10 Reasons to Use a Portable Cooktop

Portable cooktops have been around for quite some time. However, up until recently, these were nothing more than electric hotplates or small gas burners for single pans, which come with some serious issues, mainly due to the quality of cooking, safety, and the energy being consumed.

Yet, recently, the portable induction cooktop has become quite popular. Induction cooking is of course very fast, reliable, energy efficient, and safe.

There are a variety of reasons as to why you might want to consider going for a portable induction cooktop. Here we have 10 reasons to use a portable cooktop, a portable induction cooktop. 

1. Induction is the Fastest

One of the reason why using a portable induction cooktop is beneficial is because these boil water, cook food, and get hot much faster than any other type of cooktop. Yes, there are gas and basic electric cooktops, things like portable hotplates, and more; however, these can all take quite a while to get a pot or pan up to temperature.

When it comes to portable cooktops, such as single burners or hot plates, this can take an extremely long time. However, an induction cooktop, even a small and portable one, can boil a liter of water in about a minute flat.

Induction makes cooking much faster, so you can get to eating quicker. Portable induction cooktops are excellent time savers for when you want to eat now. However, be sure to have your ingredients ready when you turn the induction cooktop on. These get hot so fast that if you start chopping that onion after you turn it on, the pan will start to overheat by the time you’re done chopping.

2. Safety First

Another reason why portable induction cooktops are so beneficial is because they are much safer and more reliable than other forms of cooking. Hot plates, gas burners, and anything else of the sort all get very hot, and sometimes even have open flames. Of course, this means that you can burn yourself. Moreover, generic hotplates are responsible for countless fires.

However, with induction cooktops, they don’t actually get hot at all. With induction cooktops, it’s the pots and pans that get hot, not the cooktop itself. Therefore, this greatly lowers the risk of burning yourself and causing a fire.

Induction cooktops are much safer to use, especially when compared to portable hot plates or gas burners. Also, keep in mind that induction cooktops shut off automatically when there is no magnetic pot or pan on them.

3. They are More Mess-Free

The next reason why you might want to consider using a portable induction cooktop is because they are much cleaner to use than other types of cooktops. In other words, they don’t make nearly as much of a mess.

With normal portable hot plates and other portable cooktops, if you spill food or water on them, that food or water is going to burn, dry, and get stuck on. That burnt food not only smells bad, but it can also be hard to clean once it’s really dried and caked on.

Because induction cooktops don’t actually get hot themselves, when food and water get spilled on them, it will not burn or cake on nearly as bad. Sure, if left uncleaned, the food and liquid will still dry and harden, but it’s not nearly as bad as with other types of cooktops.

However, on a side note, be aware that if induction cooktops do get very dirty, they are not overly easy to clean, as you cannot use any harsh chemical cleaners or any kind of abrasive material to clean them. It’s a trade-off to think about, although a trade-off that still leans in the favor of induction cooktops.

4. More Responsive Cooking 

The next benefit that comes with using a portable induction cooktop is that it is much more responsive when compared to a gas burner or something like a hot plate. For example, if your pot or pan is too hot, if you turn the flame down on a gas burner, it’s going to take a few minutes for that temperature change to register and really take effect in the pot.

In other words, it’s much easier to burn food with a gas burner or hot plate, because temperature or heat level adjustments don’t take effect nearly as fast.

However, with induction cooktops, when you turn the heat up or down, that change takes effect virtually immediately. If food is not cooking hot enough or is being cooked too hot, you can make split second adjustments that take effect immediately. It’s just a much more responsive and reliable way to cook, and this makes for an overall better result at the end of the day.

5. Energy Efficiency

Being energy efficient is a big deal in today’s world. The days of using trucks with massive engines and using appliances that eat through energy are over. Now is the time when people have finally realized that energy-efficient appliances are the way to go.

For one, energy efficient appliances, due to not using as much energy as non-efficient appliances, are much better for the environment. Using as little energy as possible means taxing our fragile eco-system as little as possible.

Moreover, there is also the financial aspect to consider as well. The less energy you have to use to cook, the less money is being wasted. Well, induction cooktops are well over 90% energy efficient, which means that there is only minimal energy loss when cooking. This can be compared to gas or basic electric cooktops, which can waste over 50% of the heat and energy which they generate. Induction cooking is just a much more eco-friendly and cost effective way of cooking.

6. Portability

We are talking about portable cooktops, specifically portable induction cooktops, and of course, portable is listed right in the name. The point is that portable induction cooktops, due to their very low profiles and compact designs, are highly portable.

Sure, portable gas burners and hot plates can be good for travel too. However, gas burners can be clunky, plus you need gas, and hotplates are just too big and cumbersome.

Induction cookers can come in very small, compact, and lightweight packages that are great in terms of portability. This is the kind of thing you can take with you wherever you go. As long as you have a power source, an induction cooktop is excellent for portability, much better than any other option out there.

7. Great for Small Spaces

So, we have already covered how induction cooktops are very portable, but there is more to it than just traveling with the single burner cooktop. Sure, if you are at home, you’ve got a nice stove. However, it’s not like you can take that stove with you. What if you have an RV, a boat, or anything else of the sort?

If you go camping or go out for a road trip, chances are that you still want to cook, but of course, you only have a limited amount of space to work with. If you want to cook in a confined space, and are fine with only using a single burner cooktop, then a portable induction cooktop makes for a great option.

This could even be the case if you have a very small apartment, live in a camper, or live in an RV. If you only have a limited amount of space to work with, a portable induction cooktop makes for a great way to cook while saving space.

8. An Emergency Backup

The next reason why you want to consider using a portable induction cooktop, just a single burner model, is because it can make for a very good backup in the event of an emergency.

In other words, what happens when your cooking range breaks down? You are about to cook a nice dinner for you and your special somebody, but all of a sudden your main cooktop runs out of gas or just doesn’t turn on. Now you are in a bit of a bind. How else are you going to cook?

If you have a portable induction cooktop at your disposal, you have a backup. Having one of these stored in a kitchen cabinet can make the difference between being able to cook dinner for that night or being forced to order delivery, or even worse. A portable induction cooktop makes for a great backup if all else fails.

9. A Great Starting Point

If you have never cooked with an induction cooktop before, you might be a little weary of them. The fact of the matter is that a full-scale induction range is not cheap, not in the least.

In fact, if you are looking to buy a full size 4 or 5 burner induction cooktop, you have probably noticed that you will drop a few thousand dollars at the least. This might be intimidating, especially if you are not sure how the induction cooktop will perform or if you like cooking with it.

Well, if you go for a small 1-burner portable induction cooktop, you can get a less expensive option to experiment with. Portable induction cooktops are much smaller and due to this, they cost a lot less. These make for great starting points for anybody who wants to get into induction cooking but is not sure about committing to a full size kitchen range.

10. Great for Special Projects

Portable induction cooktops can be used for more than just basic cooking. If you are into making special arts and crafts, you can your own foods, or you want to brew your own beers, you will need a heat source. You may not want to set up a full cooking range in your basement or garage; that would be very expensive, not to mention space consuming.

With a small, portable induction cooktop, you can do all of these projects without the need for a dangerous gas burner, an inefficient hot plate, or an expensive full-size kitchen range.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that portable cooktops come with many benefits on their own. This is even true for gas and basic hot plates. However, if you mix induction cooking with portability, you enter a whole new world. Portable induction cooktops are much safer to use than hot plates and gas, not to mention that they are much more responsive, safer, and more energy efficient. Portable induction cooktops are great in a pinch and they can help you test out induction cooking.