Why The World Needs Kitchen Grade 12 Volt Cooking Appliances
Why is it that most 12-volt cooking appliances today leave so much to be desired? From food "warmers" to fry pans that seem to be intended to last about 2 days before they break (or melt, or catch fire), the selection is not too encouraging. These appliances tend to be very weak, low quality and usually more about "warming" food than actually cooking it.
12 Volts is truly the universal voltage - it's every where.
Why can't 12-volt cooking appliances that are actually "kitchen grade" exist? The answer is: there is NO REASON WHY NOT!! Kitchen grade means built just like the AC 115/230v appliances we all know. Metal construction, safe design, affordable, reliable. Easy to use. Lasts for many years.
Is 12 Volts DC too weak to actually cook anything?
NO, I have disproven that silly myth long ago. I always knew it was possible.
Here's one of my 12V cooktop prototypes boiling a pot of noodles with 2x20ah LiFePO4 batteries:
Here is one of my smallest 12V mini ovens which can bake bread, cook vegetables and more using only about 150 WATTS:
Basically, with good appliances a simple 12V automotive battery can cook a family's meals for many years, with NO inverter, NO high voltage and NO fuel burned.
No, these appliances don't have to be small. Behind the scenes, I have built many other low voltage DC cooking appliances, including larger and more powerful ovens that run on 12, 24, and 48V DC. If some sad guy in his workshop can build them... then so can ANY factory!
Tasty! A tiny 12 Volts Battery Did This:
When you add one or more 100-watt solar panels to a 12V battery and these appliances, suddenly things start to change. This is a simple way to cook food for decades to come. Why isn't such simple tech on every store shelf, and available to every human who needs it? This lack of low voltage DC appliances has appeared glaringly obvious to me - even going back years, and before I tried to follow up on any of the ideas.
Trouble has been increasing. Things are getting more complicated. Cooking food is critically important for health, survival and morale. And yet, it's taken for granted by many.
What happens when "the system" collapses (maybe a Grid Down scenario) or undergoes a severe blow? What if your grid-powered oven no longer works? The top-heavy overly technological ecosystems which are so popular today can suddenly become a liability at best, and compeltely useless at worst.
You use the Grid every single day! You run your house on technology that came from the grid. Charge Controllers. Logistics. Internet, E-commerce. Batteries. Communications. Services. Food. Gasoline. All grid powered.
This is the truth. True off grid means being prepared and having the right mindset, whether your house runs on batteries or not. You might be "off grid", but what if your inverter burns out and you can't power anything and can't order a new one?
Think ahead! Think of others! We all go down together, if we don't become more proactive together. Seeking and embracing simpler, more robust electric cooking and appliances will benefit the whole world in the long term. Once these ideas become established, it opens the door for the market to respond and start providing new options.
Remember, everything came from the grid, including your T-shirt, shoes and that fancy inverter with a hidden bluetooth link that makes it vulnerable to remote shutdown. I don't know about you, but even though I have inverters and off-grid solar power to run any appliance I need, I still like having simple backup plans in place in case this happens. And besides, people all over the world need alternatives too.
And that's in fact why our house is already migrating to a pure-DC off grid power system. I don't hate inverters, but I really don't want to be 100% dependent on such a grid artifact.
Thinking Of People Other Than Ourselves
In some parts of the world, they can't afford a fancy off grid solar power system. Maybe they could get their hands on an old car battery and a 100 watt solar panel, but not much else. A simple 12 volt cooking appliance would make their day! For years.
The world already needs alternatives right now. 12 Volts is everywhere. Anyone can find a 12 volt battery under the hood of a car and cook their meals - except they can't because nobody seems to care about it. And yet, I am approached constantly by people who are 100% interested in the concept, yet they have zero access to affordable, kitchen grade 12V appliances. All they can find are the cheap plasticy excuses for 12V appliances that have always been available. And some of them can't find any options at all.
I certainly already am - for years. I have manufactured many different 12v appliances with my own hands. Also, I produced a dedicated video showing people HOW TO CONVERT a standard toaster oven to 12 volts - with simple hand tools and DIY skills! If you don't feel comfortable doing that, TEAM UP and share the knowledge!
DIY - Do It Yourself! My hope is that soon, affordable, robust and kitchen-grade 12 volt cooking appliances will appear on store shelves. They should not much more than their AC grid powered counterparts. Sure, there needs to be a bit more safety integrated into the design, but 90% of the contents of these appliances are universal no matter what voltage source is powering it.
I'm not alone. Over the years, I've met a few people who want to solve this lack of DC appliances. Hopefully, it will happen! Edison Was Still Right - DC (direct current) is coming back!
Take care and thanks for reading - Dave, www.solarpoweredge.com