12V microwaves and electric skillets ?

My hubby has one of the lunchbox ovens and just loves it on average his meal is done in about 30 minutes, clean up is very easy and he has had it since January with no problems. He got it at TA with his points.

 

Microwaves take allot of power and some companies won't let you hook up a inverter big enough for it. I have a 12v sauce pan which you can get at any ts. works great. I also have a 12v Coffey maker. best thing ever. Saves me $30+ a month.

 

I've bought 6 different brands of 12v coffee makers, ovens and cookers and every one took a dump between 30 and 60 days. I finally broke down and bought an inverter and never had a failure since.

 

I'd heard mention of a crockpot or rice cooker - with the interior lined with foil for easy cleanup.

 

I had a trainer who used a marker light bulb inside a lunchbox size cooler. Worked like an easy bake oven. Plug it in in the morning with a can of soup inside and by lunchtime it was nice and warm.

 

I would like to know more about this myself. A 12 volt microwave was recommended to me on another thread. I have never heard of these. Do they even have enough power to warm a glass of water? I have seen some 12v cookware in the truckstop before, but don't remember seeing a microwave. I'm just wondering if they are really worth it. Also, I've seen some tv's available in the truckstop. Do these also run on 12v or do you need an inverter for them? And how do you get a signal to watch tv when out on the road?

 

12v Microwaves DO exist, yes you can purchase them at a truck stop. NO they will NOT work off of the stock fuses that are running your 12v outlets, but you can put in bigger fuses and they WILL work. They actually work pretty well. (EDIT: called the "Wave Box" if you want to google it.)

For a cooler, I use the Coleman camping cooler you can pick up at Wal-Mart or any truck stop. It runs off of a heatsink connected to a fan pulling the heat out of the cooler in a vacuum. It cools to about 30 degrees below the ambient temperature of your cab. If you park for long periods of time without the AC running, it will warm up in about 18 hours to where everything is at a warm temperature. If you run the truck/AC all the time, then it will cool like a MF'r, even freeze stuff in the upper compartment in the winter. Best investment I have made.

 

you want to be real sure you match the size of the microwave with the inverter limit if you go that route. Tht ThermoKing Tripac with an inverter, says 1800 watts on the inverter, but that is PEAK watts, not something you want to pull for more than an instant. I had a 500 watt microwave that lasted 15 years in the truck, well worth the $99 I paid for it, and got a 700 watt for less money last year. They may take a minute or 2 longer than one at home, but you don't want to overload your system.

 

I own the coleman cooler, 2 lunch box ovens, crock pot, skillet, sauce pan, and a water heater thingie. (yes I think that's the official name lol)

I like the lunch box ovens the best. My crockpots have died quickly and had to be replaced. My lunch box ovens seem to be indestructable including being accidently tossed out onto the parking lot. (lonnnnnng story)

I never use the skillet and sauce pan. And the water heater thingie is great for soups or water for hot chocolate, tea, noodles etc.

Now that we're OTR I really don't cook much in the truck. Just bring left overs from home.

Anyone want to buy almost new skillet or saucepan?