Hi Cathy,
We got the Sunpentown (sp?) induction hot plate when we first started thinking about induction. It works okay, but doesn't give you the full range of temps as a cooktop. The price was right, only about $100. Also, now that we have a 4 hob cooktop, it's great to pull out if we need a fifth burner.

Good luck!

Go to this website. It's an incredibly helpful site that lists essentially every induction hotplate available in the US, plus much more information.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Induction Site

I would suggest you read all the positives on induction on this site. I do not recall anyone that has purchased an induction that wished they had not. I would suggest you look for an extra 6 in and get a 36 in. The extra space and spread out are great. Mind you I'm coming from a Jenn Air downdraft with only 2 burners and the side grill.

I have a 1600wt Berghoff induction hob which is my principle cooking surface in my temp kitchen. It works great compared to my now-demolished Kenmore smoothtop, but then, how could anything be worse? It heats up and cools down quickly, although it is slower boiling water than an electric kettle (and cost 5x more!)

I'm not sure what role this toy will have in my new kitchen which will be equipped with a 6 burner 36" AG range. Induction is not suitable for every kitchen. Some of us don't have room for separate cooktops and wall ovens

I had seen that website before, but didn't save the link. I read a lot about this type of stove on this and the Kitchen forums, but have not been on a lot over the summer (too much work in the garden).

My husband wants me to make very sure I want this type of stove. We are major DIY'er and have been renovating our old farmhouse for the last five years. It's actually been more of a rebuild than anything else.

One of the first things we did was move the kitchen into what had been the dining room, as the new bathroom was going where the kitchen had been. So for the last four years I've had a "temporary" kitchen. However we did rebuild the floor, walls and ceiling in the room first. I had not planned on having a separate cook top and oven to begin with. Going with a separate cook top means relocation where the oven is - which means running new electrical wires and relocating the vent for the hood - cutting a new hole in our 3 year old roof.

I'm about 99% sure I want this type of stove (except for the cost part LOL!). But if getting the hot plate and using it this fall will give my husband the assurance I won't be unhappy after all the work is done (most of which he will be doing), then it's a small price to pay.

Cathy

As someone who has spent the last week trying to talk himself INTO induction for practical reasons, the threads that I keep finding are turning me off. Humming noise in particular, which at least on a few threads people seem to agree is nature of the beast and an irritant, several comments, both positive and negative, about customer service when dealing with blown circuit boards, etc., which to me indicate that these are common, disagreement on which cookware works well (and quietly) which has me wondering just how expensive THAT experiment will be...

Ok, all my negativity aside for a moment, from what I have read here the Sunpenton will barely give you a taste of the benefits of induction, and will likely not give you a taste of the draw-backs either. Unfortunately a Cooktek, which is probably the best test case, is prohibitively expensive to be just a tester. Does your longterm use include access to a 220V outlet? That could make the cost more palatable.

My Berghoff hob has a hum/buzz similar to that of a hot-air popcorn popper. I've never seen or used a built in induction unit to compare. I'd find this one most annoying if it were on for an extended period, or if it was my main kitchen cooking appliance, instead of a temp cooker while camping in my basement.

We have a Supentown 1800W commercial unit which was sold by a Subway store when they abandoned the idea of cooking in-store. It's been our only cooking surface in our temp kitchen during our renovation. It certainly puts the original POS gas cooktop we are replacing to shame.

Interestingly though, it apparently emits an extremely high frequency whine (i.e. "mosquito noise") that my teenagers can hear but my tired over 50 ears cannot. When it's turned up over 50%, DD cannot stay in the same room, it's too painful. I'd make sure to vet any permanent induction cooktop for noise, and suggest bringing a teenager to be careful.

Just so you know, you can't get anywhere near the power of a regular induction cooktop with a hot plate (different power requirements). You will get to experience induction, but you will not get to "see if it works like people say". For that, you need a cooktop.

Use high quality cookware. It makes a huge noticeable difference.

Check to see that your home has the available electric service and wiring for the cooktop as well. You'll need a dedicated 50 amp breaker AND line whereas most radiant electric cooktops use 30 or 40amp breakers and line.

During our remodel transition I needed a single burner. Bought a Fagor for $200. Well worth it. Heats rapidly, minimal ringing with Sur la Table cookware, and it cleans easily.

I have the Stupen and a Cooktek. The Cooktek has a loud fan but it is intended for commercial kitchen use so no surprise.

The 'clicking' noises happen with my cheap Circulon pans but not the AllClad.

Concerning the clicking: The microwave is louder. The exhaust fan is louder. The TV is louder. The refridgerator is louder. I don't consider it to be a big deal and certainly not a deal breaker down the road when I remodel.

I just posted this on the other thread about portable induction units...

After moving from my home and leaving my 5 zone DeDietrich induction cooktop behind, I decided I couldn't live without induction (the new house has an old radiant smoothtop, however the hole in the counter top is not right for the smaller units and I don't believe there is enough "juice" for the 36" units) and so, I plunked down $500 for the portable Viking from Amazon.com. I can't say enough how pleased I am with it. It's powerful and intuitive. Love the dial control and all the settings. I cook everything on that one unit and haven't heated up the old radiant cooktop in months. The best part is I can move it anywhere I want! I could see buying two of these portables and using them indefinitely!

I originally wanted a line of Cooktek doubles and a Cooktek wok single. DW pointed out that when one person cooks a meal (meaning her), it helps to be able to see into all pans, and a set of Cookteks would take up a lot of counter space that the cook would have to roam over.

We ended up with a Kenmore 5-hob induction unit on sale and a Cooktek wok hob. The Kenmore does not make annoying noises, so far as I have tested it. The fan will turn on when using the power-boost mode, but it is barely audible. It may get louder if all hobs are being exercised at high power. That hasn't been tested yet.

What makes noise, in tests so far, is a Demeyere induction-ready 4L tea pot, but only on power boost when the water is approaching boiling temperature at the bottom. (The heat input rate is so great that the water close to the bottom can be boiling and the water near the surface be at 160F. Convection within the water isn't rapid enough to keep the temperature gradiant low.) At setting "9," the normal maximum, the pot noise is slight. I think the steel is vibrating with the localized water motion, but it could be vibrating in some mode that the induction currents are inducing.

To get 2qt of water in the Demeyere to 180F average temperature takes less than 5 min on the left-front hob, whereas a Corningware 2qt teapot on our old Litton coil electric cookcenter took about 16 minutes, and the radiant surface of my neighbor's Termador cooktop in a test using the Corningware took at least 18 minutes. (In these measurements, all containers were covered, but they do have exposed spouts.)

kas