List Price: $449.00
Sale Price: $355.03
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I got this induction unit about a month ago as education while we ponder a kitchen remodel. I currently have a gas cooktop, with all its pros and cons, but in view of all the positive reviews for induction I had to give it a try. Bottom line up front: It's a keeper, but mostly because I don't think there is an induction burner that's better, not because I'm particularly impressed. I do like the way the heat goes only into the pan and that cleaning the surface is much simpler than getting down under the grate of a gas stove.
I first got the Duxtop equivalent to Mr. Induction, but returned it because I couldn't find a decent simmer with its 10 heating levels. This model has 20 levels, which is much better but still not the continuous control that I'd like. In the "cook" mode, level 1, the lowest, is just above a simmer. In the "temp" mode simmer is easier to find (more about that below), but I'm still not fully happy with the control of induction vs. gas. It would be nice if there were a few levels below the heat level of "1" on this burner. On the other hand, browning onions on the 12-15 range of "cook" is excellent, and 5-7 is a good fit to medium heat called for in recipes.
In the "Temp" mode, 180 F is close to a simmer, 200 F is bubbling well above a simmer, and 170 F shows no bubble at all, much less than a simmer. So, again, I'd like more control around the boiling point in both modes. Perhaps asking that boiling is close to 212 F is being too particular. I'd be happy with the offset if there were finer control around boiling.
Two other points I find to be less than ideal: The heating element is about 3/4-inch off center toward the control panel. This is just annoying to the perfectionist who may prefer the pan centered on the rings on the top surface (see photo), but one wonders how it could happen. Finally, the burner is sitting on a very level counter, but without correction fluids (oil, butter, scrambled eggs) flow toward the back of the pan. Adding a couple of 1/8" thick felt pads to the back legs levels the unit and has the added advantage that it can be easily slid back out of the way when not in use or brought close to the counter edge for cooking by simply picking up the front legs and sliding on the felt pads at the back. The standard rubber feet do not slide on the counter, by design.
Yes, there are many low-temperature setting, perhaps good for melting chocolate, etc. In the "temp" mode there are several settings below boiling, the lowest of which is "90 F." However, the temperature control does not seem to be proportional; the unit appears to be either on or off. I have not accurately measured the temperature overshoot and undershoot while this cycling occurs, but I'll bet it's substantial.
A final note: because the heating appears to happen in a circle of 4.5" diameter, it helps to have pots with thick conductive bases to spread the heat over more of the pan bottom. Cuisinart GreenGourmet Tri-Ply and Zwilling J.A. Henckels Thermolon Spirit cookware do a pretty good job. I'll review these as I get more experience with them and their competitors.
On balance, I'm intrigued by induction, but I hope it can be better than demonstrated by this burner. From what I can glean from induction cooktop ads, most of them do have a limited number of power settings, which limits control. I don't know if any have proportional temperature control. Please reply if you know of any. My remodel will likely have both gas and induction modules if I can find an induction module with continuous heat control and proportional temperature control, but I'm not holding my breath.
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