Recommendation: The best introductory induction cooker (in the <$100 range)

So you want to check out induction cooking? Maybe you heard about it somewhere, and thought it sounds cool, or maybe you've known about it for a while and finally decided to check it out. If you're like me, you like to cook and you like techy stuff, and this seems like the perfect mix of both. 
Either way, since this is your first foray into it, you probably don't want to spend a lot of money until you're sure you like it.

--------------------

So, what is the best introductory induction cooker for under $100?
That's exactly what I set out to find out, and after doing a good deal of research, I've come to a conclusion. Now, you could go and spend the time and do all the same research, but let me save you the time. I'll tell you right now: it's the Max Burton 6000 (or the stainless steel housed 6200).

But, before you take my word on it, let me explain exactly why I've come to this conclusion. I have never owned an induction cooker myself. I don't have the time, nor the money to buy several different cookers and try them all out. But I have spent the time to make myself familiar with induction cooking and the various cookers available, and I've spent the time researching and reading reviews to figure out what's best.






Before I tell you why you should get this particular unit, let me briefly describe what induction cooking is:

What is Induction Cooking?
Induction cooking is a method of cooking that involves heating your cookware using magnetic fields. Unlike other cooking methods, such as gas and electricity, all of the energy is used to directly heat the pan, rather than first heating an element or creating a flame, and then transferring the heat to the pan.

Because of this, induction is immensely more efficient than other methods (84-90% of the energy goes to heating the pan, vs. 40% for gas ranges, and around 70% for electric ranges). Also you get the advantages of a much cooler kitchen, since none of the waste heat is transferred to the air and surrounding surfaces (other than whatever heat the pan itself radiates). This also means the induction cooktop itself is always cool to the touch, reducing the chance of burns, and making it much easier to clean.

Reasons to use induction cooking:
There are many reasons to try out induction cooking.

• Accuracy - Unlike other methods of cooking with electricity, and similar to cooking with gas, induction cooking allows the cooking heat to be instantly adjusted, without the slow heat up or cool down you experience when cooking with electric ranges. Also the accuracy of cooking temperature is only limited by the design of the cooker, and is typically much more accurate than any other method of cooking.
• Efficiency - As mentioned above, there is no wasted heat in induction, which means a more efficient method of cooking, and a cooler kitchen and stovetop.
• Safety - With a cool cooktop, there is a much smaller chance of burning yourself. Also, no flames reduces the chances of fire, and avoids the potential health risks of cooking with gas.
• Ubiquity - While not everyone has access to natural gas, almost all homes are equipped with an electrical outlet.
• Cleanliness - Burning gas has byproducts that are vaporized, but eventually condense on a surface somewhere in the vicinity of the cooktop. Induction cooking eliminates such byproducts. In addition, having a cool cooktop means food can't get cooked onto the surface, and a flat smooth surface is also much easier to clean.

• Speed - I have added this additional category after having some experience actually using an induction cooker. One of the biggest differences I noticed when cooking with induction is the sheer speed of it. When tested, I found that my 1800 watt Max Burton 6000 boiled water at least twice as fast as my gas stove. Everything goes a lot faster on an induction cooker. In addition, having a different heating curve actually changes how the food cooks. I noticed right away that in making a quesadilla, less cheese and oil were needed, because of the speed at which the cooker would heat it made the cheese melt much more evenly, spreading out better, and made the oil less necessary (so really it's healthier too!)
• Evenness of Cooking - I also added this category after my experience with an induction cooker. Because of the way induction works, all parts of your cookware within the range of the element are heated perfectly evenly. This means much nicer looking, more evenly cooked food, and no need to rotate food while cooking!

Reasons not to use induction cooking:
There are, of course, always cons to any method of doing something.

• Cookware Incompatibility - The largest negative to induction cooking is the fact that it only works with cookware that is ferromagnetic. If you already own a substantial cookware set that is made of non-magnetic materials, this can be an issue. However, if you already own magnetic cookware, this is less relevant. Luckily, some of the cheapest and nicest cookware around - cast iron cookware - is great for induction cooking! To test your cookware for compatibility, place a magnet on the bottom of the cookware and see if it sticks. If it does, you're good to go!
• Noise - Since induction cookers have heat sensitive electronics inside them, most cookers have a cooling fan. Depending on the quality (and usually, cost) of the cooker, this fan can possibly be very noisy. Also pans with loose parts or bad cladding can rattle or buzz. Induction cooking itself, however, is a noiseless process.
• No Flames - If you require flames to be able to char food items such as peppers, this is a drawback.
• Electricity Failures - If your electricity goes out, you're without a cooking source (only an issue if you have completely switched to induction). While gas ranges can have the same issue, gas is much less likely to have an outage than electricity.

If you want to know more about specifically how induction cooking works, it's pros and cons, and recommended cookware, check out theinductionsite.com. It is a useful and informative (if slightly biased) resource for information on induction cooking.

Now, on to the important part:

Which cooker should I get, and why?
Put simply, the one you want is either the Max Burton 6000 or it's stainless steel housed cousin, the Max Burton 6200.

Now let's get to why:
1. Portability and size - I think we can safely assume that, for your intro to induction cooking, you don't want to spend >$1000 on a four element built in cooktop. Since you're just trying it out, it makes sense to get a single element portable unit. By choosing this, we can significantly narrow down the cookers you could get. The 6000/6200 is a single element, portable unit, so it's a perfect unit to start out on. It doesn't require any dedicated counter space, and can be put away in a cupboard after use.

2. Cost - Since you're just starting out, it doesn't make any sense to spend huge amounts of money on this. Not unless you're pretty sure you're going to go with this for your next built in cooktop, in which case you shouldn't be reading this article anyways. At this point in time, there are a good range of decent cookers available for under $100, that still have a fair amount of features and are of fairly good quality.
The 6000/6200 is actually one of the cheaper units around, at about $68 for the plastic bodied unit (6000), and $99 for the 6200 in steel. Despite this, it has all the functionality and features of units over $150.

3. Power - According to the online induction cooking resource, theinductionsite.com, there is no point in purchasing a portable unit with any less than 1.8 kW of power (1800 watts), which is the most power available in a countertop unit (the most any wall socket can deliver). This is because the cost difference between these and lesser powered units is not very large, and if you can get the highest powered unit, there is no point in going for anything less. This once again significantly narrows down the field of available units. The 6000/6200, despite is low cost, has the full 1800 watts of power, which is just another reason this is the best unit to get.

4. Design - Before deciding to purchase the Max Burton unit, I was planning to purchase a GE brand induction cooker that is only available from Walmart.com, for $59 (found here). Despite it being the cheapest unit around, it has several issues (only 1.3 kW), including the fact that part of it's design incorporates a lip around the edge of the element, effectively limiting it to only being used with pans smaller than 9" on the bottom. It also, according to reviewers, has a rather noisy cooling fan. The Max Burton has a perfectly flat cooking surface, allowing any sized cookware to be used on it. It's fan is (again according to reviewers) much quieter than other units (though it's not as quiet as what you'd get in say, a $500 unit). At only a small amount more than the GE unit, there is no reason to go with a design with such limiting features. Also, with a stainless steel bodied version available, you can get a much sleeker, more durable and easier to clean design than many other units out there.

5. Features - The Max Burton 6000/6200 has all the standard features you can expect from any unit not over $500. It has 10 temperature specific settings, between 140°F - 450°F, it can detect induction capable cookware, has an overheat and improper voltage shutoff, and a "keep-warm" setting. It also has 10 power levels between 500 and 1800 watts, and a 180 minute timer.


6. Compared to other units - For it's price and power, there are few other units that can compare to the Max Burton either in power, features, design, or any other category. In addition, while I was researching this, the Max Burton was the unit I found most recommended on various sites, and the one with the most and highest general reviews on various review and purchase sites. It was chosen by the cooking magazine Cook's Illustrated as the best of several units, including units up to $500. It was recommended by Gizmodo.com as the "best combo of power and price". I have found it generally recommended on several other sites as well.


Which unit, the 6000 or the 6200?
The Max Burton induction cooktop is made in two models:
The '6000' model, which features a plastic housing, and the '6200' model, which features a stainless steel housing. The two models are otherwise identical in features and operation.


As to whether you should buy the stainless steel housed unit or not, thats mostly a matter of how much money you would like to spend. If you are willing to spend around $100, it is definitely better to get the 6200 model, as it is sleeker, more durable, and easier to clean. Some reviewers who own the 6000 unit have commented that they have noticed cracks in the plastic housing in areas where their cookware overhangs the edge of the cooktop. The stainless steel housing obviously avoids this issue.
On the other hand, if you are merely looking to spend as little as possible for a decent quality cooktop, the 6000 unit is certainly fine. It features all the same functionality as the 6200, and will still be quite durable and easy to clean.


When I made my purchase, I was lucky enough to come across an auction on eBay, selling the 6200 unit for only $72. If you happen to find anything of this sort, you should of course go for the 6200 unit, since it's definitely worth the small difference in cost. (See Update Below)


Where to Buy
In general, the cheapest prices for this unit can be found on amazon.com. Links to the two units can be found below (if you click these links I will get a small percentage of the purchase, though you won't pay any more than normal):

Occasionally, there will be sellers on eBay offering these units for cheaper than the normal price, so it is worth doing a search there to see if you can find anything. I will caution you to use your intuition about any really good deals you find, as these are still sensitive electronics, like computers, and may have issues that are not immediately apparent. Do not purchase any unit that isn't offered with a full factory warranty, and if possible, obtain in writing a guarantee from the seller that the unit is in full working condition. This can be helpful if you have to later file a claim to return the unit. These cautions aside, you may occasionally come across a really good deal, so it is definitely worth a look.


Update: I do not recommend purchasing your unit from eBay at all anymore. I just received the unit I purchased from an eBay seller, and the unit was defective. The cooling fan did not turn on, which is not normal, and would cause the unit to give me an internal overheat error. In addition, after speaking with Athena's (the manufacturer) technical support, I discovered that their warranty only supports units bought from official vendors and resellers. Most sellers on eBay are not official resellers, and therefore your warranty will be void. Only buy your unit from official vendors such as amazon.com, or other official resellers (the seller should tell you if they are).


From what I've found, the cheapest official seller anywhere is amazon.com. In addition, they have excellent customer service (something a lot of eBay sellers don't have), free shipping, fast service, and overall a much better purchasing experience. I've ordered my replacement unit from Amazon, and intend to use them for all my future purchases as well.

--------------------

Let me make clear that I am not being paid to advertise this particular unit. This is all based on my own personal research, and my opinion based on that as to what is the best induction unit for someone who is new to the technology. I do make a small percentage if you purchase a unit on Amazon after clicking one of the affiliate links on this page, but I would be recommending this unit either way.

Finally, let me add that I have not yet tried out this unit myself, and therefore can make no comments on it's actual quality or functionality. Everything I've said above is based on reviews and comparisons found online. The unit I have ordered for myself is in the mail now, and as soon as I receive it, I will be writing an actual review of the product. Any observations I make at that point will be added to this post.

Sources:

theinductionsite.com

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment/overview.asp?docid=21517

http://gizmodo.com/5348493/cooking-with-magnets-an-intro-to-induction

product reviews on amazon.com

product reviews on walmart.com

I love hearing from you. If this was helpful to you in any way, please leave a quick comment letting me know!