I've had a Duxtop for several years, and it looks worse for wear, mainly because the touch pad buttons are getting worn and the plastic over them is peeling off. I think the newer model has fixed this problem - anyway, it is cheap enough. Mine works well enough and does what it want it to do, which is to heat my pressure cooker and then turn off after a certain amount of time. I do not use it with any other pans or for any other purpose. I tried boiling water using it, but I prefer my gas burners for that.

The other reason for me to buy one was that I wanted to see whether I liked induction cooking, and I decided that I do not - with the exception of using it with my PC. I do not think induction cooktops age well.

I installed a 30" Bosch induction cooktop in 2011 when I remodeled my kitchen. It has nary a scratch and works very well. I bought a Duxtop single induction cooktop a year ago and used it a few times, perhaps 7, uring the reno of my Arizona kitchen. It also works perfectly. I use both of these with any of my induction capable pots and pans for any recipe requiring a cooktop or stove. I consider the single as practically new and it looks new. iirc, it cost $60-80 and imo, it is not necessary to spend more. Mine is 1800 watts, iirc. Amazon has deals periodically.

But when I first got my Bosch, I thought I had a lemon, for about a month. No matter how hardI pressed the 'on' thingy, it did not turn on. Until my teenage daughter showed me how to just rest my finger pad on the thing and surprise, surprise, on it went. So it was user error and not the fault of the machine. I have since come to believe that in almost all cases, it is user error. I love induction and there is a little learning curve. Certainly not enough of a curve to discourage anyone from buying one. They are wonderful. And I am old, not just technically, but yes, mmhhmm. go for it!

I have used two induction portable single burners. One a Fridgedaire I have used regularly for 5 years. One is a Nuwave that belongs to my BIL. I like the Fridgedaire better - but probably because I am more familiar with it. Once I got used to the idea only some cookware will work with it I like them a lot.

I have an inexpensive one. I use it for heating, steaming, but not for general cooking, which I prefer on gas burners.

If you put a skillet with water and boil it on an induction cooker, you will see how uneven the heating can be. Water gets boiled only in a small ring in the center of the skillet.

dcarch

When NuWave came out with their commercials for the single unit, buy one get one free, my late husband decided we had to order them. We put one in the motor home which I used a lot. The other was still in the box for a couple of years until I bought a little 14' towable RV and I put it in there. I liked using them. My niece is going to start college out of state this fall and I'll give her one of them.

I got a less than $40 one for camping and it's very good.

I use one down at the lakes edge. Beats running up stairs to the cottage if something needs boiling, Thinking of putting my steam convection toaster oven down there too, already have a BBQ and fridge. The result would basically be an outdoor kitchen...that could make for some summer fun lakeside

The induction cooktops that we saw in Palm Springs when we were looking at real estate all looked terrible, which is why I said that I thought they did not age well. Probably some models are better than others, but some definitely look terrible after a few years. Some houses do not have gas, and I ruled all of those out, but I think most of them were condos anyway, and we also decided against condos.

Probably some models are better than others, but some definitely look terrible after a few years.

Are you sure they were induction and not radiant smoothtops? Those do tend to age badly because of the upkeep and how hard it is to clean burned-on food, but I can't say I personally have seen much in the way of bad-looking older induction. When you can cook on paper towels, your stove doesn't get too dirty. Induction hasn't been that popular in the US for that long, really, despite being the standard most other places.

Five years ago when our HD was first starting to carry induction cooktops, I was in there looking at one, and one of the HD staffers came over and kindly explained that this was a different type of cooking, just for people who are pretentious.

In any case, a portable induction burner is a completely different animal from an installed cooktop, just as a buffet gas ring isn't much like a blue star.

Shrl36, I would ask this over in Appliances, too. Those guys really know the ins and outs of induction.

I have a Miele induction cooktop. It is 7 years old and looks as good as the day it was installed. My old glass cooktop was a pain to clean and I did not want gas. Induction is as responsive as gas and as mentioned, you can cook through paper towels or newspaper to avoid spatter but I don’t bother since it is so easy to clean. I also have a single induction burner in our small rental condo in the Turks and Caicos. An induction cooktop is far safer than gas or regular glass cooktop (which stays very hot for a long time).

westsider40, we decided on induction over gas (have used gas, love it, hated the clean-up because I'm a rather messy cook at times) after seeing demo's of them - thank you for explaining a light touch is needed : )

I have to agree, the newer ones are very responsive and have come quite a way; I didn't see in any of the demonstrations a small ring of bubbles for boiling - both small and large pots were demo'd for us. I do like that they are safer for those getting up in years, another reason we are going that route as we don't want to change out anything as we age.

shirl36, I think you can find a single induction you like - many over in the GW Kitchen forum bought one to get them through a demo/reno (we didn't, went another route), and comment that they continue to use them.

"----- I didn't see in any of the demonstrations a small ring of bubbles for boiling---"

Using the same 12" skillet, and same amount of water, induction vs gas .

Induction (1800 W) boils quick but not even.

dcarch

dcarch, I wasn't questioning your own experience with your induction, but rather reporting my experience during the demonstrations (and I also brought my own cookware to see how it'd perform). I think some inductions work better than others, same as gas. I've had a couple gas ranges/cooktops, and used several - and I love gas, but I remember a couple gas cooktops on ranges that had "cold", "boil", and "burn" settings - only 3 setting and that's what I got! Clearly those weren't good models.

There are also considerations, such as using a wide skillet on a very small hob - this would cause only a smaller area of a wide skillet to heat. I found several youtube videos demonstrating wider skillets on hobs that apparently 'fit' and took screenshots of them - the boil seems pretty even on these:

Photos for uploading · More Info

Photos for uploading · More Info

Over on GW Kitchens, one can find lots of rather 'argumentative' posts on gas vs. induction, and frankly I think it's a personal choice with several variables.

I bought a portable unit a few years ago. I figured it was a good way to cut down on the hydro (electrical) usage, as it heats up quicker than the electric coil.

I keep it on the stove all the time. I don't have enough countertop to keep it on the counter, plus I like using the stove fan, so it's delegated there. It's out go-to cooktop, when needing just one burner.

They've come a long way since we bought our first one. Notice i said first one. I bought one online, called Aroma. It works well, but not enough settings. When I use cast iron or a ceramic skillet, it overheats very quickly and beeps. I have to remove the pan and let it cool down. The only way to overcome this, and it works well is to use a silicone heat pad underneath the skillet.

Because of the limited settings, I bought another induction unit, a brand which is only sold at our Home Hardware, in Canada. It has many more functions and I love that one.

It's handy to use the original unit out on the balcony where hubby cooks bacon, meat etc in the summer.

Not OT at all. I've been hesitating for a single unit for some time now.

They seem to be getting better but I may go for a double burner counter insert when we renovate the beach house.

I see the Costco single portable every visit but not sure if that is what we want...

I agree there are so many options now.

Taking it outside is a good option. Or just getting it out of the way in a small kitchen.