[Walrus]

I purchased a Dometic D21 cooktop, and I hate it. Both grate and cover rattle, and the grate has started to warp from the heat of the burners. (Standing up the the heat of the burners is literally the grate‘s entire job.)

Someone recommend me a propane cooktop (no oven.) Ideally something not too big (under 18” counter depth), drop-in with either a cover or ability to put a cutting board over it. 2 burner is all I need. Available would also be great, seems pretty hard to find stuff right now.

Who has one they love, and what kind is it? Thanks!

 

[ntransit]

This has been working for us:
TBVECHI Gas Stove, Camper RV LPG Gas Hob Cooktop Glass LPG Gas Stove (GR-B003,2 Burner) Amazon.com: TBVECHI Gas Stove, Camper RV LPG Gas Hob Cooktop Glass LPG Gas Stove (GR-B003,2 Burner) : Automotive

 

[tims5377]

I used this one. There is a tiny rattle from the small circular rings on the center of the burner, but it is very intermittent and they can be very easily removed. I installed it horozontal in my counter to save depth. I love it and would 100% get it again.

Magic Chef 12 in. Gas Cooktop in Stainless Steel with 2 Burners Including Triple Ring Burner MCSCTG12S - The Home Depot

The Magic Chef 12 in. wide gas cooktop offers sleek, modern lines and many of the features found in larger appliances. This gives the consumer maximum functionality in minimal spaces. 12 in. gas cooktop

www.homedepot.com

 

[Walrus]

I used this one. There is a tiny rattle from the small circular rings on the center of the burner, but it is very intermittent and they can be very easily removed. I installed it horozontal in my counter to save depth. I love it and would 100% get it again.

Magic Chef 12 in. Gas Cooktop in Stainless Steel with 2 Burners Including Triple Ring Burner MCSCTG12S - The Home Depot

The Magic Chef 12 in. wide gas cooktop offers sleek, modern lines and many of the features found in larger appliances. This gives the consumer maximum functionality in minimal spaces. 12 in. gas cooktop

www.homedepot.com

View attachment 163100

Thanks, that looks solid and I like the high-heat triple burner. But seems it’s AC only for the igniter? I’ll definitely want something that work with 12V DC, or even better a piezo.

 

[Sharpeida]

Gotta go old school and say Coleman propane 2 burner stove. I've used that model since I was a kid and it just took a beating and kept on ticking! Ours is currently about 15 years old and I will get another one for the new van. We do nearly all our cooking outside to minimize smells.

Might not be good for continued van life, but for our purposes it does great!

 

[OldMadBrit]

I just used our Camp Chef Teton ($130 from Big 5 etc.) tent camping stove. I drilled two 5mm holes through it and made a couple of thumbscrews so that it can either be mounted to our galley module or used outside. A simple piece of foam padding stops any rattles when its closed for transit.

As a nice bonus, it heats the van up in about 5 minutes on a very cold morning if we forget to program the heater.

 

[tims5377]

Thanks, that looks solid and I like the high-heat triple burner. But seems it’s AC only for the igniter? I’ll definitely want something that work with 12V DC, or even better a piezo.

Yea, it is AC only. I am sure someone smart could convert it to 12V if they wanted to. For me, I just use a lighter lol.

 

[gregoryx]

Price sure has gone up since bought it... but this oven/range combo has worked well for six months or so. Oven was the target; but the burners actually get used more. On the one hand, sacrifices about another foot deeper / below what would have been just a range and an oven makes for good pizza and other /real/ cooking that the cooktops and microwave don't do. 😊

The 17" one is the total depth. Only good for one pan inside. Zero rattling once we added magnets to the top grill (they're on the sides - you can't see them in this photo, but they're there) and tweaked the oven rack a bit.

 

[Walrus]

I don't hate the idea of using a portable, but we do most of our cooking in the van (PNW, it's often cold and wet outside) and I'd like to run it off the 20lb propane tank in the back of the van. Since this has a regulator in the propane locker an the system is at 11WC, I think I'd need to do some creative plumbing to get it to work with a portable.

@gregoryx that looks super nice, but I don't think we need an oven.

 

[Walrus]

Price sure has gone up since bought it... but this oven/range combo has worked well for six months or so. Oven was the target; but the burners actually get used more. On the one hand, sacrifices about another foot deeper / below what would have been just a range and an oven makes for good pizza and other /real/ cooking that the cooktops and microwave don't do. 😊

The 17" one is the total depth. Only good for one pan inside. Zero rattling once we added magnets to the top grill (they're on the sides - you can't see them in this photo, but they're there) and tweaked the oven rack a bit.

View attachment 163119

If I'm not mistaken, this thing is the mini 2-burner-only version of yours? Looks to be the same grill geometry, and both have the LED light "feature." Am I correct that the LED light-up knobs are basically useless? Can they be turned off easily at least?

 

[njvagabond]

Gotta go old school and say Coleman propane 2 burner stove. I've used that model since I was a kid and it just took a beating and kept on ticking! Ours is currently about 15 years old and I will get another one for the new van. We do nearly all our cooking outside to minimize smells.

Might not be good for continued van life, but for our purposes it does great!

I've got a Coleman 2 burner gas stove ~50yrs old. About 10 years ago I bought a kit to convert it to propane.

Now to go off topic. I have a SVEA 123 gasoline stove that is just as old ... the "original" backpacking stove. . Always fun to light the whole **** thing on fire to pressurize the fuel tank. 😁

 

[Michael Ophus]

The Camp Chef has worked great for going on six years, They have three different models of this same stove/oven.
The first year it was more or less built in to the camper but having a full kitchen takes up too much floor space so now it lives under the bed.

Deluxe Outdoor Oven

S’mores over a campfire aren’t your only option when it comes to tasty treats at the campsite. When you bring along our Deluxe Outdoor Oven, the cooking possibilities are endless. This oven unlocks capabilities of a home oven and cook top. Designed to be both portable and versatile, the Deluxe...

www.campchef.com

 

[RidingRoadsAndTrails]

I had the Camp Chef Summit in my first van, it worked great, it does rattle like most camp stoves do. For this van, I stepped up to the Thetford XC200, much nicer looking. It did have a rattle that I was able to silence, but the grate is designed to be quiet and it is. No complaints with the cooking quality, plenty of heat. I did get the adapter for the 1 lb propane bottles instead of using a larger tank. I plan to make a cover for it when not in use to get more countertop space.

 

[gregoryx]

If I'm not mistaken, this thing is the mini 2-burner-only version of yours? Looks to be the same grill geometry, and both have the LED light "feature." Am I correct that the LED light-up knobs are basically useless? Can they be turned off easily at least?

That looks like the same make.

Correct. Just 12V based lights - also light up the oven in ours. Not functional otherwise. 12V not needed for ignition.

 

[impatient]

I purchased a Dometic D21 cooktop, and I hate it. Both grate and cover rattle, and the grate has started to warp from the heat of the burners. (Standing up the the heat of the burners is literally the grate‘s entire job.)

Someone recommend me a propane cooktop (no oven.) Ideally something not too big (under 18” counter depth), drop-in with either a cover or ability to put a cutting board over it. 2 burner is all I need. Available would also be great, seems pretty hard to find stuff right now.

Who has one they love, and what kind is it? Thanks!

Thanks for dissing the Dometic D21. I was considering it, but would have had to dismantle/replace the entire countertop, move the sink over to make more room for this cooktop…so I would have been pissed if it didn’t work well. However, the idea of having a glass cover seems mandatory given how limited my space is. Sigh.

I will say my Gas-One GS-800P portable propane/butane burner works well (I’ve only used with propane) and I’m sure it’s bigger brethren do as well; I just wish I could run it off 11wc pressure, instead of a green bottle (or separate HP tank with adaptor hose). I was going to sacrifice the pigtail that comes with it, cutting off the 1” female end (which I believe has a built in regulator) that screws onto a bottle, to see if it would work somehow plumbed to my internal 11wc system but haven’t gotten around to that.


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[Walrus]

That looks like the same make.

Correct. Just 12V based lights - also light up the oven in ours. Not functional otherwise. 12V not needed for ignition.

How's yours light? Piezo? Or just a match light? The mini one I posted lists "electronic or manual ignition".

 

[Walrus]

Thanks for dissing the Dometic D21. I was considering it, but would have had to dismantle/replace the entire countertop, move the sink over to make more room for this cooktop…so I would have been pissed if it didn’t work well. However, the idea of having a glass cover seems mandatory given how limited my space is. Sigh.

I will say my Gas-One GS-800P portable propane/butane burner works well (I’ve only used with propane) and I’m sure it’s bigger brethren do as well; I just wish I could run it off 11wc pressure, instead of a green bottle (or separate HP tank with adaptor hose). I was going to sacrifice the pigtail that comes with it, cutting off the 1” female end (which I believe has a built in regulator) that screws onto a bottle, to see if it would work somehow plumbed to my internal 11wc system but haven’t gotten around to that.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yep exactly, committing to a cooktop means cutting a hole in a nice countertop, so I definitely want one I like!

 

[gregoryx]

How's yours light? Piezo? Or just a match light? The mini one I posted lists "electronic or manual ignition".

Piezo. You can see the little white piezo ceramic part in the photo of that unit you posted above.

 

[dinocarsfast]

Get an inductive stove, idk the rest of your electrical system but if you have a 2kw inverter a True inductive stovetop is an awesome choice. Mine is a 2 burner and I mounted it flush on the countertop so no wasted space, it boils water/heats faster, doesn’t have exhaust gasses from the burning of fuel, and I don’t have to worry about refueling. I only worry about keeping the battery charged but I can also run the engine for power on my setup.

 

[Arwen]

Hi Walrus,
We had a fixed (in counter cut in) propane 2-burner cooktop in our little teardrop camper trailer and it worked fin, but it took up too much counter space and we prefer to cook outside when we can (especially when it is too hot to cook inside).

So, even though my van design has a lot more counter top area, we decided to buy a portable Jet Boil Genesis system (folding 2-burner, that stores in a large pot with a frypan cover). This way we can cook outside most of the time and, when we do want to cook in the van, we can put this cooktop on either counter. And I don't have to cut a hole into a counter top for a cooktop, or give up drawer space. Just something to think about.