Induction burner

We're going to be remodeling a kitchen in a house we're buying, and we're going to be without most appliances for probably about 2-3 months. (It's a full gut and remodel complete with moving electrical, walls, plumbing, etc.). Thus, we're thinking of picking up 1-2 portable induction burners which we'd love to have anyways.

Does anyone have a view on one induction burner versus another?

Not that I really need it, but saw an ad for a Viking induction burner that you plug into an outlet. I have many questions. Will it overload the fuses? Do I need to or should I buy the Viking. (may have been Wolf). What advantages do I have with the induction v. gas. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Babaluch

If you're talking about something like this http://www.surlatable.com/product/539783.do, it's rated 1800 watts. If you normally have fuse troubles with things like hair dryers, your wiring may not support it.

I've cooked lots of stuff on induction burners and I think they are fantastic. They're sort of halfway between electric and gas burners in my experience. They respond very quickly to temperature settings (like gas, unlike electric), which can be good or bad depending on how you cook and your pans. There is no heating element in an induction unit. The pan becomes the heating unit. If your pan will hold a magnet, it'll work, but definitely consider heavy duty pans

There is also very little heating outside of the pan (like electric, unlike gas). Gas burners are sort of inefficient because some of the heat is deflected off the bottom of the pan, out around the sides, and it rises away unused to heat up your kitchen. Much less of that in an electric burner. Pretty much none of it in an induction burner. The only heat you feel is radiating from the pan itself.

If I had the $$$, I'd mod my stove with two gas and two induction burners. I still like gas because you can't char a pepper on an induction burner or toast a tortilla or warm a pita etc. And you definitely can't an induction burner to flame pan sauces, one of the more enjoyable cooking-with-fire activities in my kitchen.

I wrote a review of induction cooktops for CHOW http://www.chow.com/stories/10440 before the Viking model came out. If you're looking for a starter unit I still recommend Mr. Induction by Sunpentown - less than $200. Yes, retro name, but really good performer. The French Pastry School uses these same units in their kitchens.

I'm really happy to have seen this thread. There have been others in the past that didn't really go anywhere.

I recently moved into a new apartment that has a ceramic cooktop and I've been very unhappy with it. I've been inches away from pulling the trigger on the 1800w Apogee for a few months. (The best price I've seen seems to be through theinductionsite.com, just as an FYI.) But I hadn't been able to talk to anyone that'd actually used them.

I suppose this answers my questions.

hey all, looking to try out an induction cooktop without refitting my kitchen, figured a single plug-in unit would be good. found a fairly wide range online with mixed reviews, wondering if anyone here has any experience with one.

probably not doing anything too fancy to start with, just boiling water and basic stirfrying i think.

thanks

Cook's Illustrated tested induction burners in January. The relatively inexpensive Max Burton model came out on top.

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipme ... ocid=21517

whoops, looks like i got merged with an older thread. fair enough.

louisa's article mentions sous vide applications which have me even more curious... of course i assume without a proper thermal circulator i'll still be checking in on it a little too often.

I have the Burton single burner model which just helped me through a kitchen remodel. It worked great. If I have a complaint, it's that it heats up too quickly, too intensely (which ended up being great but took a little getting used to). My original plan was to sell it on Craigslist after the remodel, but I like it so much, I'm going to hang on to it.

Cook's Illustrated picked the Max Burton 1800-watt unit, reasoably priced at $120, as the top induction single-burner unit. Plugs into a wall outlet. I ordered it from Amazon for the $120 and I'm still getting used to it, but it is a real wonder for speed and control.

A few days after I received it, I found it on the 'net for $75, postpaid.

http://www.amazon.com/Max-Burton-6000-I ... 369&sr=1-1

That spoiled my whole day.

So, look around thoroughly. I think it's still a good buy for the $120.

Any later updates on these things? I can't imagine any breakthroughs in a last couple years but I figure it's worth asking.
This hot weather has me very hesitant to turn on the stove, especially a lot of heat for something like boiling pasta or potatoes or stir frying.
I'm considering a single cooktop in the sub$100 range for use on the porch. Are the Max Burtons still topping the recommended lists?

I picked up a couple of 1200 units at newegg.com due to the fact that my house has an electrical fault that does not allow me to use the electric burners in the kitchen. I am saving up for a rebuilt kitchen with gas. The newegg units came with pans and were cheap - something like $50.

Tuesday morning soon thereafter had a 1800 unit, $75. It works great in the back yard with a cast iron wok if the wok is allowed to heat up. I am not a fan of the thinner steel woks, but a flat bottom one should work well.