Cooking off-grid with a small system and standard kitchen appliances can seem out of reach due to the high power draw required. Many people do not have large batteries and inverters to do the task. What is a bare minimum setup for a solar powered emergency cooking kitchen?

This is a LiFePo4 battery test and review. A battery company called Dr. Prepare provided 2 of their 12-volt 20 amp-hour (LiFePo4 / Lithium Iron Phosphate) lithium ion batteries for this video.

I did not think 2 small batteries would be able to do much cooking at all. My thought was to start with the smallest AC 120v cooktop I owned. If the 20ah batteries could run that cooktop, I figured there was a chance of the setup being useful.

I chose my standard 12v 1000w pure sine wave inverter for this test. To charge the batteries, I used a 100 watt solar panel and a 20 amp MPPT charge controller on hand. This equipment was cobbled together in a great hurry - so emergency conditions. But in general emergency preparedness it's important to know your equipment and what it's limitations are beforehand. In this case the cooking test exceeded the power rating of the 2x 20ah batteries by 18% but was succesful.

Can a small off grid setup be used to cook food in an emergency? If so, how small? I have a lot of experience trying to cook off of small solar power setups. But I never tried a compact setup setup exactly like this. The small cooktop I have is a known "power hog" and seemed unreasonable for such small batteries. However with lithium ion batteries, it's possible to output larger amounts of current in a "burst" without risking them too much. The number one concern is cell heating. Not surprisingly these batteries did get a bit warm, but nothing disastrous. Add to that fact the cooktop was cycling on and off, therefore allowing brief periods of cooldown.

Lots of folks don't have anything like this setup at home for emergencies. A couple hundred bucks for batteries, an inverter and a solar panel can save the day and set them free from cooking fuel constraints. Of course there are solar generators, but a DIY system with discrete components is easier to maintain and upgrade over time. My desire is to make people aware of what a small off grid solar power system can do, even those who are not interested in solar power at all. Emergency preparedness is a good investment for everyone, not just solar power enthusiasts.

Dr. Prepare 20AH LiFePo4 Test
I would like to thank Dr. Prepare www.drprepare.com for providing the 2x 20AH LiFePo4 sample batteries included in the test and review. In my opinion, after a short term review they work like they should and even exceeded my expectations.
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🟢 Note: I don't get paid for any sales; these are my own opinions. The link to the product I tested is here https://drprepare.com/12v-20ah-lifepo...
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🟢 500w cooktop shown in test: https://amzn.to/3UEURR9
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Music credits: by TuneTank, Pixabay