Shambo (Sue) has used one. She bought it to test it before buying an actual range. Hopefully she will see this thread and weigh in. She told me she was extremely happy with it. She posted as much in my thread on "new ranges suggestions."

I got one to try out before getting an induction cooktop. I liked it so much, I went whole hog. The portable cleans up in a snap, primarily because most stuff doesn't burn on. It is cooler to cook with--the fan is to keep the electronics cool. I had always used gas, but where I was moving to, there was only electric & I HATE electric. This was a wonderful way to get around it.

We have 2. Perfect for cooking during summer when you want a hot meal but don't want to roast in front of a stove burner. On the lower settings, you can melt chocolate without a double boiler.

A good friend of mine has one and love love love loves it. She is constantly singing its praises -- I may get one this summer to cut down on the heat... She got a pretty cheap one from Walmart and has had great success with it.

Warning - I have one Bobby. Never have used it since you have to have the type of plug-in that ranges use. I can't unplug my range to plug in the portable induction unit.

Thanks.... I still need to read some reviews I guess before deciding. I have seen them at Wal-mart before, but went tonight and there were none! Maybe Santa bought them all up and they didn't get any new ones in stock yet!

Bobby if your gas range is scorching things, it's not the fault of the stove but of your cookware....

Make sure you have the capacity in the circuit to plug in.

Portable units go from 1500 watts to over 3000 watts.

(hair dryer is around 1500 to 1800 watts)

dcarch

Beverly, I didn't know that... I guess it woudn't be an option for me unless they made one that had a regular plug! The circuts aren't very good in this apartment... my micorwave trips the breaker if I try to use it for convection... plus, with a gas range, I don't have a plug that size.

Linda, my current cookware is pretty thick... the main things I are my Wearever non stick skillet which I paid 30 dollars for and it's very heavy and my stainless steel Chefmate stock pot with the really thick capped bottom... what I usually scorch are pots of soup... and I've looked for a diffuser at hardware stores, but still can't find one... maybe I should check eBay or Amazon.

Beverly - Sounds like you've got a 220V unit? I believe that most portables 1800W or under typically run on 110, so while you might be best off with a 15 amp line there's no issue with the plug fitting in a standard receptacle.

p.s. What is it, a Cooktek? Wanna sell it?

Teresa is right. I bought a Mr. Induction single element about five years ago to "test drive" the entire concept before purchasing an induction cooktop. I really liked using it. So much so that I went ahead and got the 30 inch cooktop.

About a year later when we did some major remodeling work in our kitchen, I used the single burner Mr. Induction again along with a toaster oven & microwave as my temporary kitchen.

I think there are a lot more options available now. The Mr. Induction plugged into any outlet, nothing special needed to be done.

The fans cools the electronics. Induction burners do get hot. I don't know where the idea that they don't get hot or they immediately cool off comes from. The "burner" (It's a different technology from the traditional gas or electric burners.) heats exactly where the pan is placed. You might have a burner that ranges from 6 inches to 10 inches. If you put an 8 inch pan on it, only the 8 inches that are in direct contact with the pan are heated. The area surrounding the pan bottom stays cool. This feature is especially nice when something accidentally boils over. You can immediately begin wiping up while the pan is still on the stove -- wiping right up to the edge of the pan bottom without fear of setting your sponge or washcloth on fire or burning yourself.

Once you take your pan off the stove, the heating element cools down relatively quickly. But it is NOT immediately cool. There is residual heat from the hot pan bottom and the heated glass top. But the hidden electronic element does not retain heat. As a result, the burner loses its scorching heat quickly, but still stays hot for a while.

The best example I can give is this: I put on the kettle to boil water for tea. The kettle whistles that the water has come to a full, rolling boil. I simply turn the burner off but leave the kettle in place. Immediately the whistling stops. The heat source has been cut off, but both the teapot & the area directly in contact with it are still hot.

Sue

We just put in a 36" induction cooktop. The heat you can feel on the hob is from whatever was cooking, not the hob itself. I put paper towels under my pan when I fry something to catch the grease splatters. There's not enough heat to catch it on fire plus I can wipe off the cooktop with the paper towel and it's always clean.
The heat is instant....I love it.

Nancy

I have the Max Burton unit and love, love, love it so much that we will be replacing gas cooktop that is less than three years old. I had the same problem with no simmer and taking forever to boil water.

Induction is the best way to boil water.

I bought it on ebay, free shipping. It uses a regular plug and is stored in a drawer when not in use which isn't very often.

I bought a portable one to see if I liked it before investing in the whole rangetop. I loved it. We were able to plug it into an outlet, but, unfortunately, I don't know the details about that particular outlet.

One thing--you need pots and pans that are magnetic in order to use induction heat. You can tell if yours will work by putting a regular magnet on the bottom, and if the magnet sticks, the pot should work. I do know that my All Clad and Le Creuset work just fine, and I understand that Ikea has reasonably priced cookware for an induction cooktop.

The cooking is fast and the top is so easy to keep clean. I just wipe the cool top with a damp microfiber cloth, and after wiping it, everything is shiny and sparkly.

Hope this helps.

I used an induction hotplate in my temporary kitchen when we were renovating. It worked great for that purpose, but I haven't used it since (I now have a 6-burner gas range, which is just a teeny bit of overkill for my purposes.) It is a 1500 or 1600 watt version, with a regular plug. My temp kitchen had ancient wiring - one circuit so I could use only one of hotplate, microwave,electric kettle, or toaster at a time. I didn't particularly like the fan noise, or the beeping when I tipped or shook a pot. All my cookware worked on it except my pressure cooker. But when you can only use one pot at a time, it shouldn't be too inconvenient to find a magnetic one.

I've had a couple of them, one around 1600 watts and another around 1800 watts, both for me to try out induction. (That's about the maximum wattage that a standard 110 volt circuit can manage.) They worked fine, but bear in mind that a lot of induction's promise (bringing water to boil quickly, etc.) is met with higher wattage units, which means a 220 volt circuit. Restating that, an induction 'hot plate' running on a 110 circuit will be useful (frying fish on the back porch so you don't stink up the kitchen, etc.) but naturally won't have the 'oomph' of a higher powered model.

What I almost did in my kitchen renovation is to have them run a 220 line to the kitchen countertop so I could eventually buy a Cooktek high powered hob. Decided against it and got a big honkin' gas stove instead.

Whatever induction unit you get, having one with several cooking levels is nice. One of mine only had 5 levels, and often I needed to have the power setting between two levels. Some Cooktek models have 100 settings, but that's probably overkill.

The induction site (see link) has some info on what's available out there. It's a rapidly changing marketplace, though, and there may be others out there which they haven't listed yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: induction site

Thank you for all the wonderful advice.... I've certainly got some things to think about. Of course if I get one, I will post back and share my experience. :o)

Bobby, I also bought a portable induction plate to see if I wanted to change to an induction cooktop. I soon found that it was the first, and often the only burner I used for cooking. It plugged into a regular 110 outlet. I gradually began acquiring a few pans that were induction compatible. We have taken the portable unit on several vacations and used it to cook when we were just tired of restaurant meals. I have also taken it several times when we were cooking with friends and needed an extra burner away from the crowded stove.

We did change to an induction cooktop early in 2010 and I love it.

Both the portable unit and the cooktop are a breeze to clean.

I have to agree with what others have said about needing good cookware though - not necessarily expensive pieces but solid heavy ones for even heating. A big lesson for me to learn several years ago was that cooking on the highest possible temp (on any kind of range) is not necessarily the best idea in the long run. Good cookware, which I have always had, is not the only factor in easy cleanup. You can scorch in anything.

I think you would love an induction plate, but do get an 1800 watt version. They have come down in price since I got mine and there are several on Amazon for $92-99. that are that powerful. Our built in cooktop is a lot more powerful but the portable unit was a huge improvement over the halogen burners in the Jenn-Air which we had before.

Lee

I, too, bought a portable induction burner to try out the technology prior to remodeling the kitchen. Beware, it's addictive--it's so easy, so clean and so resonsive. I put in a 36 inch induction cooktop and absolutely love it.
Mine was an 1800 watt Viking and plugged into a regular outlet.
Cj

OK, I went to three different Wal-marts and one Target last night just to see... I know "my" Wal-mart used to have two different models to chose from, now they have none! The just have some silly GE double burner (capped coil style) hot plate and that is it. I wonder why they stopped selling them? Maybe Williams Sonoma or Bed Bath and Beyond would have them? I'd really like to buy from a real store, but I'm ready to click on Amazon if they can't be found!

Bobby check walmart.com for the units. You can have them shipped to your store and if you need to take it back it can go back to the store.

The Max Burton 6000 has 1800 watts (about the max for a 110v circuit), ten power levels, and sells for $92 at Amazon.

Newegg.com also has a few items, less powerful than the Max Burton, but also for less $$$. Newegg is a good outfit to deal with; I've returned a few items there, no hassle at all.

Here is a link that might be useful: newegg induction cookers

FOAS, I have emailed you via gardenweb. My email here is incorrect and I can't get Tamara to help me get it changed, so if you don't get the email please email me at undertheelm@yahoo.com.

Beverly

I installed a 30" Kenmore Elite induction cooktop in December, 2005. It isn't perfect, but I would never go back to the old technology! It's fast, precise, and clean up is a snap. Sometimes the touch controls can be tricky -- they won't always respond to cold or wet fingers. Water spilled on the controls will cause it to shut down as will water on the controls of my mother's more expensive and newer induction cooktop. At times that can be frustrating, but you get in the habit of cooking with a towel carelessly resting on top of the thing -- try that with a gas range!

When I bought mine there were only two models that were sold in the U.S., I think, and the other one was much more expensive. The KE has controls that are slightly hinky, but otherwise is fine. Although the other brands have higher powered hobs than mine, this one is powerful enough -- I've wrecked several pans to prove it. On the appliance forum they worry a lot about maintaining the just-out-of-the-box appearance and seem to fear glass tops. Glass is actually harder than steel and after 5 years I've scratched (er, "applied patina") the heck out the stainless steel at the front and back of the unit, but the glass is unblemished.

Hi, JX! I think you and I bought our Kenmores at about the same time. In fact, you might have been one of my inspirations. I remember you from the Appliance Forum. Like you, I have no regrets, and now I think I would never go back to gas or regular electric.

Bumping this up to ask a question in reverse.

We just got a basic Burton portable induction cooktop to see if we like it before ordering a built-in unit. So far so good, but we find that it cooks very hot. We have not gone over "3" on the power settings. Using "4" has burned things on the Wagner cast iron skillet or the small LeCreuset enamel covered cast iron skillet.

The big question is when do you ever use full power on the built in cooktops and how long did it take people to adjust their cooking styles?

Gerry, see my post up thread - lsr2002 on
Tue, Jan 4, 11 at 19:01.

The portable induction unit that I mentioned in that post was a Berghoff, so identical in design to the Max Burton that I would guess they are manufactured by the same company.

I still use it outside on the deck and take it if I am going to help cook at someones house and stove space is going to be tight. I don't think I ever burned anything on a low or medium heat on it. The only time I burned something on our built in GE induction cooktop was when I had a pressure cooker with rice, meat and veggies for our dog and I turned it on at seven to bring it up to pressure and then didn't turn it down for 45 minutes. Happily it was pretty easy to clean the scorched inside bottom of the pot.

I use a Wagner and a Lodge cast iron pan frequently on both cooktops as well as enameled cast iron dutch ovens and grill pan.

And yes, I do use full power - High, which comes after 9 on my GE to bring a large pot of water for pasta to a boil, or to start a broth based soup. I heat my enameled cast iron grill pan for five minutes on 5 to sear meats. If I am going to finish cooking a steak on the grill pan, I will turn it down to 4 after searing to get the grill marks. I do the same with pork chops and chicken breast but turn it down to 3 after searing and monitor with a thermometer. We like our steak at the rare end of medium rare and our pork chops just barely pink and fully cooked chicken breast.

I wonder if you got a unit that is defective or if they are just so much more powerful now than the portable unit I bought a few years ago? Several of us on the CF purchased portable units before buying a cooktop or range with induction and I can't remember others having problems. You might contact Burton and see if they think it should burn on 4.

Also as I said up thread - I would never go back to the halogen burner electric cooktop that we had before. It didn't take very long to adjust to cooking on the built in because we had the portable burner for a while first.

If you search for "induction" on the cooking forum you will get a number of links to threads with lots of information.

Good Luck!

Lee

Thanks. I guess it doesn't sound too extraordinary. W're finding that we're cooking most everything between 2 & 3, so it's just a matter of adjusting.

The pilot run of the cooktop was a hamburger that was getting very black on the 4 setting with Wagner skillet. Turned it down to 3 and it was fine.

From your steak experience, sounds like it's par for the course and just a matter of adjusting to the higher cooking temps.

FWIW, Amazon now has several Max Burton induction hot plate models, varying in price from around $70 to $220.

Here is a link that might be useful: induction cookers