Induction cooktops have a number of benefits over gas or traditional electric, radiant heating elements. They are faster, they are safer to use, and they are even easier to clean. Induction cooking is more energy efficient as well so it can save you money in the long run but the upfront costs for induction cooktops is usually a bit more than it would be for gas or electric. To help our visitors make a good decision and pick the right induction cooktop we wanted to put together this brief induction cooktop buyers guide to steer people in the right direction.
We mentioned briefly that induction cooking is faster and safer and I would like to explain why. An induction cooktop generates heat by creating a magnetic field that reacts with your cookware. Because of this, only your pots and pans are heating up and there is not a lot of wasted heat. Induction cooking is also a lot faster, an induction cooktop can boil water up to 50% faster than a gas cooktop. Induction cooktops are safer as well. Once your cookware is removed from the cooktop, the cooktop cools rapidly and this reduces the risk of someone getting burned. Induction cooktops are also easy to clean because they are seamless and don’t have any nooks and crannies that food and liquids can get into.
So what should you look for when you are shopping for an induction cooktop? We mentioned above that the upfront cost can be a bit higher so you will have to take a look at the prices and set your budget. High-end cooktops can go for $4000 or more. A very good unit can be purchased for between $2000 and $3000. And there are portable units with a single burner for as little as $50 to $60. If you are remodeling your kitchen and you want to have a built-in, induction cooktop you will have to be prepared to spend between $2000 and $3000.
Once you’ve figured out how much you are willing to spend its time to start doing a little comparison shopping. Some cooktops have different features and once you start to compare different items you will figure out which features you must have and which ones you can live without. You can also start comparing prices and find something that has the features you need that is still in your budget.
One of the most important tips we can give our visitors in this induction cooktop buyers guide is to research user reviews online. There are induction cooktops from a lot of different manufacturers and many of them will have similar features and be in the same price range. To know if a particular cooktop is truly a quality product it helps to listen to the opinions of customers that have bought and used a particular cooktop. A few minutes spent researching reviews online can mean the difference between buying a quality unit that will serve you well for a very long time or buying a unit that will break down and give you a lot of headaches.
