Portable Induction cooktop, last day, Costco
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Just ordered a portable induction unit from Costco
Comments (6)I bought a Max Burton Induction unit from Amazon to use during my kitchen renovation. It came the day I moved back in. But it's now on the counter next to my new gas range. I like it a lot. My 1963 West Bend cookware all works. I'm happy enough with it that rather than keep drooling over the $3,000 slide in, if I think I have to have more, I will order one or more of the portables. Too bad the center landing space on my range isn't a bit wider. I could set the Max Burton right on the stove! I think mine is 1800 watt. The most watts I could get at the time....See MoreAll Induction or Hybrid Induction cooktop?
Comments (14)Hillbkr_comcast_net: How often are you pressure canning and what size pressure canners are you using? Are you doing production canning with huge pots with 20 to 40 quart capacities? If you are doing larger volume canning sessions, there are no induction capable substitutes. (Frankly, at that size, you pretty much have to use aluminum because ferromagnetic versions would be too heavy to lift when full.) OTOH, if you have been using one of the smaller models (say, a 10½ quart All American or 15-quart Presto), there are some good induction-capable options such as the 10 qt. models in several of Fagor's product lines lines. Fagors are set up to make it easy to vent off air as the pot comes to heat. Last time I checked, Costco.com had the 10 quart Fagor Rapida model with a canning kit and instructions for under $100. Kuhn Rikon has a 12 quart model which is very easy to use and also works for pressure canning but is very $$$. Plus, for pressure-cooking beans (and pretty much anything else), an induction-capable, stainless steel, spring-valve model can seem like a huge improvement. Not only easier to use (IMO), but also having no worries about any acidic ingredients causing "off" and metallic flavors in your beans. Frankly, if I were doing enough largish spates of production canning that would make it worthwhile to have a 20 quart or larger All American type pressure-canner, I would skip a hybrid range/cooktop. Instead, I would get a full-induction range and look into a couple of other options for running the big pressure canners during those times I needed them. One option would be using a commercial 2500 watt portable burner like the ones from Cadco. Something to consider, thugh: can you easily install a 20 amp/240v outlet in the kitchen or an alternative workspace, such as garage. The other alternative would be one of the propane-fueled portable campstoves with the stands and 30k-btu burners. These will easliy hold pots up to 14" in diameter and will get the pressure-canners to heat quickly. The brands I know of are Coleman and Camp Chef. A two burner model should be under $100. I saw a 3-burner model at Costco last week for about $149. They use the same 20 gal. propane bottles that are used for gas grills. Pull them out for canning season, fold them away when you don't need them....See MoreInduction cookware - Costco, online, etc.
Comments (8)Just a warning: not all stainless works on induction. Test whatever you are considering with a small magnet if you don't know for sure. We have a stainless Cuisinart dutch oven that does not work on our induction cooktop. I have & like: Henckels Classic Clad Stainless for saucepans & saute pan. I prefer the long handle shape & they're much less expensive than All-Clad. All-Clad Stainless 12" & 6" skillets, 4 qt. & 8 qt. soup pots (dutch oven). Farberware Millenium stainless non-stick 8" & 12" skillets. LeCreuset enamelled cast iron french (dutch) ovens, 5 qt. & 9 qt. Lodge Logic cast iron skillets Stainless stockpots (restaurant supply store) For a basic set of cookware, I recommend: 8" & 12" skillet, 1 qt., 2 qt., & 3 qt. saucepans, 5 qt. dutch oven, as many as possible with lids. This can be from multiple sources; don't get a set unless it contains just what you want....See MoreTesting portable Induction Plate
Comments (3)Chaos045: Countertop induction units, as jxbrown points out, simply lack the power to demonstrate the much-vaunted speed of induction on cooktops or stoves. What it can demonstrate for you is induction's adjustability and control and, hopefully, evenness of simmer-type heating at low settings. When jxbrown says your Aroma unit is only a 110v-120v unit, that means you have a hot plate. If you think of the Aroma as a hotplate, is there really any disappointment that it does not perform like a much more powerful unit. I mean, if you had a small portable butane burner, how would you expect its performance to compare with, say, that of a 22K btu-hr gas stove burner on a Blue Star range? Or, what would you expect when comparing a .65 KwH coil-burner hot plate with a 2.5 KwH coil-burner stove burner? To be sure, it is possible to get countertop induction units that run from 220v-240v circuits. Cooktek has several such units in its product line. Those are fully as powerful as any stove or installed-cooktop induction unit, and maybe more so. But those are also three to six times more expensive than most 120v induction hotplates and you need to have a spare 240v outlet, too. The Aroma's max power rate is 1.5 KwH (that is what they mean when the specs say "1500 watts.") Actual power may be rather less. There is a review/discussion on Chowhound where I think somebody measured the Aroma unit and found it typically pulled no more than "1200 watts" (1.2 KwH). Compare that to induction stoves and cooktops. The biggest burners pull at least 3.4KwH on boost (and some units will pull far more than that.) Even the smallest induction hobs on a stove are often capable of pulling 2.4 KwH, which is twice the power available from the Aroma unit. You can see where folks would see greater boiling speed from a much more powerful unit. Your electric kettle is a dedicated device with might called "direct coupling" to the water. Most of the ones I've seen have been rated at 1.5 to 1.8 KwH and the heat goes directly to the water without having to deal with space around a burner, and the imprecise coupling of pan to burner that can slow down kettles on most stoves and cooktops. So, back to your original question, the thing to test with your Aroma unit is control and adjustability. Try melting and holding chocolate on the low settings. If you have or can borrow an induction suitable pressure cooker, you might experiment with that. Also, you might try making stove-top rice. Maybe others can suggest more tests? Of course, you did get the unit from Costco so there should be no problem taking it back for a full refund. This post was edited by JWVideo on Mon, Dec 31, 12 at 13:56...See More- 5 years ago
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