COOKTRON Single Induction Hob, Portabl Induction Cooker

Well it really looks nice and if I could figure out how to really work it I guess it would it only Cooks on high heat so I have to be very careful at whatever I cook because I have not figured out yet how to change the degrees that it has on there the book was not very explanatory to me but I guess somebody could figure it out but I haven’t ye

I got it because I was curious. Now I use it in preference to my gas stove for almost everything. It works great with flat-bottom steel wok–1800W is plenty for that. It works great with saucepans and small/medium skillets. Having the timer option means I can walk away and not worry. Having the temperature option means I can do “keep warm” and not have to check on it. Cast iron pans work great for high and fast work. Having the knob rather than fiddly greasy little buttons is key. This is probably better than a real induction range for everything except really big pans (paella?) and ridiculous BTU needs. But for that kind of stuff, you’re better off cooking outdoors on a camp stove anyway.

Does some part of me want to get a 240V outlet in my kitchen so that I can hook up a ridiculous 5000W induction burner? Yes. Would it be even remotely worth it? No.

We are in the middle of a remodel and I have a temporary kitchen setup in our in-law apartment. Due to local zoning, a house with 2 kitchens requires a commercial loan so this in-law apartment only has kitchen appliances (microwave and toaster oven). I had been using (2) 1-burner electric burners (one coil and one solid) since August and I finally reached my limit when one night it took over an hour to boil water (I did not have the lid on and all that happened is my water simmered and evaporated). I figured I’d try convection and knew I would need a 2-burner. I did not want to invest too much in this as our kitchen is expected to be complete in the next couple of months when I can have my gas stove back and I was not interested in replacing all of my cookware. I have cast iron, enameled cast iron le creuset, anondized, and de Buyer iron pans – all of many sizes but I also have a lot of stainless steel/ that wouldn’t work. I did buy one all-clad pot since all of my stock pots are stainless, I did not have a decent size pot that would work.

I’ll be honest, I had a return scheduled when between ordering and delivery I read that pan size was something to pay attention to. The burner is an 8″ and many of my pans are 10″+ and my le creuset dutch oven is 26. I started researching the induction transfer mats and read it’s a waste of energy transfer. So I scheduled a return.

After it arrived, I knew my pans would work b/c of the magnet test so I gave it a go. All my compatible pans and my le creuset worked! As it turns out, though the burner is 8″ you can have a pot/pan a bit larger than the circumference! I cancelled the return!

Key points on keeping this appliance:
– I can use in the kitchenette or in my remodeled kitchen when I need extra cooking (e.g. Thanksgiving/X-mas). I am going back to my gas range as it’s a work-horse and I prefer the ability to finely control my flame
– easy clean up
– literally boils water in like 3 mins – use 800 to 1000 and boost it. This is fantastic for fast cooking especially for packing lunches (like mac/cheese) where time in the morning is a premium
– pans heat up fast for searing
– relatively safe – the induction top, due to magnetism, does not heat like a normal stove so potential for burning hands is lessened

Cons:
– there is a learning curve with the settings. this brand says there are 9 Power Levels and 10 Temperature levels. The instructions are terrible and I have yet to find the farenheit equivalent temperature settings – all I have are wattages. See previous comment about going back to gas.
– EMF – literature/research/warnings out there for cardiac patients

This portable cooktop was my introduction to induction cooking before I bust out my wallet and replace my range. I’m thoroughly impressed with it, and in fact have used it exclusively for 2 months despite having a working conventional range. You can adjust the power directly from 200W up to 1800W in 200W increments. (I hooked it up to a power meter, and it is proportional but actual power reading was about 10% off.) You can also set a surface temperature (again, 9 levels) and it will adjust power to maintain that temperature (I checked that, too).

If you exceed 1800W setting of the 2 stations, it will throttle back one of them automatically. In practice, only situation where this applied was when I wanted to boil two things at once. However, it brings water to a boil so quickly, that it’s not a meaningful limitation to wait a minute or two. The instant-on and instant-off behavior is real cool. I also found that the timer feature is more useful than I thought it would be. The cooktop does make a fair amount of fan noise – about 60 decibels from 3 feet away. Doesn’t seem excessive, and I suspect most countertop induction cooktops are about the same.

Overall, I’m really impressed with this cooktop. It does the job and it’s fun to use.