Non electric, gas cooker

$1000/month?!! Our most recent was $175{*], for generally the hottest summer month (29 of 30 days AC). The highest bill we've ever had was less than a quarter of what you're paying (regularly?).

[*] 3600ft^2 1-1/2 story house.

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are cooking rice in electric cooker, transfer to holding container, then t ransfer to serving containers (1/9 size, around 36 sqin). That's lot of wo rk. We want to cook 10 to 20 of them (1/9 serving containers) together in a gas steam bath. The problem is controlling the temperature.

until a certain point, then very low temperature to keep it warm. The mis sion, should you accept it, is to build one with gas.

l size. We want to cook single serving, around 1/4 of the 1/9 size contain er.

rst, then look into single serving option.

ss you have to pay for it.

Not for a house. A commercial unit. Yes, it's ridiculous. We added a com puter running 10 hours a day and it costs $100 more per month. I don't bel ieve it either, but that's what they are saying.

I realized that, reading following posts, after I posted. Sorry.

Must be *some* computer. Even at $.30/kWh, that's 1kw. Quite a hot computer, I'd say.

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hey are cooking rice in electric cooker, transfer to holding container, the n transfer to serving containers (1/9 size, around 36 sqin). That's lot of work. We want to cook 10 to 20 of them (1/9 serving containers) together in a gas steam bath. The problem is controlling the temperature.

ure until a certain point, then very low temperature to keep it warm. The mission, should you accept it, is to build one with gas.

full size. We want to cook single serving, around 1/4 of the 1/9 size cont ainer.

first, then look into single serving option.

nless you have to pay for it.

t costs $100 more per month.

Just an old HP small desktop box. Nothing high end. Shouldn't be more tha n 200W.

The owner/manager. The one who pays the bill.

But $4 to $10 a day is still not too bad, comparing to $13 to $15 per hour, $100 per day "carbon bag of water". So, it won't stop us from making R1C1 (Robotic series 1 Cook #1), a grand grand father of R2D2. But we will hav e to choice carefully what to feed it.

Unless my arithmetic is worse than I thought, that's $1.50/kWh. Seems a bit high, even in Obama's wet dreams.

Sure, it's a cost of doing business but it seems *really* excessive. If true, it seems like it's a place to really save some money.

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, they are cooking rice in electric cooker, transfer to holding container, then transfer to serving containers (1/9 size, around 36 sqin). That's lot of work. We want to cook 10 to 20 of them (1/9 serving containers) togeth er in a gas steam bath. The problem is controlling the temperature.

rature until a certain point, then very low temperature to keep it warm. T he mission, should you accept it, is to build one with gas.

ly full size. We want to cook single serving, around 1/4 of the 1/9 size c ontainer.

gas first, then look into single serving option.

, unless you have to pay for it.

est

as

d it costs $100 more per month.

than 200W.

ur, $100 per day "carbon bag of water". So, it won't stop us from making R

1C1 (Robotic series 1 Cook #1), a grand grand father of R2D2. But we will have to choice carefully what to feed it.

Yes, the SF bay area is expensive. 2x for labor, 3x for electricity and 4x for rent. Even MacDonald (next door) can't take it. They moved out sever al months ago and the customer's restaurant traffic went up 50%. But it's hard to keep it going without further automation.

Even if it cost $100K, it can be recovered in two years.

We do not even pay that here in the Netherlands, where we have several taxes on energy that all together double the price for the user.

But a typical user would pay less than $.35/kWh (total bill/consumed kWh, so including any fixed cost and taxes that are progressive), an industrial user way less than that.

How funny that you use the SI-derived unit kWh in the US... should that not be something like horsepower per fortnight?

Squaring the circle strikes a chord with me.

Hahaha, bonus points for the horsepower per fortnight.

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rently, they are cooking rice in electric cooker, transfer to holding conta iner, then transfer to serving containers (1/9 size, around 36 sqin). That 's lot of work. We want to cook 10 to 20 of them (1/9 serving containers) together in a gas steam bath. The problem is controlling the temperature.

temperature until a certain point, then very low temperature to keep it wa rm. The mission, should you accept it, is to build one with gas.

emperature profile

wave to cook

stic if possible. Perhaps ceramic. Current plan is 6.7"x6.2"x2.5" stainle ss steel container.

is that the

ere is no

is after a

f water) I

ould be

, ball bearings and tracks around. Perhaps infra-red from the top and indu ction from the bottom.

ass track?

wise we don't know what direction to go in.

g lunch and dinner (30 to 50) and slow moving rest of day. Current plan is to go with steel for nat. gas and induction cooking. If we go with microw ave, then the containers, ball bearings and tracks through the microwave ov en would have to be glass.

50 servings of rice (or 2 with 25 each), heat on medium until boiling then low for a while. You're considering greatly complicating it. So I ask agai n what is the purpose? Unless you can tell us it's not going to be very pro ductive.

the same time. The end of the line goes directly to the delivery truck as well. However, customer can pickup near end of the line via the automated windows/openings.

tic arms as well. One need to grill the meat and another one to pack the d elivery truck. But that's way further down the line. First thing is to bu ild the cooking/serving line.

Now we can get somewhere.

I'd look first at the KISS option. Which is rice cooking pots that make may be 20 servings at once, and tip/shake/scrape/weigh it out into portions. Al l the relevant kit is a done deal already, meaning less material costs & fa r less time. A thermostat to detect too much temp rise would be necessary t o avoid burnt food & for fire safety, with insulation under it. Add smoke d etection too.

Toppings could then be done much the same way. Meat & veg come in already c hopped, spices come in premixed. Safe cooking profile must be monitored for all dishes, otherwise people will end up poisoned and served raw food one day.

The other possible direction is to add just enough water to your rice, seal it airtight, insulate it well, and heat with electricity. This would consu me way less energy & water. It requires its own safety layers of course. Yo u also could cook the whole dish in one this way - and if you go a step fur ther and use pressure cooking it would be sealed & sterile once cooked - it would be canned.

NT

unless you have to pay for it.

st

s

it costs $100 more per month.

han 200W.

r, $100 per day "carbon bag of water". So, it won't stop us from making R1 C1 (Robotic series 1 Cook #1), a grand grand father of R2D2. But we will h ave to choice carefully what to feed it.

A regular desktop is nearer 100w ave. 10hrs = 1 kWh/day. Whoever 'they' i s is either running off a diesel generator or an offgrid solar system, or t alking complete whatsits.

NT

Of course it should have been horsepowerfortnight. Not "per".

I didn't see the smiley... ;)

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Rick C

Commercial electric is billed very differently. Things like your peak usage affect the cost of every kWHr you buy.

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Rick C

That's a British unit and it would be the product, Hp * Fn.

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Rick C

The conversion constant is easy to remember, too: One HpFn = 250kWh, near enough. ;-)

Jeroen Belleman

Thanks. That will be very useful.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

lunatic fringe electronics

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p, unless you have to pay for it.

test

was

nd it costs $100 more per month.

than 200W.

our, $100 per day "carbon bag of water". So, it won't stop us from making R1C1 (Robotic series 1 Cook #1), a grand grand father of R2D2. But we will have to choice carefully what to feed it.

is is either running off a diesel generator or an offgrid solar system, or talking complete whatsits.

Nop, nothing fancy. Just paying $100 more to PG&E without changing anythin g else. I haven't check the bills, but no reason for them (owner/manager) to lie to me.

What type of pipes thread do you use over there again?