Kitchen generator calculators
Kitchen appliances are mostly resistive heating loads — microwaves, coffee makers, cooktops — which makes them refreshingly predictable: no starting surge, but a heavy, continuous draw the whole time they run. The catch is capacity math, not surge math: a microwave and a coffee maker together can occupy 2,500W, so on a small generator the question becomes what you run at the same time. These calculators show input watts (what the generator sees), not the cooking watts printed on the box.
Pick your calculator
Microwave Generator Size Calculator
Microwave generator sizing with the trap explained: a "1,000-watt" microwave draws ~1,500W of input power. Sourced figures by oven size and the class that fits.
Open calculator →Coffee Maker Generator Size Calculator
Coffee maker generator sizing: drip machines ~1,000W, pod machines up to 1,500W while heating — sourced figures, brew-cycle timing, and low-watt alternatives.
Open calculator →Dishwasher Generator Size Calculator
Dishwasher on generator power: ~1,300W running with a ~1,800W pump surge, the heated-dry setting to skip, and whether it earns outage watts at all.
Open calculator →Induction Cooktop & Hot Plate Generator Calculator
Portable induction burner (1,800W) or coil hot plate (1,000W) on a generator: sourced draws, why induction wins per watt, and where camp stoves beat both.
Open calculator →
Which calculator should I use?
Note the microwave distinction these calculators make: a "1,000-watt" microwave refers to cooking power and actually draws around 1,500W of input power — sizing from the box number undersizes your generator by a third. The dishwasher is the one kitchen machine here with a motor surge. For outage cooking, the induction and hot-plate page pairs well with the refrigerator calculator in Home Backup; for camp and tailgate cooking, see the bundles in RV, Camping & Tailgating.
Running several of these at once? Themulti-appliance builder adds them up with the staggered-start surge math, and the outage scenarios cover the common combinations pre-built.