duxtopPortable Induction Cooktop, Countertop Burner Induction Hot Plate with LCD Sensor Touch 1800 Watts, Black 9610LS BT-200DZ

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Let me start by saying I RARELY write a review. But after using this for 5 months, I felt compelled. In brief, all I have to say about this product is "Why did I wait so long to get one???" I love cooking - it is my happy place that takes me away from stresses of work (Bonus: you end up with good stuff to eat in the end). My husband and I have a wonderful gas stove but I was curious about the induction method. After doing some investigation, we were both left breathless at the expense of buying an induction stove/oven unit that would fit the space we have. We weren't willing to spend that kind of money, especially if we really didn't yet have experience working with induction. So I did more homework and learned about Duxtop. Seemed like a bargain and we could test out the technology. A bargain doesn't begin to explain what you get for your money. This unit is AWESOME. I use it far more often than I do my gas stove. It is efficient, works exactly as advertised, the learning curve is immediate. It has a sleek design that looks great, doesn't take up a lot of space, and it works with my cookware. Boiling time is lightning fast, control over cooking speeds is fantastic (there is a lot of control with gas and I was worried about this - turns out that this is nothing to worry about), and gradation of cooking power works well for my purposes. Others have cited that the fan noise is bothersome; there is fan noise but it's not terrible and certainly not a deal-breaker. The cooktop cools very quickly and clean up is easy. After each use, I marvel at how it looks sort of "brand new, out of the box" clean after a simple wipe. My husband and I are still contemplating replacing our gas unit with a full induction unit but that thought is way on the back burner now (see what I did there?) since this inexpensive burner is a staple in our kitchen now. Best of both worlds? I know, I know....gas isn't good for you. But we're using it so less frequently than before ('cept for baking). Bottom line for me: ONE OF THE BEST PURCHASES EVER.

We got this induction burner to try out induction cooking and see if it could be a viable replacement for our propane gas stovetop. We had been seeing a lot of news articles about propane and natural gas leaking cancer-causing chemicals into the house, and we wanted to transition away from using propane anyway because our tank needed to be replaced. The burner is very easy to use, and the instructions were excellent at helping us learn how to cook with induction. My favorite aspect is that the heat level can be selected using specific numbers. When we later looked for built-in induction cooktops, we found that many of them lacked this wonderful feature, so we decided to just continue using this portable cooktop instead of installing one, and bought a second portable induction cooktop from this same brand, which we also love.There are a few downsides which were not enough of a big deal to us to outweigh the benefits:As other reviews mention, there is a high-pitched humming noise when the unit is heating up. Some of our family members, particularly children, were greatly bothered by this in the beginning, while adults who don't hear as well noticed it but weren't bothered by it much. The noise pitch and volume seems to vary depending on the type of cookware used--generally, more ferrous materials such as cast iron seem to make less noise, and nonstick pans that just have a layer of metallic surface on the bottom made the most noise.We found it's much more usable with a silicone mat--otherwise the pan can easily slide around on the cooktop, particularly when you're boiling water and it splashes over the sides.There is a slight learning curve to cooking with induction, but as a pretty functional family "cook" who makes just simple dishes, I found it very intuitive. Much of the challenge was that I decided to also learn how to cook with cast iron at the same time, and that also has its own learning curve, which I found to be steeper than cooking with induction.Many people we've shared our positive induction experience with are incredulous that we were okay with buying all new cookware, but we used this as an opportunity to clear out a lot of the cookware clutter from our kitchen. We found we really only ever used a few pans anyway, and we were happy to have an excuse to replace our cookware that had scratches in the nonstick coating, which likely wasn't good for us to keep using anyway.I would highly recommend this induction burner to anyone looking to try out cooking with induction, relatively inexpensively. We've had it for a year, using it several times a week usually, and it has always performed consistently well.

So far, so good. I LOVE my industrial gas range that I've had for 12 years. I never dreamed of cooking on anything else. But the more we read about the health dangers of cooking with gas, the more I reluctantly considered other options. I haven't been able to bring myself to actually replace my beautiful dream gas range with induction. But we bought this freestanding induction burner to use on the kitchen island almost as a test of the technology. it's a great burner. I use it now 90% of the time when I only need one burner. After it cools, I just slip it on top of the countertop microwave, and it disappears under the cabinets. I don't know if I'll ever be able to part with my gorgeous gas range, but I do expect to buy another one of these at some not too distant point. It's very safe and easy to clean, has a wide range of temperatures with near-instant responsive time. The boil setting has a built in timer so you don't wander off and leave it. And it has a very low setting for keeping things warm. I bought this specific induction burner after reading half a dozen product review sites, and I've been very happy with it. The only thing I worry about is how long it will last. Hopefully for many years.