Are you someone who loves traveling in your RV but you struggle when it comes to finding good food to eat when you’re away?
Maybe the local restaurants in the area you’re staying in are all terrible, or you’re in the middle of nowhere and have to settle for a cold tin of tuna or ready-made cold pasta.
This might also be the case if you’re living in a dorm room – you’re a student so there’s no way you can even afford to eat out and you’re fed up of living off cold foods when you’re in your dorm because you don’t have any sort of device to heat it up with.
Whatever your situation might be, we’re sure you’d love to be able to heat your food up all of the time, or, even better, cook an actual hot meal for yourself.
It’s for this exact reason that you should invest in a portable induction cooktop because, realistically, who likes eating cold food?
Portable induction cooktops are a wonderful invention, as they’re small, simple to clean, and safer because they cool down super quickly when you finish with them and they give you more consistent and efficient temperatures than gas or electric cooktops do.
In this guide we’ve listed all of the best portable induction cooktops available on the market, so you can solve all of your problems and be far more satisfied because you’ll actually be able to eat hot food on a 24/7 basis!
OUR TOP PICK
Duxtop 9600LS Portable Induction Cooktop
EDITORS CHOICE
NuWave PIC FLEX Precision Induction Cooktop
BEST VALUE
Breville PolyScience Control Freak Portable Induction Cooktop
OUR TOP PICK
Duxtop 9600LS Portable Induction Cooktop
This Duxtop portable induction cooktop is super sleek and modern looking and it’s very reliable.
It’s extremely compact and lightweight, making it super easy to transport and carry around with you for whenever you may need it.
You can choose from 20 different power levels, ranging from 100W to 1,800W, and 20 different temperature settings, which allows for a great amount of versatility and it means you really can cook anything on there, from warming up beans to sizzling a juicy steak!
It has a touch control panel with an LCD screen and it comes with a safety lock on it to stop the timer and cooking settings from being altered once you’ve set them, so you don’t need to worry about accidentally burning or undercooking your food when you have something frying or boiling on the cooktop.
The control panel is also slanted at a slight angle so that you can see it easily at all times, even from a distance.
It comes with an automatic timer that you can set for up to ten hours – you can perfectly slow cook something without having to keep an eye on it at all!
It even comes with a boil button, which will instantly set the timer to ten minutes and turn the power level up to ten to bring the water to a rapid boil for you.
Added to all of that, it’s also impressively easy to clean, as its surface is made from non-stick glass, meaning all you have to do is wipe it down with a cloth.
Pros
- Easy to transport – it’s extremely compact and lightweight, which makes it easy to transport to wherever you need to take it!
- Versatile power and temperature settings – it has 20 different power settings and 20 different temperature settings, allowing you to cook all types of food to perfection
- LCD touch control panel with safety lock – makes it look very sleek and the child safety lock means the settings can’t accidentally be altered whilst something is cooking on it
- Automatic timer – can set a timer for up to ten hours, so you don’t have to constantly watch over your food or look at your clock
- Boil button – clicking this button will bring a pan of water to the boil and set an automatic timer on for ten minutes
Cons
- Expensive – there are cheaper options available on the market
Also Available At
EDITORS CHOICE
NuWave PIC FLEX Precision Induction Cooktop
This NuWave precision induction cooktop is known for being portable, powerful and smart, which are all essentials for a good quality induction cooktop!
This cooktop comes with a smart feature that lets you program your favorite cooking times and temperatures into it.
It has 100 hours of programmable memory, so it’ll seem as though you have your own personal chef in the kitchen as it will quite literally do everything for you.
It means you won’t have to constantly try to remember all the different cooking times for different foods and recipes.
And it also has a delay function, which means it will wait to begin cooking at a time that’s most convenient for you.
You can either choose to have it on 600W, 900W or 1,300W. It gives you precise temperature control as well, and if you have in 1,300W you can go up in increments of ten degrees, with your lowest option being 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and your highest option being 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
A nice additional safety feature is that the cooktop will automatically turn off once the timer hits zero, meaning you won’t be at risk of overcooking anything if you’re not in the room to hear the timer go off!
It’s also extremely easy to clean, as all you have to do is wipe it down with a cloth after spraying some cleaning product onto it.
Pros
- Smart feature – has 100 hours of programmable memory which allows you to insert your favorite cooking times and temperatures into it so you don’t have to remember exact times and temperatures for all of your favorite recipes
- Delay function – it has a button you can press so that it delays cooking your food until a convenient time for you
- Good temperature range – when it’s programmed onto 1,300W you can cook food between the temperatures of 100 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit
- Safety feature – the cooktop will automatically turn off when the timer finishes, so your food will never burn when you’re out of the room
- Easy to clean – it’s extremely easy to clean, as all you have to do is spray it with normal cleaning product then wipe it with a cloth
Cons
- Could be quieter – it makes a fairly loud buzzing noise when it’s turned on
Also Available At
BEST VALUE
Breville PolyScience Control Freak Portable Induction Cooktop
If you’re looking to splurge on something premium, this Breville PolyScience portable induction cooktop is the perfect choice for you – it’s even used in some of the biggest restaurants in the world!
This cooktop amazingly measures, sets and holds a total of 397 cooking temperatures ranging from 86 to 482 degrees Fahrenheit, which means you can cook anything you want with complete accuracy.
It also has a Probe Control monitor that controls the temperature of liquids.
There’s a Probe Control for wet cooking and for oil when frying. This means it senses the temperature of the liquid and stabilizes it while your food is cooking.
Similar to the Probe Control, this cooktop also checks the temperature 20 times each second so it can automatically adjust the power settings to stop the temperature from rising or falling too much.
Another excellent feature is that you can pick what sort of speed you want the cooktop to heat up at.
So, as certain foods need to be either heated up quickly or slowly, here you can actually choose whether you want the temperature to rise at a slow, medium or fast speed so it can cook your food in the way it was really meant to be cooked!
You also don’t have to remember cooking times or temperatures, as you can save all of your favorite cooking settings and recall them whenever you need to with this cooktop.
Added to all of this, it’s also extremely durable as it was designed for commercial kitchens, meaning it will be able to take anything you can throw at it whilst cooking and won’t ever break!
Pros
- Has a range of cooking temperatures – it holds a total of 397 cooking temperatures, which ensures brilliant cooking accuracy
- Probe Control monitor – this will monitor the temperature of liquids such as oil or water and stabilize the temperature so it doesn’t get too hot or cold
- Frequently checks the temperature – it checks the temperature 20 times every second and automatically adjusts the power so that the temperature doesn’t rise or fall too much
- Speed settings – you can choose whether you want food to heat up at a slow, medium or fast rate
- Memory – you can save all of your favorite cooking times and temperatures onto it and recall them whenever you need them!
Cons
- Expensive – far more expensive than others available on the market
Also Available At
RUNNER UP
Hamilton Beach Portable Single Induction Cooktop
This Hamilton portable induction cooktop is very affordable while still offering great quality!
This cooktop comes with flexible cooking controls where you can either choose a heat level from one to ten or cook using an exact temperature ranging from 180 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means you can use whichever one suits you best and your cooking temperatures will always be accurate.
When you boil 1.5 quarts of water from room temperature, it will go from zero to boiling within seven minutes, which is much quicker than any electric cooktop and means you won’t be waiting around too long!
You can fit any pan size on this cooktop, from a tiny frying pan to a large saucepan, meaning you don’t have to worry about whether you have the right pan sizes to be able to use the cooktop.
A nice added feature is the fact that it also has a cooking timer that goes up to 150 minutes and will automatically turn off the heat when the timer reaches zero, which means you don’t have to worry about your food burning if you’re not in the room when the timer goes off.
It’s also extremely easy to clean – you just have to use a smooth surface wipe to get any dirt off and it will be sparkling again afterwards!
Pros
- Flexible cooking controls – you can either choose a heat setting of one through to ten or choose an exact temperature of 180 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
- Boils fairly quickly – water will go from zero to boiling within seven minutes when you boil 1.5 quarts of water starting at room temperature
- Fits different sized pans – you’ll be able to fit any pan size on the cooktop, no matter how large it is!
- Timer – has a timer that can be set for up to 150 minutes and once it goes off, it will automatically turn the heat off for you
- Easy to clean – all you have to do to clean it is wipe it down with smooth surface wipes!
Cons
- Only has one power mode – it can only be run at 1800 watts, so you won’t be able to change the power mode to save energy
Also Available At
RUNNER UP
SPT Sunpentown Portable Induction Cooktop
If you’re on the lookout for a portable induction cooktop that’s extremely slim, sleek looking and easy to transport around with you no matter where you go, then this Sunpentown cooktop is the perfect answer for you!
The best part about this cooktop is that it’s very easy to store in a cabinet or take traveling with you since it’s thin and only weighs 4.5 pounds.
It allows you to cook flexibly, as it comes with seven power settings ranging from 100 to 1,300W, and 13 temperature settings ranging from 100 to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plus it also has cook and warm modes, meaning you can choose when you want to actually cook something or when you just want to keep food warm.
You can also time your cooking, as this cooktop has a timer that you can set for anywhere up to eight hours.
It also comes with a touch control lock on it for safety purposes, so that you or your kids don’t accidentally turn the temperature up too high and risk burning the house or campervan down!
Pros
- Slim design – this makes it very easy to store in your cabinets and carry around with you on vacation
- Different power and temperature settings – it comes with seven different power settings and 13 different temperature settings, giving you great flexibility when it comes to cooking
- Cook and warm modes – has a cook mode for when you want to actually cook food and a warm mode for when you simply need to keep your food warm
- Timer – it has a timer that you can set for up to eight hours so you never forget to take your food off the hob!
- Touch control lock – has a lock for safety purposes so you or your kids don’t accidentally turn the heat up on it
Cons
- Heat could go lower – Even the lowest temperature setting can be a bit too high for some people
Also Available At
Buyer’s Guide
When it comes to buying a portable induction cooktop, there are definitely a few things you’ll want to consider before actually purchasing the correct one for you to suit your own personal requirements.
Even though a portable induction cooktop isn’t a fixed item in your home, it still needs to be of a high quality, especially if you travel around a lot in your RV or you want it for your dorm room!
Read our buyer’s guide below to find out which factors you need to consider before investing in your perfect portable induction cooktop.
Size
Considering a portable cooktop is meant to be easy to carry around with you, you’ll need it to be extremely compact, so that it’s designed for simple transportation and will fit on your work surface or wherever you decide to put it without any issues.
So, for this reason, make sure it’s small enough so you can achieve this, but not too small that you can’t actually fit most of your larger pans onto the cooktop.
Temperature Settings
With any cooktop, it’s important that it has a good range of temperature settings so that you can cook every kind of food as accurately as possible, without the possibility of either undercooking it or burning it.
With most of the best portable cooktops, you’ll notice you can select a varied temperature range, from a very low heat of around 100 degrees Fahrenheit to a very high heat of around 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some smart cooktops even come with one touch buttons, such as a ‘boil’ button, where it will automatically set the temperature for you to boil your food!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do I Need A Portable Induction Cooktop?
Portable induction cooktops allow you to cook absolutely anywhere, even outside of your home. They’re particularly great for having in dorm rooms or in your RV if you like to travel a lot.
