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If you’re looking to expand the capabilities of your home kitchen without getting a whole new stove, an induction cooktop can provide high heat without turning your kitchen into a sauna and incredibly precise cooking and additional burner space, all with far less air pollution. As an apartment dweller and user of a sub-par stove in my rental, having an induction cooktop in my home kitchen gives me more range in cooking. I use induction to maintain consistently simmering pots of beans that don’t scald the bottoms of my pots. I can slow-braise lamb shoulders on induction at specific temperatures, which can be difficult to achieve with a gas stove. I’ve placed an induction burner in the middle of my dining table for a hot-pot party. I’ve brought one with me to cook outdoors and to Airbnbs with inadequate cooking setups.
To find the best induction burner for every scenario, I tested several myself, preparing pots of pasta, searing pork chops, and making multiple stir-fries. I also spoke to chefs who use induction regularly. Whether they’re using portable induction burners for pop-ups or switching between gas and induction in restaurant kitchens, their exacting needs mean they have strong opinions that can help home cooks select the best options, too.
Many chefs need to be able to easily move an induction burner around as needed in a restaurant kitchen. Home cooks also need that mobility and to be able to take it with them to cook outdoors or in a vacation rental, as well as to store it without too much hassle. The burners I tested ranged from 6 to 21 pounds, which means they’re all generally portable, but your comfort with a burner’s weight will depend on your strength and where you’re taking it.
Another appeal of induction burners is their ability to reach and maintain extremely low and extremely high temperatures, for some ranging from as low as 86 degrees Fahrenheit to almost 500 degrees. Lower temperatures are necessary for delicate tasks like melting chocolate, while higher temperatures can be used for searing meat or stir-frying.
Most of the burners I tested have between 10 and 12 temperature settings, but some models allow you to control the temperature of the burner down to a single degree.
While induction burners are generally small and portable, you need to know if a burner will fit your kitchen counter or dining room table. A smaller-sized burner doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t use a large pan or Dutch oven on it. When simmering stews on low heat, you can still put a 12-inch Dutch oven on a model that’s 11 inches in diameter, but you’ll want to move it around just as you would on a gas burner, understanding that the heating element is going to be right below where you place the pan and that the heat will be more localized than with gas.
Different convection burners have different markings to help you center your cookware on the burner. I noted the style of markings, since some are etched and others are painted, which can sometimes wear over time and with use.
Weight: 6.2 lb / Temperature range: 100-460°F / Number of temperature settings: 20 / Size: 11.4”D x 14”W x 2.5”H / Markings: Painted
With power modes ranging from 1 to 10 and the ability to program the burner to one of ten different specific temperature settings, this burner has many of the bells and whistles of more expensive units but still comes in under $125. Rebecca King, an L.A.-based culinary consultant who coordinates private chefs for celebrities and high-net-worth individuals, is partial to this Duxtop induction burner for its compact size, power, and ease of use. “I’ve had this burner for six years and I love how straightforward it is to use,” King says. She notes that on some other burners, buttons can be sensitive enough that they sometimes shut off without her noticing. In contrast, this Duxtop’s LCD buttons are responsive — but not overly so — and King likes the ten-hour timer and the boil button that automatically sets the unit’s power to the highest setting.
King likes the look of the burner as well, noting that it is sleek and minimalist, an important element if you’re leaving the burner on display in your kitchen, or, say, cooking for a fussy celebrity client.
Weight: 7 lb. / Temperature range: 180-450°F / Number of temperature settings: 10 / Size: 11.02”D x 14.17”W x 2.52”H / Markings: Painted
If you’re looking for an induction burner to use in your kitchen for high-temperature cooking, hosting hot-pot parties, and other fairly standard cooking endeavors, this affordably priced unit was the best one I tested under $60.
The Hamilton Beach is simple to use, with a clear control panel and a timer that goes up to 150 minutes. There’s a magnetic test strip built into the unit, which makes it easy to tell if a pan is induction compatible, a particularly useful feature for home cooks like me who might be switching between gas or electric and induction. The unit’s clean lines and flat top make it easy to clean with countertop spray and a damp cloth, and to store when not in use.
The biggest drawback of this unit is its minimum temperature, which at 180 degrees Fahrenheit is the highest of all these induction burners (and too high to melt chocolate without a double boiler). But if your aim with an induction burner is just to add a little flexibility to your kitchen, reduce your use of gas, or access high heat for a low price, this burner fits the bill.
I pulled the Hamilton Beach burner out to bring water to a boil for pasta, which it (like all the other burners on this list) accomplished faster than my gas stove. I also used it for frying, where the specificity of the temperature settings allowed me to set and maintain the perfect temperature, rather than constantly turning the heat up and down as I do on my gas stove. It was also easier to clean than my gas stove. For $55, this induction burner is a great starting option.
Weight: 6 lb / Temperature range: 120-500°F / Number of temperature settings: 12 / Size: 11.9 x 14.6 x 3 inches / Markings: Painted
As the name implies, this model has the heat intensity of a professional stove. It’s Top Chef star Jen Carroll’s pick for everything from content creation to cooking classes to private catering gigs.
“This is a super-high-power unit,” Carroll says. “It can boil water really quickly or reduce a sauce slowly, but I also like it a lot for a really good sear on steak or chicken.” Carroll often cooks in other people’s kitchens, and she depends on this unit rather than her clients’ stoves, which can be unpredictable. “When I first started using induction, I actually burned a lot of stuff because I wasn’t prepared for how powerful it is,” Carroll says. “So there is a little bit of a learning curve, but nowadays I use these units for basically everything.”
With a top temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit, higher even than the much-more-expensive Control Freak, this unit is your best bet to get a really good sear on steaks or to re-create the high-intensity heat of restaurant-style wok burners. Carroll has one of these units next to her home stove and uses it daily to boil water and keep soup warm.
Weight: 6 lb / Temperature range: 140-460°F / Number of temperature settings: 10 / Size: 11.5”D x 13”W x 2.5”H / Markings: Painted
This Duxtop model is the most lightweight of the units on this list, which makes it extra convenient for travel. The smallest of our burner options, it’s ideal for small spaces where you need to maximize storage. When Kiki Aranita, professional chef and senior editor at the Strategist, needs to bring several induction burners to a private gig or pop-up and can’t be bothered to pack up and carry her larger and heavier Breville Control Freak, this Duxtop unit is what she relies on. It’s so durable that she feels comfortable tossing it in the bottom of an Ikea bag filled with cooking tools for dinners around New York City. It’s sleek (no protruding knobs), so she isn’t too worried that it could be damaged when coming in contact with her tangle of ladles and tongs. Aranita also notes how easy this unit is to clean, since it has a flat glass top.
Though this Duxtop’s lowest temperature setting is higher than the 9600LS’s, it still comes in at a respectable 140 degrees Fahrenheit, which is low enough to use for a gentle simmer. The temperature control is not as precise as the 9600LS, so it’s best to keep an eye on this unit when cooking to avoid scalding and burning. For regular home-cooking tasks like searing meat, frying an egg, or boiling a pot of water, this induction cooktop works well.
Chef Christine Lau, a hot-pot fanatic, doesn’t own a dedicated device for a hot-pot, which she loves enjoying with friends at home. Rather, she uses the Duxtop. “I have two of these because I use them at events. It has a smallish footprint which you need so that it doesn’t take up all the space on the table. That space is prime real estate for hot-pot ingredients,” says Lau. She uses a Le Creuset Dutch oven as the actual pot, which she remarks is visually very pleasing when paired with a Duxtop.
Weight: 21 lb. / Temperature range: 86-482°F / Number of temperature settings: 397 / Size: 13.7 x 18.5 x 4.3in / Markings: None
When it comes to induction, there’s the Breville Control Freak, and then there’s everything else. This is the luxury sports car of induction burners, with all the bells and whistles you could imagine.
“You can set the Control Freak on a certain temperature and it will hold whatever is in the pot at that exact temperature,” says Aranita. She hosts regular events across New York City and sometimes the rest of the country, often traveling with a fleet of different induction burners. The Control Freak is what she uses for serving large groups of people, rigging up a frying station, making candy, or preparing other items that require very precise control. If you make candy at home or want the ability to hold stocks or sauces at an exact temperature for a long period, this is the burner for you.
While it is durable, Aranita noted that unlike some of the other options, the Breville has a temperature sensor in the center of the burner that can’t get wet. Because of its temperature precision, things are less likely to boil over, but the inner mechanism does make it slightly more fussy than our other picks, which are glass top and extremely easy to wipe down. Still, Aranita says this is among her favorite kitchen tools.
“You have to treat it with a little more care, as you would have to treat a sports car with a little more care than, say, a Jeep,” she says. “But when it comes to temperature range and control, there’s nothing like it. With all the health concerns about gas stove emissions, my husband and I covered up our gas stove and put our Breville on top. Not only is this more feasible than replacing the gas stove in an apartment we’re renting, but it also takes the guesswork out of cooking with gas at home.”
In addition to control down to a specific degree of the burner, the Breville has a temperature probe that can be inserted into a pot. You can also set the burner on a timer for up to 72 hours, longer than any other burner. It comes with a durable carrying case that makes it more portable, although this is the heaviest burner of the options I tested.
Photo: Kiki Aranita
Weight: 12.8 lb / Temperature range: 100-460°F / Number of temperature settings: 20 / Size: 4”D x 17.1”W x 25”H / Markings: Painted
If you’re looking at switching to induction at home without getting a new stove, or you know you’ll regularly be cooking with multiple pans, a double induction cooktop gives you range without needing more than one unit. This Duxtop double burner cooktop is the same as my pick for best portable unit, but adds a second burner. The unit has a total output of 1,800 watts, which means that when both burners are in use, they self-adjust to avoid exceeding this output. This setting prevents you from short-circuiting the unit or your home’s electric panel, but you’ll need to keep an eye on it. This is a great alternative to a stove, perfect for anyone who might be undergoing a kitchen renovation.
• Kiki Aranita, chef at Poi Dog Sauces and senior editor at the Strategist
• Jen Carroll, chef at Carroll Couture Cuisine
• Rebecca King, culinary consultant and private chef agent
• Christine Lau, chef and consultant
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