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    Best Portable Induction Cooktops

    Our favorite stand-alone burners provide speedy heating and steady simmering—and all you need is a standard electrical outlet

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    Avantco IC1800 Countertop Induction Range and Duxtop Portable Induction Cooktop 9100MC with sauté pans and food in them, on wooden countertop
    With a portable induction cooktop, you can cook anywhere you have access to a regular 110- or 120-volt outlet.
    Photo: Paul Hope/Consumer Reports

    Portable induction cooktops offer stovelike performance in a hotplate-sized package, making them a great option if you’re short on kitchen space or if you’re looking for a burner you can take on the go.

    Unlike traditional hotplates, portable induction cooktops use an electromagnetic pulse to generate heat. The result is an appliance that simmers steadily and heats faster than a traditional hotplate—and, in some cases, heats faster than a full-sized gas stove. The best of the portable induction cooktops took roughly 13 minutes to boil 4 litres of water, while the slowest took about 20 minutes. Their efficiency makes them an ideal choice for an extra burner in your kitchen or a nice-to-have accessory when paired with a generator if you’re camping or tailgating.

    Portable induction cooktops—also called portable induction burners—are already often seen in professional settings. A pastry kitchen might use one such cooktop for melting chocolate, and these portable cooktops make it easy to set up an omelet station at a buffet. But they can be every bit as useful in a home kitchen.

    More On Induction Cooking

    CR assessed six portable induction cooktops, costing from about $60 to over $200. You can read our evaluations of the best and worst portable induction cooktops below.

    Five of these cooktops have only a single burner, while one has two burners. All use a standard two- or three-prong cord that plugs into a regular 110- or 120-volt outlet.

    They offer the ability to select a level of heat using a point scale, like 1 to 10 (with 10 being the highest temperature), and most also allow you to cook at precise preset temperatures, which is a helpful function for sous vide cooking. Most also come with timers, so you can program the cooktop to turn off after a set time. A handful feature dedicated boil settings for maximum power, too.

    All the portable induction cooktops are compatible only with induction-ready cookware—cast-iron, most stainless steel, enameled Dutch ovens, and any other pots and pans with a magnetic base.


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    Paul Hope

    Paul Hope is a Home & DIY Editor at Consumer Reports and a trained chef. He covers ranges, cooktops, and wall ovens, as well as grills, drills, outdoor power tools, decking, and wood stains. Before joining CR in 2016, he tested kitchen products at Good Housekeeping and covered tools and remodeling for This Old House magazine. You’ll typically find him in his old fixer-upper, engrossed in a DIY project or trying out a new recipe.