Has anyone bought a portable induction hob or hot plate?

Posted by RoosterExtreme872@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 29 comments

Hi all

Just moved into a new flat and the electric hob is absolutely awful. I just tried cooking steak and I couldn’t even get a sear on it on the highest setting. The pot for veggies could barely get to a rolling boil.

I’m a big cook so this is gonna be an issue for me…

So I’m wondering has anyone had this problem and solved it by buying one of those portable induction hobs?

I’m looking at a single plate 2000w one online but I’m wondering if they’re worth the money? Also will this be an issue with regards to drawing too much power etc?

Thanks for any advice

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DigitalStefan@reddit

I got the Host brand version of this: https://www.nisbets.co.uk/buffalo-touch-control-single-induction-hob/df825

("Buffalo" brand is more expensive even though it is literally the exact same product)

I paid £144 in Sep 2024.

It's much, much better than the cheap Tefal 2kW hob. Anything cheap has the potential to not be able to sustain its maximum power output for long. Also anything cheap is likely to cause hot spots / uneven heating in your pan because the copper coil in the hob will be spaced out sparsely (copper is expensive).

I did not get wife approval for the purchase of the hob. She loves cooking with it though. It's almost permanently in use as the main cooking surface in the kitchen. It's really that good.

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RoosterExtreme872@reddit (OP)

Thanks for the link, I found the below one for £90 which may help me avoid getting a smack from the missus. I’ll look into it more today

https://adexa.co.uk/Commercial-Induction-cooker-Single-Burner-2-7kW-Adexa-AMCD27A?language=en&currency=GBP&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17339762608&gbraid=0AAAAADM5q77JEwz7tLwVDD4lOISRV1j-L&gclid=CjwKCAjwg7PDBhBxEiwAf1CVuwGuYI0T8YPmjsX1DPp7ncC-gU2SYLmHD050BbYcOa2rQqZq8EKWsBoCcL0QAvD_BwE

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DigitalStefan@reddit

A rough guide is look at the product specs for the weight. Heavier units are likely to contain more copper in the induction coil, which means better cooking!

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RoosterExtreme872@reddit (OP)

Nice one, I’ll keep that in mind :)

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WoodenEggplant4624@reddit

I borrowed one last year when the kitchen was being done. Used it a few times. I have an Instant pot and mostly used that including using it to heat up flatbread.

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LordAnchemis@reddit

Yes - they're amazing

The only catch is make sure your cookware is induction capable - so cast iron, carbon steel, stainless is fine, but aluminium (most non-sticks) and copper are not unless have a steel core

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Stinkinhippy@reddit

Got a double one dirt cheap from i think Argos for last christmas day.. did the job fine.. got water boiling etc.

Couldn't give a long term review on it, but they seem pretty well built if you go with a recognised brand.

With regards to power draw.. it's not a great deal more than a kettle, but obviously over a longer time frame.. as long as the wiring in your place is decent you should be golden though.

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MacSamildanach@reddit

To add to the other comments, I bought one and they're really good.

I have a decent gas cooker, but I wanted the induction one for a specific purpose, and for when I'm doing Christmas dinner and run out of gas rings. This is the one I use:

AMZCHEF Single Induction Cooker

The nice thing is I can wipe it down and pack it back in its box, and store it behind somewhere out of sight. It's very slim.

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DrunkCloudPrincess@reddit

If you need heat, consider getting a butane burner like from Iwatani, they output quite a bit of heat. Some hotels use mini ones to keep food warm.

You should be fine to use them indoors as long as you have good ventilation. You can use it outside if you’re worried about carbon monoxide but in my experience, many Asian households and restaurants use it in a ventilated environment without issues.

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imtheorangeycenter@reddit

I too have a Tefal. It has settings up to 10 (and fast boil). Never need more than 3 outside of getting, and that's for steak in a cast iron pan. God knows what 8+ does to food, but my floor isn't blast furnace rated so I'm not trying it.

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GiGGLED420@reddit

I was in the same boat at my old place, 100% worth buying a portable hob.

Just need to check two things on whatever ones you’re looking at, the first and most important is to check what it’s like at low power. A lot of hobs got low temp by just turning the induction on and off at a medium setting. If you are into cooking this may be an issue if you cook things that need low temps like simmering or even making scrambled eggs. Unfortunately this can be hard to check before buying, best bet is to look at reviews of each model and see if anyone mentions it.

Secondly it may sound obvious but check the cooking area and make sure it’s big enough for your pans. Some of them may say they suit up to a 12” pan but the actual coil may only be like 6” or 8”. Try to get one that has a coil closer to b the size of your biggest pan. They will typically also have a smaller coil that will make it work for smaller ones.

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RoosterExtreme872@reddit (OP)

My parents have one that cycles between on and off for lower temps. It’s a fucking nightmare, food sizzling one second and then cold the next. Ridiculous way to cook food haha

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Classic_Mammoth_9379@reddit

My induction broke and APC overnight did an _awful_ job at getting the replacement to me so I bought a cheap portable one from ebay for £18, it feels cheap and terrible and the one I have doesn't have particularly granular controls but it works absolutely fine and I use it occasionally to run from a battery with inverter. It's just a massive coil in a box so it's pretty simple stuff.

200W is about 8A and a standard UK socket supports 13A appliances so it's fine. That top end figure is also probably a lie, my 2000W one seems to top out closer to 1200W anyway.

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Internal-Leadership3@reddit

I've a single induction hob that I use for doing fried chicken in the garden to avoid house smells.

Have also used it for steak once or twice, it will get a pan ludicrously hot.

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RoosterExtreme872@reddit (OP)

Can you share what brand / where you bought it please?

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Internal-Leadership3@reddit

Can't I'm afraid, it was a FB marketplace purchase and is unbranded.

It's a 2000w model. Put a nice heavy bottomed pan on to preheat for a minute and you could cook a cow ebooks l whole.

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RoosterExtreme872@reddit (OP)

Ah no worries, sounds like 2000w is what I need anyways. Cheers

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PatTheCatMcDonald@reddit

You can draw up to 3.1kw continuous through a single 13 amp plug socket.

Probably though, the one you got will work, just leave it on 4 out of 5 for 4 minutes. Takes a while for the heat to transfer from an electric hob to the searing pan. Compared to gas.

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dbxp@reddit

Need to be careful there aren't other high draw devices on the same breaker, might have issues if you're simultaneously running the kettle.

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RoosterExtreme872@reddit (OP)

Thanks both for the advice

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CriticalMine7886@reddit

My wife had a landlord who wouldn't fix the stove - lived for a year or more with a single induction hob, and a halogen convection oven (the ones that light up like a light house). Worked a dream, and works as an overflow hob now we have a proper stove to use.

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UnremarkableCake@reddit

I bought a Tefal portable induction hob when I need it, and it was a lifesaver. It works incredibly well.

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sprainedmind@reddit

Yeah, when we had the kitchen redone we had a temporary cooking area set up for a bit including a single plug-in induction hob. Worked pretty well really. Provided you have the right pans then they're pretty good and more than powerful enough to cook properly on.

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Treeandtroll@reddit

Doing a house refurbishment, we have used a portable double hob for a year. It's convinced us to get an induction cooker when the kitchen is done.

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Stooshie_Stramash@reddit

We've a Samsung 4 ring hob and it's generally very good, quick easy to clean and the timer feature is brilliant. The downsides are that woks dont work well with it in that there's no flame to go up the sides, we ended up staining it because of a pot with a dirty bottom and after a couple of years there's now a few scores on it too. We also had to replace our frying pan as it wasn't ferritic.

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ClarifyingMe@reddit

When I lived abroad I got one and it worked fine but that country is ahead of us in that tech.

In the UK we had a cannister fire one, but I haven't seen that in years, it almost feels like a dream.

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