The Countertop Electric Burners, also known as induction cooktops, have greatly replaced the traditional kitchen stoves since the past few years. Instead of running on an LPG, these burners simply use electricity for their operation. Also, unlike the normal burner, these do not produce flames, instead use the principle of induction to cook food.
Normally, these types of cooktops require utensils with a flat base for maximum surface contact to be effectively used for cooking. This way, you can prepare food with maximum effciency in the lowest possible time.
Contents
What is a Countertop Electric Burner (Induction Burner)?
A Countertop Electric Burner is a special kind of cooktop which uses the electricity for its operation. They work on the principle of induction. Normally, when electricity is passed through a coil, it generates magnetic waves. When these magnetic waves come in contact with the magnetic cookware, it produces a great amount of heat which is used for cooking.
These burners usually are very easy to use and take up a small amount of space, unlike the traditional big sized burner stoves. They get heat up easily and comparatively faster than the normal cooktop.
Top five reasons why you need to buy the Countertop Electric Burner
Besides the easiness of usage of the Countertop Electric Burner, it has many other advantages which rightly support the fact that one needs to buy it at the earliest. Here are the top five reasons as to why you need to buy the Countertop Electric Burner (Portable electric cooktop) now.
- Safe: When using induction cooktops, the need and consumption of combination by-products such as LPG is eliminated. Also, a traditional burner stove can burn children and is usually a threat. With the help of countertop electric burner, this thing is settled and it is comparatively safer to use.
- Easy cleaning: Cleaning a countertop electric burner is very easy as compared to a gas burner. Unlike the gas burner, no carbonized crud is seen to get deposited over the cooking surface which is too hard to clean. To get away with the cleaning process, you can even use small paper towels around the ceramic surface to catch any spills of food while cooking. This is not usually possible to do on a gas stove.
- Less heat wastage: A flame burner usually spreads a large amount of heat around the room, hence wasting it. Whereas in an induction cooktop, all of the heat from the burner is directed to the cookware which eliminates the extra heat wastage around the room. This proves to be beneficial in summers.
- Speed of cooking: Since there is minimum heat wastage and all of it is usually directed to the cookware, the speed of cooking is usually higher. Within seconds of placing the cookware on this electric cooktop, it gets heated up and the food is cooked. Also, it is quite responsive to its controls such as medium or high.
- Environment friendly: Countertop Electric Burners are more environment friendly than traditional gas burners. They offer higher efficiency and use electricity as an operating medium which may one day prove out to be a higher energy source than just natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas.
Factor to consider before buying a Countertop Electric Burner
Before buying the countertop electric burner for your kitchen, you need to look into the following mentioned points.
- Power settings: Usually, different countertop burners offer different number of power setting options. Before finalising one for yourself, you must look for the power setting options and how many of them are available. More number of settings indicate higher controlled cooking. Make sure it offers all the necessary setting options according to different type of cooking.
- Noise: Noisy countertop burners are always annoying and most of them may turn out to emit loud squeals while operating. You must try it before buying to ensure that it doesn’t produce unwanted and annoying sounds.
- Timer: Most countertop electric burners come with a timer featured on it. With the help of a timer, you can set it and go around doing your other chores and come back after the time is completed. This could be used in processes like boiling or steaming. This feature is not always present but you must go for the one that offers it.
- Case build quality: Most of these ceramic tops come with a stainless-steel frame or a plastic frame. You would always want your unit to be durable. So, you must check with the case build quality and usually go for the stainless-steel ones since they are more sturdy and durable than the plastic cases.
- Fan noise: The fan noise is usually produced in a countertop electric burner. But all you can do about it is choose the one which makes the least fan noise. The quieter the cooktop, the better.
Top 4 Countertop Electric Burner Reviews of 2020
1. IMUSA USA GAU-80305
This is a powerful countertop electric single burner from by Imusa which allows cooking anywhere there is a plug, even outdoors too. It is perfect for cooking for fiestas and large holiday gathering. The key features of this countertop electric burner are as follows.
- It is compact and portable.
- It is perfect for use in office, small apartments or dorm rooms.
- It features a temperature regulating knob with heated distribution coils.
- It also has a power indicator light.
- It has been made with a slim space saving design.
- It comes in black colour.
- The overall dimensions of this electric burner are 3.5 x 9.8 x 9.1 inches.
- The overall weight of this product is 1.9 pounds.
2. Secura 8100MC
It is a countertop electric burner by Secura which works excellently with the right kind of cookware. It is extremely energy efficient and it utilizes about 90% of the energy it draws. The key features of this countertop electric burner are as follows.
- The energy produced by this cooktop is directly transferred to the cookware via magnetic field.
- It has been equipped with self-adjusting burners that detect the size of the cookware and adjust according to it to transfer maximum energy to it.
- It is very easy to clean.
- It is very safe and fast to use.
- It serves as a stylish and elegant centrepiece on the table.
- It uses 120 volts, 15 amps of electricity which is a standard amount in all homes.
- It is very convenient to move around.
- It is very lightweight and compact for easy handling and storage around the house.
- It comes with a built-in count-down digital timer with 5 mins which can increment up to 170 minutes.
- It features a digital sensor touch control panel.
- It features about 10 power levels from 200-1800 watts.
- It comes with 10 temperature ranges that are 140 degrees Fahrenheit to 460 degrees Fahrenheit.
- It is compatible with induction ready cookware like cast aluminium enamelled iron and steel, stainless steel with a magnetic bottom or cast iron.
- It comes with an auto pan detection that shuts the unit down in case no cookware is detected after 60 seconds.
- It also features a low and high voltage warning system.
- It has been equipped with a diagnostic error message system.
- It is ETL approved.
- It features an LED control panel.
- It comes in gold colour.
- The overall dimensions of this countertop electric burner are 13 x 11.5 x 2.5 inches.
- The overall weight of this product is 6.5 pounds.
3. Cuisinart CB-30
It is a countertop electric burner by Cuisinart which is known to heat up quickly to provide a faster cooking experience. It is ideal for entertaining and for holidays when cooking for a crowd. The key features of this countertop electric burner are as follows.
- It comes with a powerful 1300 watts heat up which heats up the burner quickly and maintains a high heat throughout the cooking period.
- It features a coil-less cast iron which is extra-durable.
- It can be wiped clean without any problem.
- It is made of premium brushed stainless-steel which gives an elegant look.
- It comes with a 6-setting temperature control that offers total flexibility between adjusting from low to high heat.
- It comes with a heavy duty cast iron plate that offers durability.
- It can be used to cook meals and even to keep food warm.
- It has a compact design and is portable.
- It features ready and safety on indicator lights.
- The overall dimensions of the countertop burner are 5.8 x 15.4 x 13.8 inches.
- The overall weight of this product is 6.6 pounds.
4. DUXTOP ES-3203
It is a powerful 1300-watt large countertop electric burner which is great for cooking and boiling water. It has a portable structure and easy to carry around. The key features of this countertop electric burner are as follows.
- It comes with a 7.5-inch diameter with a 1300-watt large burner that is suitable for cooking and boiling.
- It also has a 500-watt 6-inch diameter small burner which is suitable for warming and simmering.
- It contains a double-cast durable iron plate and an exterior of brushed stainless steel housing.
- It comes with two individually adjustable thermostats.
- It also has heating indicator lights.
- It is also comprised of a cool touch handle which makes it very easy to lift and move around the cooktop.
- Despite having 2 cooktops, it has a relatively small footprint which saves up space.
- It comes with a 1-year limited warranty.
- The overall dimensions of this countertop electric burner are 23.2 x 9.8 x 4.3 inches.
- The total weight of this product is 9.3 pounds.
- It has been built according to the North American Electrical standards and is ETL approved.
These countertop electric burners which are also known as hotplates have proven quite a help to the cooks around the world. People who have been going around with replacing their traditional gas burners with these electric hotplates have been quite loving it. Apart from the efficiency they offer, it is amazing how fast the heat is transferred to the cookware and the food is cooked in just a while.
For students staying at hostels or dorm, these can be really useful. You don’t necessarily need a kitchen to have and install one. It would work just anywhere. In the living room, dorm room, in the balcony, office or anywhere that has an electric plug. Just plug in and start cooking. However, they do need special magnetic bottomed cookware to cook.
There are many different types of countertop electric burners available in the market for buying. They all have several different cooktop area and configuration. You can choose from a single burner cooktop from a two, three or even a four-burner cooktop. It really depends on the area you have. If you need something compact for, say, your dorm room, you might want to go for a single cooktop burner.
If you are going to have one in your fully-furnished kitchen and usually have a lot of cooking to do, then you can go for a two, three or four-burner cooktop set. With different configuration, available according to the budget, you can go for the one which would help you the best. Since you may not be requiring a large number of control options, you can always choose the one with relatively limited options.
It must be made sure that your countertop electric burner is resistant to scratches and is very durable. It must be able to bear ample weight of the cookware and food. It must be easy to clean as well. You can go around choosing the best one for you from so many different models.
