Sometimes
you
just
need
a
portable
electric
cookset.
Maybe
it’s
during
a
major
power
outage
when
everyone’s
huddled
together
over
the
warm
glow
of
the
family
power
station.
Or
maybe
it’s
at
a
tailgate
party
or
picnic.
In
my
case,
it’s
anywhere
I
decided
to
park
my
van
over
the
last
few
months
while
testing
two
cooking
systems
from
Stoke
Voltaics.
Most
portable
cooksets
are
powered
by
a
liquid
fuel
like
propane.
It’s
inexpensive
and
readily
available
in
canisters
of
all
sizes.
But
sometimes
you’d
rather
not
deal
with
an
open
flame,
pollutants,
and
the
noise
and
smell
that
comes
with
it.
Stoke
Voltaics’
gear
is
powered
by
electricity,
which
can
be
easily
supplied
by
a solar
generator
and
replenished
by
the
sun.
I
tested
the
company’s
new
$219.99
Nomad
Cooking
System
and
existing
$99.99
Joulle
Kettle
Pot.
They’re
not
cheap,
but
portability
and
convenience
rarely
are.
One
of
these
predates
the
other
by
almost
two
decades.Photo
by
Thomas
Ricker
/
The
Verge
Let’s
start
with
the
Joulle
which
is
just
an
electric
JetBoil
—
the
ubiquitous
“flash
cooking”
camping
stove
launched
two
decades
ago.
The
size,
graphics,
insulated
sleeve,
handle,
lid
with
integrated
filter,
are
very very similar,
right
on
down
to
the
little
pot’s
ability
to
act
like
a
French
press
for
coffee.
JetBoil
even
sold
its
own
Joule
variant
at
one
point,
which
is
perhaps
why
Stoke
Voltaic
promotes
Joulle
as
the
“Kettle
Pot”
on
its
website.
Joulle
does
distinguish
itself
with
a
popcorn
setting,
so...
take
that,
lawyers.
Each
of
the
Joulle’s
three
settings
pull
different
amounts
of
AC
power.
Move
the
slider
to
“Drink”
to
boil
water
at
max
power
before
automatically
shutting
off
unlike
the
flame
on
a
JetBoil.
Move
it
to
“Eat”
to
slowly
bring
a
stew
up
to
a
simmer.
“Pop”
varies
the
power
to
ensure
nearly
every
kernel
placed
inside
becomes
popcorn
and
then
automatically
shuts
off
to
conserve
power.
In
my
testing,
I
was
able
to
boil
about
eight
ounces
(240ml)
of
water
for
coffee
or
tea
in
3
minutes
and
42
seconds
while
consuming
28.06Wh.
Slowly
heating
up
19
ounces
(570ml)
of
a
hearty
soup
to
a
simmer
took
8
minutes
and
30
seconds
and
used
40.2Wh,
while
a
single
serving
of
popcorn
took
7
minutes
and
used
16.69Wh.
So
that’s
about
85Wh
on
any
given
day,
or
over
10
days
of
use
from
a
solar
generator
with
a
modest
1kWh
capacity.
I
like
that
the
Drink
and
Pop
modes
shut
off
automatically
so
I
can
just
set
it
and
forget
it,
without
worrying
about
unnecessary
power
usage.
Eat
mode
can
require
a
bit
of
stirring
to
prevent
things
sticking
to
the
bottom
of
the
stainless
steel
surface.
Joulle’s
a
bit
bulky
to
wash
(especially
when
using
it
as
a
French
press)
since
the
sink
in
my
van
is
relatively
shallow
and
I
have
to
be
extra
careful
with
the
water
since
it’s
an
electrical
device.
Nevertheless,
Joulle
is
so
convenient
that
I’ve
gone
days
without
using
my
induction
cooktop
and
pan
on
solo
tips.
The
Nomad
Cooking
System.
While
Joulle
integrates
the
heating
element
right
into
the
pot,
the
Nomad
Cooking
System
is
modular.
It
comes
with
the
AC-powered
heating
base,
lid,
clip-on
handle,
and
two
stackable
aluminum
pots
with
non-stick
surfaces:
one
large
50-ounce
pot
for
“bubbling”
and
a
smaller
pot
for
frying.
The
8.5-inch
diameter
pots
slot
into
the
6.8-inch
diameter
heating
base
using
a
proprietary
connector.
The
on
/
off
button
lets
you
dial
up
the
power
from
200W
to
1000W
in
200W
increments.
Yeah,
they
could
have
just
done
a
1-5
setting,
but
I
like
knowing
how
much
power
I’m
pulling.
The
button
also
shows
how
long
the
unit’s
been
running. The
electric
base
can
only
be
turned
on
when
a
pan
is
inserted
and
shuts
off
when
the
pan
is
removed.
Pressing
the
button
will
pause
cooking
while
holding
it
in
will
turn
off
power
completely.
I
like
that
the
pots
heat
up
quickly
and
uniformly
and
cook
enough
food
for
one
to
two
people.
The
pots
also
stay
in
place,
which
isn’t
guaranteed
with
portable
induction
cooktops,
especially
when
parked
on
a
slope.
The
Nomad
handle
is
also
grippy
and
easy
to
attach
and
detach
from
the
pans.
The
whole
system
is
also
very
compact
allowing
it
to
be
easily
stowed
away
in
a
drawer,
especially
when
using
the
carrying
bag
(which
also
helps
prevent
rattles
while
driving).
1/8
A
carrying
case
makes
it
easy
to
keep
all
the
Nomad
components
in
one
place.
I
do
have
some
minor
gripes.
Washing
up
the
Nomad
pots
requires
hand-washing
like
the
Joulle
as
they
can’t
be
submerged
in
water.
The
system
is
also
proprietary
so
you
can’t
use
the
base
with
other
pots,
and
the
Nomad
pots
won’t
work
on
a
gas
stove
or
induction
cooktop.
And
it’s
kind
of
annoying
that
you
can
only
use
one
Nomad
pot
at
a
time
since
you
only
have
one
base.
Stoke
Voltaics’
gear
might
not
be
cheap,
but
the
Nomad
Cooking
System
and
Joulle
Kettle
Pot
are
both
super
convenient
and
capable
cooking
systems
that
tuck
away
nice
and
small
when
not
needed.
If
you
can
afford
them,
I
can
recommend
both
for
anyone
seeking
gas-free
portable
cookware.
(Originally posted by Thomas Ricker)
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