Is there a large portable induction burner that can heat a 12" pan?

April 29, 2024 8:33 AM

I have been using a Duxtop portable induction burner for a few years now, and I am totally converted -- I love it, and I use it for everything. The only thing I don't love is that it seems to only have a nine-inch coil, and that means that the max size pan I can use most effectively is a pan with a 10-inch base. Are there any induction burners that have a larger coil, and could actually heat all of the actual surface area of a proper 12-inch pan?

More details: for a variety of reasons, we can't install a full induction cooktop or range at this point, so I'm only looking for portable induction burners to try to solve this. I also know various methods for dealing with hotter/colder spots when using a larger pan, so I'm really just looking to see if anyone knows of (or ideally has experience with) portable induction burner models that fully support larger pans? if a product actually had this larger coil size/heating area, I'd be willing to spend a fair bit to solve this problem for our household. Likewise, if there was a professional grade or "prosumer" version or model, I'd happily consider something like that.

I've tried to look into this several times, and for whatever reason coil size does not seem to be one of the technical specs that get published in product descriptions. Amazon and other user reviews are very hit-or-miss, so I'm hoping the collective wisdom here can help me out. So, anyone got a truly massive induction burner that they've used and loved? Please let me know!

posted by Hadroed to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

I don’t have an induction burner of any sort, but I suspect the constraint here is the power available from typical residential receptacles. The product you linked to is rated for 1800w, which is all you can get from a common 120V, 15A circuit. The sort of burner you’re wishing for would either deliver the same amount energy, albeit maybe distributed slightly more broadly, or it would require a higher voltage and/or amperage receptacle to plug into, i.e. you’d be into the realm of commercial equipment rather than consumer products.
posted by jon1270 at 8:43 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Aha! While disappointing, that makes sense, and is extremely helpful in understanding why I am failing to find what I want -- super appreciated.

If I may tweak the request/AskMe, anyone ever dealt with a similar issue and found a useful alternative path?
posted by Hadroed at 8:48 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

Came to say what jon1270 did. The larger coil burner on my induction range draws some serious current.

The normal mitigation is a better pan (stainless clad aluminum or copper for fast heat distribution; cast iron and thick carbon steel have terrible conductance) and longer preheating.

When i need large surface area that gets hot reasonably evenly i use an outdoor propane griddle.
posted by supercres at 8:51 AM on April 29 [1 favorite]

I have the Vollrath 59500P Countertop Induction Burner, and have had no difficulties getting 12-inch pans screaming hot. I think the coil is around 10.5 inches. Alternatively, there are any number of countertop induction cookers with a 13- to 14-inch cooking surface. None of these is inexpensive. If you want a 13-inch cooking surface, I'd go with the Hatco IRNG-HC1-18 Rapide Cuisine heavy-duty countertop induction burner, which has 1,800 watts.
posted by slkinsey at 9:43 AM on April 29 [1 favorite]

I think you just need a pan that conducts heat well rather than worry about the size of induction coils. On most gas burners only the center is heated.
posted by kschang at 10:25 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

You say that you can't install a full induction cooktop, but can you install a 240 volt outlet? For example, this portable unit specs out at 3500W, 240v, and an "11 inch heating range". Searching for a "140 volt induction cooktop" will get you more results. Then search for the word "inch" in the product description and reviews.

(There's also this unit, which somehow claims to be 12 inches, 3000w and 11v. Not sure how that's possible, but there it is.)
posted by Winnie the Proust at 10:56 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

I had that exact same model of induction burner, and found that material matters. While any ferrous pot/pan will work with induction, cast iron and high-carbon steel would routinely work much better, and heat more evenly than even our all-clad stainless steel pans. The model we both have is kind of a mid-low range unit, and just suffers from some unevenness. If your pan is domed at all, this can exacerbate unevenness with induction (this is my one main criticism of induction burners writ large that isn't touched on much in reviews).

I had the joy of using a Breville Control Freak once. It is really a lovely piece of technology, and if we couldn't for some reason install a full induction range (we have, it is great too) we would probably eventually get one to be our daily driver. Very even, highly controlled, better than just about any burner I've ever dealt with.
posted by furnace.heart at 11:14 AM on April 29 [4 favorites]

I agree with furnace.heart: cast iron and carbon steel work much, much better on induction. I'd say cast iron is probably the best. Yes, it is a bad conductor of heat, but that is in a way the point. The whole pan becomes hot gradually, and then it doesn't loose the heat again. It takes a bit of practice to begin with, but after a while you don't give it a second thought. I don't think I even have a stainless pan today. I do have non-stick for eggs, but I never use the big one because I can't turn over a 12" Spanish tortilla.
I you are cooking water, the size of the coil doesn't make a lot of difference, eventually the whole vessel heats up evenly. Like if you are making soup or boiling crabs. But I have cast-iron for that too, again because it retains the heat better.
posted by mumimor at 11:29 AM on April 29 [2 favorites]

Just be careful with the cast iron. I have heard reports of people cracking their pans on induction hobs by setting the level to "high" straight away, and since there aren't flames licking the sides or radiant heat from a conventional element, the sides are cool while the base is suddenly trying to get bigger. I always give my pan a minute or two on medium heat before I crank it up.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:30 PM on April 29 [2 favorites]

i_am_joe's_spleen; while this does happen (though, cracking can happen in any oven or stovetop if done too quickly, and cast iron isn't 'forever' even though it is by and large bombproof), induction burners are designed to ramp up safely. It was a few years ago, but I think it was Dave Arnold on his podcast Cooking Issues that he spoke about technologists disabling the safeties including the ramp up speed and the temperature limits, to mimic wok cooking for induction (one of the few areas where induction doesn't work as well as gas, but can probably be solved for). I am not able to find the specific episode; it was just an offhand comment IIRC. That show is basically one constant digression.

I've cooked with cast iron on induction (1950's-60's best guess Wagner is my daily driver) for just over 8 years, and have never ramped up slowly; it has never cracked. Until we got a high carbon steel pan, the cast iron was used for just about everything (we're talking, this pan has been used 3+ times a week for yeeeeeeears, and it already has plenty of age on it).

This should be taken into consideration if you're using cast iron at all, but like, more of a "oh hey, if my pan cracks, thats probably what happened" way, not in a constant worry every-time you throw the burner on.
posted by furnace.heart at 3:10 PM on April 29 [2 favorites]

I use my best 12-inch pan sometimes and it clearly doesn't heat evenly. For my own reason, I sometime want to make a giant pancake. They cook fully, but you can clearly see that the outer two inches isn't as browned (as the inside has to be to cook the outer inch or so.)

For things that will be stirred, doesn't seem to make any difference.
posted by Lesser Shrew at 6:24 PM on April 29 [2 favorites]

The Breville, if you’re willing to pay.
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:16 PM on April 29

Bear in mind, the actual induction coil is usually much smaller than the circle marked on the surface. I believe most portable consumer units have around a 6” coil, and that usually defines how large an area of the pan will really get hot. After some hunting we currently have this: https://www.nuwavenow.com/products/pic-pro-chef-induction-cooktop
That’s got an 8” coil, and does a lot better at heating a 12” cast-iron pan, though there’s still some heat falloff at the edges. I’m not sure it gets any better than that with consumer units.
posted by McCoy Pauley at 5:21 AM on April 30 [2 favorites]

@slkinsey, I've been considering upgrading from my Duxtop 96000LS to a Vollrath 59500P to address some of the same problems the OP is experiencing, but am hesitating because of the $750 price. Have you tried any consumer induction burners like the Duxtop? What differences do you think I would notice, other than the much more precise temperature control and better build quality. Would it help with uneven pan heating?
posted by kjnet at 12:07 PM on April 30

Vollrath doesn't warranty their equipment for home use.

This warranty does not apply to:

•Products purchased for any use other than standard commercial foodservice.

posted by snuffleupagus at 12:31 PM on April 30

Response by poster: Looping back to say that everything here has been immensely helpful, thank you all!
I'm a little bit at a loss as to how to mark a best answer, since it may still take a bit of time to figure out what our next step/product might be, but if we find the perfect thing I will perhaps write to the mods to append an update.

> I use my best 12-inch pan sometimes and it clearly doesn't heat evenly. For my own reason, I sometime want to make a giant pancake. They cook fully, but you can clearly see that the outer two inches isn't as browned (as the inside has to be to cook the outer inch or so.)

This is precisely it! I cook a lot, nearly all on induction, and I use a mix of cast iron, carbon steel, (sandwiched) stainless steel, enameled cast iron, and even an induction-specific nonstick ceramic coated pan -- I believe I'm pretty aware of the material-specific differences, but regardless of the material there's a substantial heat dropoff around the edges of a larger (~12-inch) pan, at least with the Duxtop I'm using. As I said, I will report back if I'm able to actually solve this problem to my satisfaction, or if it's just one of those things (perhaps due to wattage/current/power reasons mentioned above).

Thanks again, all!
posted by Hadroed at 8:17 AM on May 6 [1 favorite]