Living Car Free - alternative fuel for stove?

I've got an electric stove/oven, & am tired of seeing the elec. meter spinning round &round when Im using it. I don't wnt to convert to nat. gas. propane is another option. The only other fuels Ive seen are wood & pellets of some sort. does anyone here know of any other fuels for a stove for a kitchen?

I've got an electric stove/oven, & am tired of seeing the elec. meter spinning round &round when Im using it. I don't wnt to convert to nat. gas. propane is another option. The only other fuels Ive seen are wood & pellets of some sort. does anyone here know of any other fuels for a stove for a kitchen?

I have a camping stove that uses white gas, ethanol might work in it. I also sometimes use a solar cooker. The solar cooker works best when the sky is a dark blue color but also works in DC haze.

It may be a low practicality for you, but a raw-food diet would make running the stove unnecessary.

It may be a low practicality for you, but a raw-food diet would make running the stove unnecessary.

I've actually looked into the raw food as an option; but I'm too addicted to Indian Curries to commit!

I have a camping stove that uses white gas, ethanol might work in it. I also sometimes use a solar cooker. The solar cooker works best when the sky is a dark blue color but also works in DC haze.

I've actually made my own solar cooker; it worked ok, but I'm sure it could be better designed.

It may be a low practicality for you, but a raw-food diet would make running the stove unnecessary.

Yes,
Kifto (chopped beefsteak)

Ethiopians use a local pepper, calledmitmita, because they think that hot pepper destroys all kinds of germs.

* Ingrediënts (for 4 -6 persons): 500 gr. chopped beefsteak
* 1 onion in cubes
* 60 ml (4 spoons) vegetable oil
* the juice of 1 lemon or 60 ml (4 spoons) wine or apple vinegar (if required)
* 20 ml (2 - 4 spoons) red Chilli sauce
* salt andmitmita
* 5 gr. (1 tea spoon) of spices; ground caraway, cinnamon, and chopped garlic
* all kinds of green salads, such as head lettuce, alfalfa (luzerne)

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix them well. Then form small pellets or biscuits of the paste. Lay down a piece of the salad with flesh in the middle. Garnish this as wanted and serve cold. Very nice to eat if you would like a light lunch.

I use my small $20 toaster oven for anything that will fit in it. It heats up faster, uses 1/2 the power, and the bit of wasted heat radiating out of the top I use to warm my plate(s).
Also do a good bit on the propane grille.

I use my small $20 toaster oven for anything that will fit in it. It heats up faster, uses 1/2 the power, and the bit of wasted heat radiating out of the top I use to warm my plate(s).
Also do a good bit on the propane grille.

+1 and +1

In winter I use the toaster oven for broilling and baking, as the weather heats up (soon I hope!) I use the grill outside more. Saves on AC as well as tastes good! As for efficiency I suspect the small microwave I own is probably the best way to cook. I use the stove just to heat water for tea.

I think the big drain on power (for food prep) in our house is the refrigerator though. It runs whether or not I'm cooking. So I'd be interested in ideas people have for eliminating or mitigating this appliance.

It may be a low practicality for you, but a raw-food diet would make running the stove unnecessary.

have you tried this? if so, advice or opinions? just curious because I've thought of trying this as well.

OP - do you cook for just yourself? cook a lot? May want to consider a countertop convection oven.

+1 and +1

In winter I use the toaster oven for broilling and baking, as the weather heats up (soon I hope!) I use the grill outside more. Saves on AC as well as tastes good! As for efficiency I suspect the small microwave I own is probably the best way to cook. I use the stove just to heat water for tea.

I think the big drain on power (for food prep) in our house is the refrigerator though. It runs whether or not I'm cooking. So I'd be interested in ideas people have for eliminating or mitigating this appliance.

there's always the old-timey ice boxes

OP - do you cook for just yourself? cook a lot? May want to consider a countertop convection oven.

I don't really cook _alot_ but I do cook pretty much every day. Once about every two weeks or so I'll make a big pot o' curry

I've got an electric stove/oven, & am tired of seeing the elec. meter spinning round &round when Im using it. I don't wnt to convert to nat. gas. propane is another option. The only other fuels Ive seen are wood & pellets of some sort. does anyone here know of any other fuels for a stove for a kitchen?

Have you calculated the actual cost of using your electric stove versus alternate methods? The typical medium burner probably consumes 2000 watts on high. Since you stated that you don't do a lot of cooking, let's assume that you ran two burners at half power for a hour on average every day. that comes to 2 kW-Hr of energy. How much do you pay for electricity? Assuming it's $0.25 per kW-Hr, then you spend only fifty cents a day to cook your food.

That hardly seems like such a burdensome cost to warrant investing in new equipment.

have you tried this? if so, advice or opinions? just curious because I've thought of trying this as well.

There are quite a few books on the subject, and as long as you're keeping an eye on overall health and maintaining a proper balance of nutrients, a raw food diet is really healthy. It's difficult to go out anywhere and eat, and you have to keep a keen eye on everything that you buy, but it can be done.
It's not for me, though. Riding 30-40 hilly miles a day, I eat everything that makes the mistake of getting too close to my mouth. Om nom nom.

If you have access to wood chips a smoker is a very old method of cooking that takes minimal combustion and fuel.


Very nice to eat if you would like a light lunch.

I may have misunderstood this. Are you suggesting eating RAW beef?

I may have misunderstood this. Are you suggesting eating RAW beef?

Check the ingredients; while it isn't heat cooked, it isn't unsafe with that preparation. The suggestion in the post is that the locals believe the peppers sterilize the dish, but the reality is that the lemon juice and vinegar in the marinade are cooking the proteins (similar to ceviche) and neutralizing any bacterial contaminants.
Beef jerky isn't cooked over heat, either, but it's safe to eat. The acids in the marinade are what get the job done.

I've drastically reduced usage of my conventional electric stove, at home, by using a pressure cooker. It is so fast and only needs to get up to a boil just initially, then simmer, wait and voila!!! It's funny in hind sight as a traveler, seeing all these big gaskets all over in '3d world' markets: The gaskets are for pressure cookers!! They're all onto the efficiency.

If you have access to wood chips a smoker is a very old method of cooking that takes minimal combustion and fuel.



I may have misunderstood this. Are you suggesting eating RAW beef?

Yes. Kitfo is tasty. Ethiopian steak tartar. Don't the native Alaskans eat raw seal and such? I was just getting in step with the raw foods comment. A friend of mine has just gotten into the raw foods thing. So far he likes it as a way to maintain a healthy weight. He apparently eats a lot of unique salad like stuff. Don't know the details. I remember reading about some arctic explorer who got into the raw meat diet from living among the natives. It was an interview with his wife where I think she said she felt the raw meat diet was healthy. If you come to DC you can order Kitfo at the Ethiopian restaurants. Get off at the U street subway stop and walk around and you'll see several. My understanding of cooking is that it is like a pre-digestion step (as well as sanitizing) so that your body uses less energy in digesting. So.. if you're trying to loose weight raw foods require more chewing and what not so you can fill your belly to the same level and not ingest as many net calories. My friend also talks about more nutrients in the raw veggies than in the cooked. Maybe the same is true with raw meat. The family dog didn't cook the rabbits and things he caught and he seemed to like them. Sometimes he'd bury them for a day to ripen them before eating- gave him deadly breath but didn't slow him down.

I've drastically reduced usage of my conventional electric stove, at home, by using a pressure cooker. It is so fast and only needs to get up to a boil just initially, then simmer, wait and voila!!! It's funny in hind sight as a traveler, seeing all these big gaskets all over in '3d world' markets: The gaskets are for pressure cookers!! They're all onto the efficiency.

You're right pressure cookers get to a higher tempurature before boiling, 2 atm. if I remember correctly. Also, in 3rd world countries they use thermos bottles. A good vacuum bottle will keep water hot over night so you don't have to fire up the stove for your hot tea in the morning. So you can make a stew for one meal put the leftovers in the vacuum bottle and don't need to light up the stove on the next meal.

I've got an electric stove/oven, & am tired of seeing the elec. meter spinning round &round when Im using it. I don't wnt to convert to nat. gas. propane is another option. The only other fuels Ive seen are wood & pellets of some sort. does anyone here know of any other fuels for a stove for a kitchen?

Propane and five-gallon tanks work well. They last a long time, they're easy to transport, they're inexpensive.

Alcohol (ethanol) is another option. It's used for cooking on boats quite a bit. It is a lot more benign than white gas -- the odors (when burning, and when just evaporating) aren't nearly as bad.

There are many ways of producing your own ethanol. There are websites; Google can lead to a lot of possibilities here.

***
There are people who have made the move to cooking-free lifestyles and diets, and they often seem very happy with the move. Raw foods are one approach, but there are others as well. There are many foods that are not raw but still involve no cooking. These foods can fill out an otherwise raw food diet, and provide some extra variety.

Learning to go cooking-free can save a lot of time, energy, money, complexity, and cleanup. As you get to know more and more of the possibilities, it can be a good way to eat.

Raw is good, I used to be a frugivore when I was younger. Then one day on a bike tour I was bonked & the only food to be found was a hamburger. Boy did I pay for that burger!

I've got an electric stove/oven, & am tired of seeing the elec. meter spinning round &round when Im using it. I don't wnt to convert to nat. gas. propane is another option. The only other fuels Ive seen are wood & pellets of some sort. does anyone here know of any other fuels for a stove for a kitchen?

I have an alcohol stove on my boat, and it works almost as well as my gas stove at home. But why are you worried about using an electric stove? It's probably at least as efficient as any other type of stove I can think of.

gas stoves are more efficient than electric, but more trouble to install.

alcohol sounds like an okay stove fuel but it's not really any "greener" than fossil fuels, since lots of fossil fuels are used to grow crops for alcohol production.

typically an electric stove is a very small part of your electric bill, so I wouldn't worry about it much. If you would like to make it greener, perhaps you should call your power company and ask to be on the wind energy or green energy plan. (might want to do research to see how green it really is though.)

Stove depend upon concentrated energy to cook food. You have a limited number of available energy sources:
Electric
Gas (NG, propane, etc)
Solids you burn (wood, coal, charcoal, dried dung)
Solar

Solar can be broken down into two different options:
Solar panels that drive an electric stove
Solar oven
Both can be used if you are judicious in their use.

Refrigeration:

There are alternatives to electrical refrigeration, but it requires that you live within the bounds that the fridge sets:

- You can use a heat pipe fridge. It only works when it is colder outside than the temperature of the fridge. It works as a supplement to a normal fridge.

-You can use a solar adsorption fridge (yes that is spelled correctly). It uses solar energy to extract heat from the fridge. It gets used in poor sections of africa because once it is set up it runs reliably for years. If you want details, google will do a better job explaining without me going on for 5-10 pages.

Refrigeration:

There are alternatives to electrical refrigeration, but it requires that you live within the bounds that the fridge sets:

- You can use a heat pipe fridge. It only works when it is colder outside than the temperature of the fridge. It works as a supplement to a normal fridge.

-You can use a solar adsorption fridge (yes that is spelled correctly). It uses solar energy to extract heat from the fridge. It gets used in poor sections of africa because once it is set up it runs reliably for years. If you want details, google will do a better job explaining without me going on for 5-10 pages.

Thanks, this is just the info I was looking for. Although it sounds like the same thing as option 2 could be acomplished here with solar panels on the roof. The first type sounds interesting for the winter months... I once saw a propane refrigerator on a tour of a historic ranch in Arizona. I could never quite get my mind around how it worked.

Here is what I've been doing to cut back on the fridge: First we bought the smallest one we could find that had a separate freezer compartment and door. In the winter my basement is cold enough that I can use it as a root seller to keep vegetables and cheeses, however in the summer it is to warm for this. I also can fresh vegetables from Farmers markets (if they are priced right and well in season).

Again to the OP: I think electricity for cooking is probably one of the lowest parts of your electricity usage, I would expect my ranking by usage is cooling > heating > refrigeration > computer/tv > lighting > cooking

I can't think of an electric appliance I use less than my stove/microwave/toaster oven...

gas stoves are more efficient than electric, but more trouble to install.

alcohol sounds like an okay stove fuel but it's not really any "greener" than fossil fuels, since lots of fossil fuels are used to grow crops for alcohol production.

Alcohol stoves are really inefficient, especially when compared to gas fueled stoves (propane, isobutane, white gas, etc.) Take it from a backcountry camper, even with a windscreen and a heat reflector an alcohol stove isn't worth the initial perceived benefits.

Alcohol stoves are really inefficient, especially when compared to gas fueled stoves (propane, isobutane, white gas, etc.) Take it from a backcountry camper, even with a windscreen and a heat reflector an alcohol stove isn't worth the initial perceived benefits.

By volume of fuel right? Is alcohol less energy dense than the "gas" type fuels?

I would have thought in terms of calories converted into hot water "burning things" are all basically equally efficient on a given set up. Whereas for electricity there are more losses if you factor in generation and transmission, making this a less efficient way to heat water.

By volume of fuel right? Is alcohol less energy dense than the "gas" type fuels?

At least when camping, there are a lot of variables to consider when determining stove efficiency. Heat losses can be minimized with pressurized liquid gas stoves through the use of windscreens and heat reflectors, because the main fuel source is separate from the flame location.
Except for specialized systems (like JetBoil), canister type isobutane stoves (MSR Pocket Rocket, etc.)shouldn't be used with a reflector an enclosure because you would heat the fuel canister and risk an explosion. Alcohol stoves work on a vapor wicking system, with a centralized fuel pool ringed by burner vents. Superheating the stove by using an improperly vented enclosure can cause the stove to 'flash' and cause serious injury. Since you can't reflect the normal environmental heat losses back to your cooking vessel, it takes longer to boil a litre of water with an alcohol stove than with most canister or pressurized liquid gas stoves.

At least when camping, there are a lot of variables to consider when determining stove efficiency. Heat losses can be minimized with pressurized liquid gas stoves through the use of windscreens and heat reflectors, because the main fuel source is separate from the flame location.
Except for specialized systems (like JetBoil), canister type isobutane stoves (MSR Pocket Rocket, etc.)shouldn't be used with a reflector an enclosure because you would heat the fuel canister and risk an explosion. Alcohol stoves work on a vapor wicking system, with a centralized fuel pool ringed by burner vents. Superheating the stove by using an improperly vented enclosure can cause the stove to 'flash' and cause serious injury. Since you can't reflect the normal environmental heat losses back to your cooking vessel, it takes longer to boil a litre of water with an alcohol stove than with most canister or pressurized liquid gas stoves.

yes it can...makes a neat little pop noise and then sprays flaming alcohol all over the place. Can be very dangerous as you can't see the flames from denatured alcohol during the daylight.

yes it can...makes a neat little pop noise and then sprays flaming alcohol all over the place. Can be very dangerous as you can't see the flames from denatured alcohol during the daylight.

Speaking from experience?

Alcohol stoves work on a vapor wicking system, with a centralized fuel pool ringed by burner vents. Superheating the stove by using an improperly vented enclosure can cause the stove to 'flash' and cause serious injury. Since you can't reflect the normal environmental heat losses back to your cooking vessel, it takes longer to boil a litre of water with an alcohol stove than with most canister or pressurized liquid gas stoves.

I see, it is a mechanical issue coupled with a safety issue. Typically the sort of thing I overlook. I've only ever used the butane systems with separate fuel supplies myself. They fit my backpacking goal of being simple and easy to use.

Speaking from experience?

yep.....
luckily I was not close to it when it went...but it was quite loud and it wasted the water I was boiling for my tea :mad:
I still use one for short camping/hiking trips though.

I see, it is a mechanical issue coupled with a safety issue. Typically the sort of thing I overlook. I've only ever used the butane systems with separate fuel supplies myself. They fit my backpacking goal of being simple and easy to use.

Isobutane canister stoves are convenient and put out a lot of heat, but they suffer from their own problems (less likely to happen when not used in the field):

Cold - chilly isobutane canisters don't hold a high vapor pressure and won't burn efficiently. Too cold, and they'll stop working completely. Not likely to happen when used at home.

Altitude - isobutane canister stoves do not work as efficiently above 5000' elevation, which could be a consideration for some people at home, not just alpinists.

At least when camping, there are a lot of variables to consider when determining stove efficiency. Heat losses can be minimized with pressurized liquid gas stoves through the use of windscreens and heat reflectors, because the main fuel source is separate from the flame location.
Except for specialized systems (like JetBoil), canister type isobutane stoves (MSR Pocket Rocket, etc.)shouldn't be used with a reflector an enclosure because you would heat the fuel canister and risk an explosion. Alcohol stoves work on a vapor wicking system, with a centralized fuel pool ringed by burner vents. Superheating the stove by using an improperly vented enclosure can cause the stove to 'flash' and cause serious injury. Since you can't reflect the normal environmental heat losses back to your cooking vessel, it takes longer to boil a litre of water with an alcohol stove than with most canister or pressurized liquid gas stoves.

If you're indoors (as in the cabin of a boat), heat loss from wind isn't a consideration, but CO is. I have a gas backpacking stove and it works great at all but the highest altitudes, but I don't dare use it on the boat, because the gas tanks have prominent labels warning users not even to think about it. Alcohol doesn't present this danger. In my experience, I can use an alcohol stove and have coffee ready in about 3-5 minutes, about the same as with the gas stove. It could very well be less efficient than gas, but not enough to make any difference. That said, the only things I would consider using to cook at home would be electric or natural gas. (Not including grilling, which I do rarely, but with gusto.)

Greenest ways to cook food:
- Boiling water : microwave
- Cooktop : induction cooktop
- Oven : electric oven, with as less useless air and convection when possible.

Burning any fossil fuel is completely stupid when you take into account the CO2 emissions and the extraction of the ressource. Of course, in the US many of you have electric powered by coal and other burning stuff, as opposed to us in Québec where pretty almost all of our electricity is done with hydro. But all in all, electric is better.

Typically, personal electric use is only 25% on average (in Canada). The rest is about 60% for heating and 15% for water heating. I don't remind how much the range uses by itself on average tho, but I think it's about 6% (totally not sure about that exact number).

Tip: when you boil stuff on the cooktop, when it reaches boiling point don't keep the element at max power. Boiling is boiling. Your pastas don't mind being cooked at 105 C vs 138 C, but your bill is another matter.

Personally, I only use 225-250 kWh per month.

Solar oven is nice but it's not reliable, and you don't seem to really be able to control the temp. Solar water heating is another matter tho. It is VERY effective, even in mild climates.

Solar oven is nice but it's not reliable, and you don't seem to really be able to control the temp. Solar water heating is another matter tho. It is VERY effective, even in mild climates.

My solar oven has an inside thermometer so on good days I reduce the temp by shifting it slightly away from the sun or not worrying about tracking the sun so carefully. Yes, it can get too hot. Of course on a hazy day I can't increase the temp. I think my sister who lives in the desert has a more reliable solar cooking experience than I do on the east coast. For me it is more like a replacement for gas grilling than a replacement for everyday cooking. I set it up and then chill out in the shade while it cooks, or in the winter I go inside while it cooks.

My friend also talks about more nutrients in the raw veggies than in the cooked.

On the other hand, it seems that cooking some foods improves the bioavailability of certain compounds. For example, lycopene, a bioflavonoid that has been found to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancer, is much more readily absorbed by the body if we consume cooked tomato products rather than raw tomatoes.

It's occurred to me that switching to compact flourescent light bulbs would probably save much more energy than anything you could do with your stove, unless you cook like crazy. I switched to compact flourescents a couple of months ago (free bulbs), and my electric bill has decreased by over 1/3. (It's now about $16/mo.)

Another thing that really helps is living in a smaller space. If you're living alone, 600-800 sq ft is totally adequate. And no one, not even a large family, really needs 5000 sq ft. (The proliferation of absurdly gigantic houses troubles me, on a lot of levels... )

I've got an electric stove/oven, & am tired of seeing the elec. meter spinning round &round when Im using it. I don't wnt to convert to nat. gas. propane is another option. The only other fuels Ive seen are wood & pellets of some sort. does anyone here know of any other fuels for a stove for a kitchen?

If you want an oven that uses much less electricity, you might consider microwaves. If you did a Google search, you could probably compare power usages. Microwaves are very quick and energy efficient. The time element plays a role in the energy efficiency.

I used to have a prejudice against microwaves, and many people still do. But if you give them an honest try with an open mind, and get to know them, they can be a very clean, versatile, energy efficient, time efficient, and healthy way to cook.

***
Another possibility: A friend uses a Japanese steamer a lot. She just sets the built-in timer, and cooks all sorts of meals with it. These sorts of steamers are used more in Japan, and they work quite well.

They can be much more versatile than most people think, and they are more energy efficient than most conventional electric ovens and stoves.

***
Ethanol can be produced from various waste products, and can be a very green way to go.

http://www.sce.com/_Tips/MediumLargeBusiness/Cooking/ElectricSteamers.htm

Here are some of the possible configurations (my friend's is a simple, single-tier model; these multi-tiered models can cook several dishes at once):

http://homewares.abcaz.co.uk/4_877/electric-steamers.html

I just try to use my electric stove/range economically:


--match the pot size to the burner size

--put the cover on the pot so you're not wasting heat

--never use the oven for just one thing. For example, roast meat & veggies, and bake a dessert all at the same time.

Slow cooker, pressure cooker, solar oven. But yeah, cooking heat probably isn't your biggest burn, powerwise.