Driling further into induction cooktops

17 years ago

As we try to pick "the right" induction cooktop, the choice of the 12" products seems to be between (sorted by the "street price"):

Fagor's IFA-30AL Â $1099.

Diva's DDP-2 Â $1350.

KÃ¼ppersbusch's EKI326 Â between $1500 and $1600.

Now, Fagor makes them for Diva, so the first two have the same guts (though Fagor's is noticeably cheaper), which makes selection easier. The third is more expensive... All three have the same maximum power (3600Watt).

So, going with Fagor seems the best, but what about features? All of these products claim "cooking programs" Â which are these? For example, one feature we both would dearly love is simple water-boiling Â we don't like our electric tea-kettle, but boiling tea on a gas range results in one burned-out kettle every six months or so around here... Would any of the induction offerings Â they all claim to have "overheating detection" Â be able to just heat up water and turn off, when the temperature reaches 100Â°C (boiling)?

Any other features one may have, that others don't?

Another concern is the country of origin Â I always make a conscientious effort to avoid things made in China (North Korea, Cuba, and Iran don't seem to export much anyway). Where are these makers make their wares?

Thanks for comments. Yours,
doofus

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Comments (7)

swickbb
17 years ago
I'm interested in this as well. What about the noise factor on these three?
margareta_mi
17 years ago
Water boiling in a kettle would not trigger the overheating sensor - that sensor is for detecting overheating of the cooktop.
Some cooktops have timers that turn off the elements and some have timers that simply signal when the time set has elapsed. A cheap digital timer will help you too.
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davidro1
17 years ago
With an Instant Hot Water tank, I won't need to boil water again ! I'll use my induction cooktop for other cooking.

doofus, why are you limiting yourself to 12" devices, and why did you eliminate the $100 - $150 induction appliance? Fagor answers my emails so they would answer yours too. You could ask them to describe the disadvantages of their $100 induction plate.

One thing I don't "Get" is why kitchen-ey stuff often seems to be available either in $100 range, or in the $1000 range, but not in between. Fridges, ovens, induction, etc. Beats me why there are not more products at other price points on the scale.
weedmeister
17 years ago
My Cooktek has a temperature mode. There is a temperature sensor (apparently) underneath the center of the element. You can set the temperature to, say, 200F and the unit will heat the pot to that temperature and hold it. With the timer, you can set how long to hold it at that temperature.

It's not exact, in that the temperature sensor is not inside the pan but beneath it, but I've gotten used to how it works.

The drawback with the CookTek is that it is a commercial product. Which means it is LOUD.
weissman
17 years ago
Don't drill into your induction cooktop - you'll void the warranty :-)
doofus
Original Author
17 years ago
doofus, why are you limiting yourself to 12" devices

Because bigger ones are more expensive (even if by very little), but we never use more than two "burners" right now (rarely use more than one)... This is for a secondary kitchenette anyway Â the primary cooking will be happening in the main kitchen, for which a gas range (Capital, for they seem to be the only ones with a rotisserie) is planned. The kitchenette, on the other hand, will be primarily used for snacking and sandwich-making, so regular counter space will be more useful there, than an extra heating element. and why did you eliminate the $100 - $150 induction appliance?

The reviews I found explain the problems with the Max Burton device. It is a capable unit, apparently, but has shortcomings, which we'd rather not deal with:
- Minimum power output is 150Watt, whereas minimum power of on Diva/Fagor is 50Watt Â keeping something small (like a cup of tea) will work much better on a more expensive unit.
- Someone explained, that only the center of the pot/pan gets the hot, not the entire bottom.
- The thing is a noisy (high-frequency noise!) Â our kitchenette is "open" and any noises would be in the living room.
Fagor answers my emails so they would answer yours too. You could ask them to describe the disadvantages of their $100 induction plate.

Are you saying, they make the Max Burton unit too, or are you referring to some other "around $100" product, that I'm unaware of?
davidro1
17 years ago
On Fagor's web sit you will see they have one. I have seen it in stores but not heard it plugged in. I asked the store why not buy just this and not the bigger one (saving THOUSANDS). They couldn't list reasons. They just said the vaguest mumble. I don't "get it." There has GOT to be reasonS and many of them. One day I'll know, but today I'm still confused and wondering.