Portable Induction Hob - Dumb Questions

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networkn

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#240572 14-Sep-2018 12:15

Hi.

I am considering one of these for the odd time I need more element space. Primarily it would be for boiling a large pot of water for pasta etc.

Is there a way to tell which units will do this job faster, I have heard induction is faster than almost everything else.

Will I need a bigger power point?

Anything else worth considering?

timmmay

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#2090614 14-Sep-2018 12:23

Look at the power output of the unit. 10A should be more than enough for a single element - a quick Google suggest four elements can use 3000W, and given the asymmetric nature of some cooktops that's at most 1000W per cooktop. From memory my stove has a 15A connection to the meter board

Induction cooktops are great. Make sure your pots / pans are compatible.

kobiak

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#2090649 14-Sep-2018 13:32

I used kmart $50 induction cooktop for couple months and it was bloody fast to heat-up but was noisy because of the fan :(

can't wrong it for occasional cooking and $50 only.

helping others at evgenyk.nz

ren1316

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#2090749 14-Sep-2018 15:59

I have a single element Philip unit Viva HD4937 2100W. Yes, its fast boiling water, It's faster than gas.

Yes fan can be loud.

Yes, you need induction compatible cookware, otherwise you can buy an adaptor plate.

Recommended.

John.

highspeedsteel

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#2090950 15-Sep-2018 08:14

The small ones - sub 2400w models - would be good for what you want to do and would run through a standard outlet. A 2200W model will boil 1L of water very fast. I prefer over gas if just trying to boil water. The smaller/cheaper models didn't do so well for cooking on as they didn't have the fine level of control needed at the lower end, but just for heating water they are very good.

I have used them for heating water for brewing beer and they are good although the small plastic ones didn't like having 20L of water on them and the plastic started collapsing especially once things got warm. Also the cheaper models won't run for more than about an hour at full power without the thermal cutout kicking in. Probably not an issue for what you are look at. I ended up getting a 3500W light industrial one from a commercial kitchen that is brilliant for what I use them for (brewing beer), it can heat ~35L from ambient to boil in ~40min. The 3500W model needs a 15A plug.

Probably more info then you need but thought it might help as I have used quite a bit and used at the extreme end of what they should be used for.

Cheers

networkn

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#2090966 15-Sep-2018 09:16

Yeah I was looking at a few options. I am not that excited about putting a 15amp circuit in the kitchen, but I could I guess, unsure the cost of such a thing.

Which commercial one did you buy? I have seen a few clearance ones from time to time.

highspeedsteel

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#2090989 15-Sep-2018 10:25

I have a Lacor one that I picked up on trademe, there a several brands that look very similar. I bought mainly for brewing as I need to boil 35+ litres. I tried some of smaller/cheaper ones but found they were no good for that job. (One failed due to the weight of the pot/water) the other just took so long to get to a boil it wasn't practical.

But if you don't need more than 10 litres then any of the 10amp models should be fine. As others have said they can be noisy, but the industrial one is worse, it has 2 large cooling fans. If it was for my kitchen I'd go a small ~2000W model. The other issue with the industrial ones is they are fairly bulky.

For your info, I just did a test with my 2000w induction cooker and it took 9min 10sec to get 2L of water to the boil from 15C. No lid so would be quicker with a lid.

Hope that helps.

Bung

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#2091077 15-Sep-2018 13:17

I normally put the pot on with some water and fill it with boiling water from the electric jug until it has enough water. 2l in jug takes 5mins from cold to boiling.

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Batman

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#2091119 15-Sep-2018 15:30

can someone tell me why it's got a fan?

richms

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#2091122 15-Sep-2018 15:53

To cool the electronics in them.

Also I have yet to find a cheap one that lowers the power output, they all have just cycled on and off at maximum power depending on the setting like a crap microwave does. This means they are not really good for where you have limited power available.

Ive had a kmart one and one that a friend got from somewhere I dont know. Both were pretty average and died quite quickly. Went back to a resistive one from the warehouse for plug in giant pot of liquid heating needs and its no worse. And as its resisitive I could put it on a cheap triac controller to drop the power usage down if needed.

Richard rich.ms