Slow Cookers- howmuch electricity do they use?

[Barry]

Oh no more pressure

I blame carlt he put me onto it

 

Ah well he is an aged and wise man who knows this sort of stuff

 

 

 

 

Well maybe not so aged.....

[jelunga]

How about going the other way & cooking stuff quicker with a pressure cooker?

I agree. Quicker, and cheap cuts of meat are more tender. But our Argos cheap little one uses very little.

[blackrose]

The thermostat calls for heat to replace the heat lost, so if you thermally insulate better, especially the top, this will significantly reduce power consumption, ( but I guess you knew that !)

 

Nick

Not sure about that. The instructions that came with mine specifically said not to place other objects near the cooker while being used. Trying to insulate it could be a potential fire risk.

 

Also the cheaper, smaller slow cookers like mine don't have thermostats. It draws about 70amps I think and I only use it on mains or while cruising.

Edited August 31, 2014 by blackrose

[blackrose]

http://mrdscookware.com/mr-ds_cookers/mr-ds-thermal-cookers/

Interesting. I hadn't seen that before. I guess even if the food loses as much as 5C per hour over a 7 hour period it would still be at 60C, assuming a starting temperature of 95C. So no problems of microbial growth.

 

However, Mr D's products are quite pricey so couldn't one do exactly the same thing by placing the heated food into a large preheated vacuum food flask - which is essentially what Mr. Ds thermal cooker is?

 

 

Edit: It would probably need to be a flask with a large internal volume of at least a few litres, so that (just like the thermal cooker) there was adequate thermal mass to maintain the residual heat cooking process. I'm not sure if they're actually available in that size? You'd also have to transfer the heated food to the flask as quickly as possible to avoid heat losses.

 

As a single bloke I don't think a thermal cooker would work for me. The smallest one available on Mr D's site is 4.5 ltres and perhaps the reason they're not made smaller is because they wouldn't work with smaller thermal masses.

Edited August 31, 2014 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

Not sure about that. The instructions that came with mine specifically said not to place other objects near the cooker while being used. Trying to insulate it could be a potential fire risk.

 

Also the cheaper, smaller slow cookers like mine don't have thermostats. It draws about 70amps I think and I only use it on mains or while cruising.

I 100% agree. I have looked for a cool touch model but can't find one. Low wattage's seams to mean efficient to a lot of people as they don't look at the total power usage. I think with good insulation they could up the efficiency by 60 - 70%

[bizzard]

Erm, and as Thermos vacuum flasks will keep things cold as well as hot a complete two or three course meal can be kept in just one of them. Say hot soup for starters then perhaps a lovely beef stew and dumplings followed by a nice afters such as a choc ice or knickerbocker glory.

[Alan de Enfield]

bizzard, on 31 Aug 2014 - 09:47 AM, said:

Erm, and as Thermos vacuum flasks will keep things cold as well as hot a complete two or three course meal can be kept in just one of them. Say hot soup for starters then perhaps a lovely beef stew and dumplings followed by a nice afters such as a choc ice or knickerbocker glory.

 

Ideally tho' you do need to have a waxed cardboard seperator between the 'courses' or the ice-cream tends to get 'dumplingised' and your Tomato soup gets contaminated and becomes Beef and Tomato

Edited August 31, 2014 by Alan de Enfield

[John V]

Not sure about that. The instructions that came with mine specifically said not to place other objects near the cooker while being used. Trying to insulate it could be a potential fire risk.

 

Also the cheaper, smaller slow cookers like mine don't have thermostats. It draws about 70amps I think and I only use it on mains or while cruising.

 

?.......that seems excessive......my 1.2L cooker is 55watts so even at 12V that would only be about 4.5A

[bizzard]

 

Ideally tho' you do need to have a waxed cardboard seperator between the 'courses' or the ice-cream tends to get 'dumplingised' and your Tomato soup gets contaminated and becomes Beef and Tomato

I think each course will hold its own level due to their differing temperatures and remain more or less separate. Shove the cold ice cream sweet in at the bottom first, then the stew 'hottish' and finally the soup (very hot). If done like this and you don't shake it about the courses should all pour out in the correct order for eating.

Edited August 31, 2014 by bizzard

[Alan de Enfield]

 

?.......that seems excessive......my 1.2L cooker is 55watts so even at 12V that would only be about 4.5A

 

Ours is 375 watts - which via the inverter is going to pull 37 amps out of the batteries.

[Nickhlx]

I can't believe that the thing will draw 375 watts all the time - it may be a 375 watt heating element, but if it was on all the time, it would get very, VERY hot in a short time, assuming it has some sort of insulation, which all do have.

 

The point I made about insulation was for those that are thermostatically controlled to maintain a fairly constant temperature... insulate e.g. the lid better, and the power needed to maintain the temp would be reduced.

 

For those who are able, even those that are not thermostatically controlled could have a sensor / module inserted in the supply with the sensor mounted somewhere appropriate to monitor the food temp...

 

e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350931983899?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT and there are mains versions as well, which is simply the 12 volt one with a small PSU inside - I have bought / am using one of each for about 18 months now for a couple of projects...

 

Nick

[bizzard]

I once constructed a bed warming device, an electric one. It was a 50watt bulb in a nice Crawfords biscuit tin, lid on and plugged into the mains. I stuck it in the bed and went to check on it half hour later. The thing got far too hot and even began to melt the tins paint, it scorched the bed sheets and left the word ''Crawfords'' imprinted on them for ever in scorched paint. And it was only 50watts.

 

Ps, Correction. It was only a 40watt bulb.

Edited August 31, 2014 by bizzard

[John V]

I once constructed a bed warming device, an electric one. It was a 50watt bulb in a nice Crawfords biscuit tin, lid on and plugged into the mains. I stuck it in the bed and went to check on it half hour later. The thing got far too hot and even began to melt the tins paint, it scorched the bed sheets and left the word ''Crawfords'' imprinted on them for ever in scorched paint. And it was only 50watts.

 

Ps, Correction. It was only a 40watt bulb.

 

I used to have a proper "Bedwarmer"...Can't remember who made it, but that had a 25 watt bulb inside as a heating element and it used to work very well!......I think your "bizzard idea" was on the right lines you were just a bit over enthusiastic with the power!

 

Edited August 31, 2014 by John V

[b0atman]

next time bizzard use a led bulb cheaper to run .

[Nickhlx]

 

I guess a 375 watt one would have set the whole boat alight then !

 

Nick

[John V]

Also the cheaper, smaller slow cookers like mine don't have thermostats. It draws about 70amps I think and I only use it on mains or while cruising.

 

Was the manufacturers name "Professor Bizzards Wizzard Wheezes"

[Naughty Cal]

 

Ours is 375 watts - which via the inverter is going to pull 37 amps out of the batteries.

That's a powerful one!

 

Ours is only 70 watt on high power.

[blackrose]

 

?.......that seems excessive......my 1.2L cooker is 55watts so even at 12V that would only be about 4.5A

Sorry I meant 70 watts on mains!

Edited August 31, 2014 by blackrose

[bizzard]

I don't think you need to buy anything special to heat up large quantities of soup though. Huge catering drums of tomato soup can be bought trade, like most things the more you buy the cheaper it gets.

So if you fill up your water tank with soup you can have hot or cold soup on demand from all your taps in the bathroom and galley. It will also give you a souper shower. I recommend hunks of bread be eaten whilst showering, dunking them in the soup.

Don't get soup with bits in it though for fear of jambing up filters and water pumps ect .

[blackrose]

 

Was the manufacturers name "Professor Bizzards Wizzard Wheezes"

Did you realise you made the same point twice in this thread John?

 

It's actually an unbranded Argos cheapo. Cost £10.

[nb Innisfree]

I don't think you need to buy anything special to heat up large quantities of soup though. Huge catering drums of tomato soup can be bought trade, like most things the more you buy the cheaper it gets.

So if you fill up your water tank with soup you can have hot or cold soup on demand from all your taps in the bathroom and galley. It will also give you a souper shower. I recommend hunks of bread be eaten whilst showering, dunking them in the soup.

Don't get soup with bits in it though for fear of jambing up filters and water pumps ect .

You could make soap out of soup.

[cotswoldsman]

Interesting. I hadn't seen that before. I guess even if the food loses as much as 5C per hour over a 7 hour period it would still be at 60C, assuming a starting temperature of 95C.

 

As a single bloke I don't think a thermal cooker would work for me. The smallest one available on Mr D's site is 4.5 ltres and perhaps the reason they're not made smaller is because they wouldn't work with smaller thermal masses.

Firstly I don't think the heat loss is that great but guess he has to cover himself.

Secondly I am single and I tend to make enough for 2 meals but if I did not wish to do that I have the one that holds an upper pan (very good for doing the rice when making curry) but when not used for rice or just making a one of meal I fill the second pan with boiling water . or if I am feeling very energetic I will cook another meal in the top pot for heating up on the next day

[Sabcat]

I've just ordered a Mr D thermal cooker.

[cotswoldsman]

I've just ordered a Mr D thermal cooker.

I am feeling the pressure think I had better go back to debating 48 hour moorings hehe

Edited August 31, 2014 by cotswoldsman

[John V]

Did you realise you made the same point twice in this thread John?

 

It's actually an unbranded Argos cheapo. Cost £10.

 

 

No....must be getting brain fade........still a good joke is worth re-using!........