Inside Outdoor Fall 2016

guessed induction technology, you are

right. Induction cooking technology

has been around for more than 100

years and is the current rage in most

high-end, energy-efficient kitchens. Its

simplicity, energy savings and safety

make it a perfect fit in most smart

homes, and eventually induction will

become the kitchen standard. Kovea

has taken all the advantages of induc-

tion and built it into a small back-

country package called KIS (Kovea

Induction Stove).

Induction only works with magnetic

stainless steel and cast iron utensils;

courtesy Kovea

The superiorities of cooking with

induction are many. Knowing how it

works makes it easy to see why. Induc-

tion is simply a voltage created when an

electrical conductor is moving through a

magnetic field. The electrical conductor

in this case is any cookware that at-

tracts a magnet, the only stipulation for

induction in its current form. Except the

user does not have to move the cook-

ware back and forth over the cooktop

since the magnetic field does the mov-

ing instead. The back and forth move-

ment of the magnetic field over the pot

magnetizes it repeatedly. That induces

currents in the metal, which heats it due

to the metal’s resistance to the current

flow (think friction). An example of elec-

trical resistance to current flow is easily

seen in the heating elements used in

a toaster. The element’s resistance to

current flow is so high, it turns red hot.

That is one of the reasons induction

cooking is so efficient. Induction heats

the cooking implements directly, not indi-

rectly as gas does, first heating the sur-

rounding air between the burner and the

cooking kit. According to the nonprofit

American Council for an Energy-Efficient

Economy (ACEEE), “up to 90 percent

of the energy consumed (for induction)

is transferred to the food, compared to

about … 40 percent for gas.” That gives

induction technology a two-times-plus

efficiency advantage over gas.

Yet KIS has a host of other advantag-

es. When the power switch is turned on,

you get whatever level of power you se-

lect, instantly. There is no warm up, flare

ups or other fuel-related boot-up issues.

KIS never gets hot except for where it di-

rectly contacts the cookware, yet cools off

faster than a typical stove. The induction

phenomenon cannot be doused by rain

or blown out by wind. Altitude does not

affect its function and temperature only

influences the lithium-ion power supply’s

performance when the thermostat dips

below -20F (-29C), maybe even to -40F

(-40C), depending on the battery chem-

istry. Only in those extreme temperatures

will the battery have to be warmed to

operate the stove. With no burning fuels

to pollute the environment, indoor cook-

ing’s only drawback is water condensa-

tion on the walls, as well as food spills

by hapless cooks. Cooking power is user

selected, and that power level is con-

sistent, eliminating the guessing work of

whether that cup of noodles is going to

inflict second degree burns or not.

Since the KIS is going to be, to

large extent, a battery, it also can be

used as a charging station for camp-

site electronics. Kovea’s goal with the

final product is to duplicate the perfor-

mance of its typical gas canister stoves

in duration and heat capacity.

The cost of this technology, which

is about as complicated as a rock (not

the interface, which is microprocessor

controlled), is in the range of afford-

ability, especially in the context of a

consumer good that could last a life-

time. Park says the target price point

for the stove is going to be around

$200, and the hard launch is sched-

uled for Outdoor Retailer Summer

2017. When that time comes, all forms

of outdoor cooking, whether at an

advanced base camp in the Himal or

the tailgates of Jane and Joe Sixpack,

could change forever.

kenneth j hamilton / Rumney, nh

nanospikes is a trademark of kahtoola inc.

Inside

Outdoor

Fall

2016