check out your Bluetti review. FYI we are part time campers with a 21ft6 Jayco Sterling slider behind our Pajero Sport 4x4. We make the van our base camp then explore in our perfectly standard Pajero Sport only varying tyre pressures as needed.

Fantastic review!

Nicely made and very informative video mate 👍I have cooked from my diy lithium battery and inverter and ikea induction cooktop and it seems to power down a bit lower (I think it goes down to 700w from memory) instead of cycling on and off. Also only $60 bucks

Great review. I use a bit of everything depending on situation. As you said there is no perfect setup for the average camper, unless you spend 10K on a lithium setup but that's out of my reach for a while. Cheers.

Hi Nathan another interesting vid,whilst the induction units certainly have advantages but as you mentioned a day or two of not travelling everyday over cast weather it is all over. The lithium power unit is still quite bulky. In the van I have 300 watts of solar &300 amps of Lithium with the combination of induction cooking ,refrigeration and lighting 2 days of bad weather would the end of it. Some guys with vans with 1000 watts of solar and 650 amps of Lithium are getting away with just Lithium. Cheers Ian.

Cooking with the towel over the hob bleeew my mind. I’ve had a standard solar set up with fridge, panels, agm and gas cooker in my 4wd for 15 yrs, it’s cheap simple, very very reliable and you’re not relying on electricity and electronics to do everything, especially in the outback, but I’ve been binge watching videos on panels, lithium, induction and inverters and I’m warming up to it very quickly and will fit out my new off road camper with this system, but I’ll keep old system in the fourbee until I’m happy with reliability, then upgrade it. Top review and comparison and I’ll probably go with two single hobs as well, might need more research on twin hobs..

I got a portable induction top while replacing the kitchen at home and am a real convert. I now use one in the house and have one for the van I am building admittedly I am in the UK where solar isn't good especially if carrying kayaks too, but I do tend to use sites with hook ups and carry a small back up slimline stove with the aerosol style gas cylinder. One thing you didn't mention was that simmering is easier in a breeze with induction. I often can't keep the side sliding door open with gas especially if trying to simmer. Correction you mentioned it right at the end.

Thanks for such a well presented and thorough review. It answered, in a practical way, many of the questions I had about induction cooking.

I bought an iSiler one from Amazon for $50 dollars... And let me tell you... I'm in love.

I bought a pair of single burner induction burners a few years ago and mine have digital temperature settings that you can use to choose which temperature you want the pan to heat up to and the unit will cycle on and off automatically to maintain that temperature. I haven’t used them for camping yet, but plan to in the near future. I have a pair of Anker 2048 watt hour power stations and 1000 watts of solar panels to keep them both charged up, so I think that I’ll be okay with my electrical setup.

I love my induction cook top inside of my house and it is just wonderful, so glad I got induction instead of a gas or electric range. But the elephant in the room or should I say campsite is that huge battery bank in your truck and the solar cells don't work in shade or cloudy days that we have in my neck of the woods. My two burner Coleman stove works off car gas that I can get any where while camping.

For background, we use induction at home and in powered campsites and propane in our caravan. We also use a 100 amp lithium battery for lighting and controls in the camper. This setup is used for multi month trips in the US. The startup cost of off grid induction ($2k power station) is impractical compared to a $100 stove and $50 propane tank. I wouldn't recommend it to my friends unless they camp a lot and have excess $. If lithium prices continue to fall, we will see all electric caravans and overland setups become the new norm. In the meantime, I'll continue to use my perfectly serviceable propane appliances.

Great video, Great review.

Another excellent video. Each system has its pro's and cons. Another con for the induction system, will include cooking with a wok. A wok really needs a flame to spread the heat up the sides of the wok. I think the round contact surface area of a wok, is too small for efficient induction cooking.

Thank you, very informative.

Hi thank you for your reply the 240v fridge works ok is it possible to test the inverter thank you.

Great presentation. Thank you.

I have a quartz single burner and a three burner lp stove oven in my camper. It looks good, stowes easy and makes water for tea in 4 min and change. I can get a new inbox induction for $25 on the Trader site, but I’m gonna wait

Useful information, thanks.

Man what a 4wd scientist lol. Great channel. Another pro of induction cooking.. for WA anyway, is it can be used on total fire ban events. Then again vehicle movement bans kinda mute that point i guess.

Thanks for excellent review. Can the Westinghouse heat small pans/pots or does it require a pan that covers the whole heating surface?

A very eye-opener review. I hadn't considered induction, but now I will if I can come up with a good power setup to support it. I did have a chuckle when you casually set the unit on the table. I am guessing the wife can't do that. Just a mere 28.2 KG. I can see that you have been using it to work out with. lol I had to go to the USA site to find the weight. I could not find that tidbit of information on the Aussie site. Again, that was a stellar review and I was very appreciative of all the work you put into it. Subscribed!

Thanks for the great vid.

Nice video. Cost alone, battery set up to run the cooker/s and cookers them selves. Thanks for the informative video.

Excellent video very well explained 👍

Excellent review. I want a induction cooker too..

Fantastic video!

This video really helped me Thankyou

The one thing people forget to mention in regards to propane is that it should never, ever be placed in a closed vehicle. Interior temps in a closed truck can get very high, and what can happen is the over pressure valve starts releasing propane inside your closed truck. No bueno. Lithium batts have their temperature issues as well, but I would prefer them over propane any day. That said, we actually have both on our truck but the propane tank is mounted externally.

I think going forward most people who are putting in dual batteries to run a fridge will run induction. You have just about everything you need with a 100+ Amp hour lithium battery and DC2DC charger. Just add a 1000+ watt inverter ($600) and a induction cooker $50 and you are done. Mine works great. Most people are adding the inverter anyway, as you have. You have duplicated you battery and inverter and introduced recharging power loss. But that’s because you already had the blueti. Great video.

Thanks for a great, complete review and comparison. Great to get the figures for each. I heard there was issues with charging up that unit up on other options other than 240v. I hope you don't need all those panels to charge it up, that nearly $3k worth of panels.

Excellent review👍