This Portable Induction Cooktop Is the Hero That Got Me Through a Kitchen Remodel

CNET

5 days ago

Weeks before we started our kitchen remodel, we asked for advice from friends and neighbors about how they survived the experience. But nothing truly prepares you for the daily inconvenience of not having a fully functioning kitchen. While my kids would've voted to eat at a local taqueria whenever possible, I was determined to continue cooking at home -- and make better than passable meals everyone would eat. After a failed attempt at using a microwave (I don't want to talk about it), I bought a Duxtop portable induction cooktop burner, put it on the workbench in the garage and made every meal on it through the rest of the remodel.
The Duxtop portable cooktop typically goes for $139, but right now you can get it for about $10 off at Amazon.
How does an induction cooktop burner work?
I didn't really understand till I got one, but an induction cooktop generates heat by creating a magnetic field that flows into a metal pan. Not all metal pans will work -- my aluminum pans remained as cold as my disconnected gas range. Instead, you need a pan or pot made of a magnetic metal like cast iron or stainless steel. I have several enameled cast iron pots that worked great, and I bought a Tramontina stainless steel 10-inch pan for frying.
I started simply, making pasta, using sauce out of a jar, but by the end of the remodel, I was making Baja fish tacos from scratch and homemade Bolognese sauce. And I was surprised how much I loved cooking on it. My family started avoiding me while I was in the garage cooking because I'd boast about how amazing induction was. "Look!" I'd tell them. "The cooktop stays cool!" Or, "Check this out! When I take the pot off the cooktop, it pauses heating!"
During a kitchen-warming party we threw for our neighbors after our new kitchen was finished, I learned our friend across the street had the same love for her induction cooktop. We huddled like allies, devoted to this magnetic object.
Now that the kitchen is done, I'm thinking of ways I can keep using the cooktop. Maybe, when I'm cooking a big meal and need an extra burner, I can set it up on the counter. Maybe I can use it outdoors during a cookout. Or maybe I can give it to one of my kids as they set up their own home. I actually love it so much, when it comes time to swap out our gas range, I'm going to get an induction cooktop.
For more recommendations about kitchen staples we've personally tested and loved, read about our favorite cookware sets and our favorite chef's knife.