Portable Induction Cooktop

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Lizard1977

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#290707 29-Nov-2021 15:41

Anyone have any experiences with portable induction cooktops? I saw a Westinghouse portable cooktop with 2 induction hobs at Harvey Norman which looked interesting. I tried googling but couldn't find much of use, and haven't yet had a chance to get over to the library to check out Consumer mags.

The house I'm moving into in a few weeks has a gas cooktop but it's a little on the old side and I might be looking to replace it with an induction cooktop in a year or so. I figured a small induction hob might be a good way to try out induction cooking, but would like to know if the portable cooktops are worth the time or not.

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#2821111 29-Nov-2021 15:49

I had the single element Westinghouse unit and recommend it. Like you, the intention was to try induction before installing it in the kitchen. The Westinghouse was really good, right up until someone accidentally turned on the cook top on which it was sitting. The plastic on the bottom is very thin and melted quickly =/

I replaced it with a cheap version from K-Mart. That mostly works, but is definitely not up to the standard of the Westinghouse.

MikeB4

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#2821112 29-Nov-2021 15:50

We purchased one of these to use in our caravan to supplement the 3 ring gas Hob we have. It works well just not when we are on solar power.

Portable Induction Hob – Milly's (millyskitchen.co.nz)

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

wellygary

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#2821113 29-Nov-2021 15:56

I think you would find it frustrating and slow to boil your spuds...

Looking at the specs it is 1400W +1000W, ( limited by the 10 Amp 2.4Kw 3 pin cord)
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/home-appliances/kitchen-appliances/grills-and-cookers/westinghouse-twin-induction-portable-cooktop.html

An inbuilt hob set runs up to 7Kw, with the main element able to crank out 3.7kw
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/whiteware/kitchen/cooktops/bosch-60cm-flex-induction-cooktop-en.html

Lizard1977

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#2821115 29-Nov-2021 15:59

wellygary:

I think you would find it frustrating and slow to boil your spuds...

Looking at the specs it is 1400W +1000W, ( limited by the 10 Amp 2.4Kw 3 pin cord)
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/home-appliances/kitchen-appliances/grills-and-cookers/westinghouse-twin-induction-portable-cooktop.html

An inbuilt hob set runs up to 7Kw, with the main element able to crank out 3.7kw
https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/whiteware/kitchen/cooktops/bosch-60cm-flex-induction-cooktop-en.html

That's what I was wondering. I vaguely knew that induction cooktops need a beefed up power supply when they are installed, so I wondered how that got on with just plugging it into the mains. If it was as effective as an in-built cooktop, then a pretty cheap alternative would be a couple of dual-hobs arranged neatly on the counter.

mattwnz

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#2821116 29-Nov-2021 16:02

We got a small commercial one from this place about 10 years ago and it works well. I see they still do them. Looks to be 2000W single hob although it isn't the same one I have got. https://www.southernhospitality.co.nz/delta-benchtop-commercial-induction-cooker-2000w.html

SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2821119 29-Nov-2021 16:11

Are you coming from electric or gas? You will find induction much quicker than a traditional electric cooktop. The single element Westinghouse is 2000W (I rarely used anywhere near that cooking chicken), and half the price of the double unit. Buy two and have 4000W.

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mattwnz

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#2821121 29-Nov-2021 16:13

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Are you coming from electric or gas? You will find induction much quicker than a traditional electric cooktop. The single element Westinghouse is 2000W (I rarely used anywhere near that cooking chicken), and half the price of the double unit. Buy two and have 4000W.

I wonder which works out cheaper to run, especially if using bottle gas.

Lizard1977

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#2821123 29-Nov-2021 16:14

I have been using a gas cooktop for the past decade, and it's fine. My new place will have a gas cooktop too, which I would use for when I'm cooking up a storm. I figured an affordable induction hob would be a good introduction as a gateway to a full size hob when I can afford to do a proper upgrade, and would also be useful for when I'm just cooking for myself.

Two single units would probably be more powerful and useful than a double unit running off one plug, and would be cheaper too. The only reason I even noticed the Westinghouse was that it looked like a sleek and compact unit. I will take a look at the single units too.

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#2821125 29-Nov-2021 16:21

I would just buy the induction cooktop, don't bother with a temporary one to try it out. Induction is awesome, but make sure your cookware is induction compatible otherwise it'll cost you a lot to replace your pots and pans. We still have a great set of Circulon cookware in storage that's not induction compatible.

Most double plugs have a wire to them that's rated for about 18A, so 2x2000W should work. You're unlikely to have both induction hobs running at 100% for more than a few minutes. My cooktop (not plug in units) boil a big pot of water in a few minutes, give or take. Leave a pan on high for more than a minute and it starts smoking.

mattwnz

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#2821142 29-Nov-2021 16:47

Induction is good, but I still prefer gas for a number of reasons. You can have 4 hobs on full with gas, whereas induction can reduce the power on the hobs when you have them all on high or one on boost, and this can be annoying. Also you can't store pans on an induction hob, because if you do, and you have a pet that jumps up on benchtops, they can switch it on and then you have a problem. Also you shouldn't store metal things like pots in drawers underneath an induction hob, as they can heat up, and there is a warning in my instructions saying this. Induction can take some time to get used to as well, and on boost settings it can heat up pans a lot faster than gas can. It is also very easy to accidently turn up the power on an induction hob, especially if you wipe up a spillage while cooking.

timmmay

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#2821144 29-Nov-2021 16:51

mattwnz:

Induction is good, but I still prefer gas for a number of reasons. You can have 4 hobs on full with gas, whereas induction can reduce the power on the hobs when you have them all on high or one on boost, and this can be annoying. Also you can't store pans on an induction hob, because if you do, and you have a pet that jumps up on benchtops, they can switch it on and then you have a problem. Also you shouldn't store metal things like pots in drawers underneath an induction hob, as they can heat up, and there is a warning in my instructions saying this. Induction can take some time to get used to as well, and on boost settings it can heat up pans a lot faster than gas can. It is also very easy to accidently turn up the power on an induction hob, especially if you wipe up a spillage while cooking.

None of that is a problem with my standalone stove with an induction hob. The pet thing might depend on the control type of the model purchased. Much easier to clean the induction top than any gas one I've ever used too.

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MikeAqua

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#2821155 29-Nov-2021 17:08

I have a Breville one. It was cheap but not that great. Firstly it runs on timer, there is no apparent way around this. The higher the power setting, the shorter the maximum timer duration (max only of about 30 minutes I think). Also it seems to cut out if the pan gets particularly hot. You can't set a temperature, just a function with each function having an associated kW setting.

I most use it for making preserves or very long slow cooking jobs. In that sense I don't mind that it doesn't perform well at high temp (I have gas cooktop for that). However the inability to set it for an hours of slow cooking, makes it kind of useless.

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#2821171 29-Nov-2021 17:35

timmmay:

I would just buy the induction cooktop, don't bother with a temporary one to try it out. Induction is awesome, but make sure your cookware is induction compatible otherwise it'll cost you a lot to replace your pots and pans. We still have a great set of Circulon cookware in storage that's not induction compatible.

Most double plugs have a wire to them that's rated for about 18A, so 2x2000W should work. You're unlikely to have both induction hobs running at 100% for more than a few minutes. My cooktop (not plug in units) boil a big pot of water in a few minutes, give or take. Leave a pan on high for more than a minute and it starts smoking.

I agree with the above.

We switched from all gas cooktop to a 4 'hotplate' Bosch induction and we have one gas wok burner.

The induction heats water quicker than gas.

We tried out a cheap Breville induction cooktop https://www.briscoes.co.nz/product/1077044/breville-the-quick-cook-induction-cooker-lic4000blk/ when we had to set up temporary cooking in the garage when the kitchen got pulled apart. It works quite well and they are pretty cheap ($85 - might have been even cheaper on special).

The cheaper ones do not put out as much power as a 'wired in' model. They also tend to switch on and off to fake dropping the output, rather than having a smooth reduction of power. So if you do buy a cheap one to try it out they don't have as much fine control.

They are very easy to clean up because the cooking surface does not get very hot - so you don't tend to get burnt on crud on the cooktop.

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timmmay

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#2821215 29-Nov-2021 19:28

robjg63:

The cheaper ones do not put out as much power as a 'wired in' model. They also tend to switch on and off to fake dropping the output, rather than having a smooth reduction of power. So if you do buy a cheap one to try it out they don't have as much fine control.

We have a Beko, which is midrange, from 2015. Below about 8/10 power it turns on and off to control power output. Above 8 it just puts more power out. It's pretty powerful, 3000+ watts from memory.

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#2821299 30-Nov-2021 06:27

I have breville 2400W.

It's amazing compared to ceramic. But the element is very small. I thought it would work with a big pan but there is a 10cm radius in the pan that burns the food and the rest of the pan is ok. So relegated to boiling water or low and medium heat cooking.

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