I'm Buying an Induction Burner This Amazon Prime Day—I'm Fed Up With My Terrible Stove

By Emily Johnson

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My apartment kitchen might be a good contestant on The Bachelorette: It’s sleek but substance-less. When I came to see the place, I definitely proved that I was in it for the wrong reasons. Beguiled by the fact that the range and fridge were stainless steel, and that the whole thing had recently been renovated, I failed to investigate whether they actually…worked well. In fact, the fridge leaks and the stove is electric, inconsistent, and cracked along the top.

My dream is an induction range. Induction stovetops come to temperature crazy fast, and allow for extreme precision and temperature control—the kind that gas and electric do not offer. They're also energy efficient: Induction cooktops actually make the cooking vessel the heat source, and as such, they use about 10 percent less energy than electric burners and up to half the energy of gas. They also remain cool to the touch after you remove the pots and pans. But, as a renter, I can’t just replace my range.

I can’t control the real estate or the dating markets, but I can buy a portable induction burner on sale during Amazon Prime Day. And it isn’t just any induction burner—it’s the one we’ve chosen as the best buy in our in-depth product review.

When we tested portable induction burners, we loved that this one from Duxtop offered the best temperature control of any of its competitors: It has 20 different power settings and a temperature range from 100–450°F. Because it’s common to see an immediate temperature spike when you fire up induction burners, it’s nice that this one regulates those temperatures extremely quickly, dropping it when it gets too hot and raising it when you add ingredients that lower the temperature of the pan. It also has an incredibly simple interface and is the easiest to clean thanks to its sleek glass surface with no crevices or crannies. Induction burners do tend to be a bit loud: There’s a fan inside the machines that whirs when they’re in use. This was the quietest of the bunch we tested, though.

Even if you’ve got a killer gas or an induction range at home, you can still benefit from one of these. Because beyond providing me with a better cooktop, it also provides me with an additional cooktop. This will give me a full extra burner in my tool kit, but also one that easily slides into a cabinet when I’m not using it. Since I can position it anywhere I want in my kitchen (as long as I’m within range of an outlet), I can also set it up right next to where I’m prepping, so the transition from slicing on my cutting board to sliding the food in the pan is as seamless as it gets. It’s a setup that makes you feel like you’re in a cooking show or one of those circa-2014 hands-and-pans Buzzfeed Tasty videos, which is kind of a fun vibe.

If this all sounds appealing, join me in snagging one of these excellent cooktops at a discount today. And remember, induction cooking requires cookware that’s induction compatible (aluminum and copper, for example, won’t work). But luckily, you can upgrade to the best stainless-steel pans at a discount right now too.