8 Best Built-In Induction Cooktops for the Money
Have you long been hoping to upgrade your old stove to something safer and more electric than what your house came with originally? Well, effective built-in induction cookers are a lot more convenient and affordable than people often think, and they make a great upgrade option for those who are hoping to move away from things like old gas stoves. In fact, some of the most high-quality built-in induction cooktops are available online.
Any time we shop online, we like to conduct as much research as possible to really ensure that the final choice is truly the right one. That’s why we’ve been gathering the links to the best built-in indiction cooktops we can find across the Internet in order to compare their features and figure out their perks and drawbacks.
What is an induction cooktop?
Rather than relying on output heat from a flame, an induction cooker directly transfers energy from a coiled wire inside the ceramic cooktop through a process called induction. This heats the pot or pan, and therefore your food, quicker, safer, and more thoroughly than on a flame-based stove, where a lot of the heat that’s actually created escapes. This isn’t to say that the actual surface of an induction cooktop doesn’t get hot; it does, and they still require great care. The process is just more direct and efficient.
A note about cooking on induction burners
Because the heating process that takes place on an induction cooktop actuallyuses the process of induction, as denoted by the name, cooking with this kind of burner requires the right kind of cookware. You’ll need to use magnetic induction compatible cookware like iron, cast iron, steel, and enamel-coated pieces. If you use plain stainless steel, for example, the heat is not inducted into the metal the same way and, since the metal is the “vessel” that transfer that energy to your food to cook it, the meal won’t heat up properly.
Best Induction Cooktops
If you’re looking for some guidance, check out this list of the eight best built-in induction cooktops we found in our search! We’ve outlined their pros and cons to help make things a little easier to choose from.
1. Gasland built-in electric induction cooker
On your classic stove, did you always like the way one burner was suited for small pots and pans, and the other was sized for larger ones? That system does provide a good fit and contributes to effective heating. That’s why this induction cooktop design from Gasland has the same thing.
This cooktop has easy-to-learn sensor touch control, timed cooking and heating settings, cooling systems for protection against overheating, and a very easy-to-clean but durable ceramic top.
Although the sensor touch features are nothing but a plus, once you’ve got the hang of them, previous buyers report that they come with a bit of a learning curve. At first, they’re so sensitive that getting the temperature or setting you’re actually aiming for can feel a bit tricky.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Easy to clean
- Easy to adjust
- Safety systems like anti-overheating cooling fans and child locks
- Easy to clean ceramic top
Cons:
- A learning curve regarding very sensitive touch buttons and setting adjustment
2. London sunshine dual burner induction cooktop
Are you feeling a lot more adamant about finding an induction cooktop that gives you full control of the settings and temperatures of your different heat points independently than you are about having the two sides be specific sizes? Then you might prefer the amount of custom control that this cooktop fromLondon Sunshine affords you.
This energy-efficient design gives you two separate heat points that can be completely independently used or adjusted, each one heating and cooling quickly. This cooktop can actually also be used as a built-in piece or portably!
As with the design above, the very sensitive touch-based setting controls can take a bit of practice to get used to. Additionally, the digital display screens are very small, which can be an issue for some people with more limited vision.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Easy to clean
- Durable, anti-scratch surface
- Dual control sides for different cooking experiences at once
- Works as a portable or built-in model
Cons:
- Extremely sensitive controls that take some getting used to
- Very small digital temperature and setting displays
3. Sunavo sensor touch portable induction cooktop
Although we’re talking about built-in induction models, it stands to reason that a portable design will serve you just as well if your home is very small and still needs an upgrade or if you’re simply in need of a supplementary surface because you cook at such a high capacity. That’s why we liked this option from Sunavo!
Unlike some portable models, this burner gives you a full temperature range and good settings control on top of your pre-programmed auto settings for a proper cooking experience.
Of course, if you choose this piece as the sole heated cooktop for your small apartment, you’re only getting one burner of pretty modest size. This will limit the amount of food you can make at one time.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Portable, light, and easily moved
- Choice between auto-settingsor full control cooking with a complete temperature range
- Easy to clean and store aside
- Heats up and cools down very quickly thanks to small diameter
Cons:
- Small, portable size limits the amount of cooking you can do at once
4. Frigidaire 5 burner induction stove
Are you actually a total cooking enthusiast who loves to make large meals for your family and friends, and a need for additional space and more control is the whole reason you’re in the market for a new cooking surface in the first place? Then we’d be willing to bet that you’lllove this full-sized built-in cooktop from Frigidaire that has five variously sized heating points, all of which can be independently controlled.
On each burner, you can choose between programmed settings and manually controlled ones.
Although the cooktop was designed to be fast heatingand fast cooling, previous buyers have actually reported that the different burners sometimes heat at different paces rather than consistently and evenly. They’ve also been known to make a quiet whining sound on occasion as they heat.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Easy to clean cooktop
- Five separately controlled heat sources that auto-detect the pot or pan’s size
- Pre-set auto-cooking options or manual control
Cons:
- Occasionally slow or uneven heating times from point to point
- Whining burners during heating occasionally
5. iSiler sensor touch built-in cooktop with child safety locks
Have you actually been toying with the idea of installing a singular built-in induction cooktop alongside the main stove or larger induction cooktop you already have because you often find yourself in need of justone more burner when you cook for the family? Then the solo built-in piece from iSiler is a great supplementary option.
It’s easy to clean, programmed with convenient common cooking settings, durable, and automatically senses the size of the pot or pan for concentrated heating.
In the past, some previous buyers have experienced an issue with sporadic inaccurate heating, wherein they’ll set a certain temperature and get a heat that’s either lower or higher. The problem doesn’t seem common and is not detected in all models, but more than one customer acknowledges the same issue.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Pot sensing capabilities for more direct heating
- Auto-cooking settingsand manually adjusted temperature with a good range
- Durable and easy to clean
Con:
- Occasionally inaccurate heat levels to setting numbers
6. Empava ceramic electric stove
If you’re still in the market for a large cooktop with different sized heating points for meal cooking, but you’re not feeling entirely convinced by the first model, here’s a great alternative courtesy of Empava.
This ceramic cooktop features four spaces, each of which can be set to different manual temperatures or automatic cooking settings. Once you’ve got the control symbols down, the touch system is extremely quick and easy to use, streamlining your cooking process exponentially.
In the beginning, however, some previous buyers have pointed out that the combination of button symbols and sensitive touch-based systems makes things a little tricky. It’s easy to swap settings too quickly until you get used to the lack of pressure required, and learning each of the little symbols that help keep the cooktop space-efficient takes a slight learning curve.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Easy to clean
- Multiple diverse simultaneous cooking functions and surfaces
- Effective safety systems to prevent overheating and protect children
- Sensical organization for ergonomic cooktop use
Cons:
- Controls shorthand takes a bit of practice to learn
- Very sensitive touch buttons take some getting used to
7. K&H double burner built-in electric stove
Are you actually trying to update a rather small apartment or choose a reasonably sized built-in cooktop for a little cottage or RV? Then you’ll want something that youcan cook a full meal with more element at once in, but that’s still very size efficient, like this cooktop offered byK&H.
This electric ceramic burner has a durable, easy cleaning surface, room for ten pre-set automatic cooking or temperature settings that you can program yourself, and quick heating and cooling times.
Although the item is overwhelmingly well-reviewed, occasional buyers have found that when using both burners at the same time, the left one will sporadically fail to heat as quickly as the right one, holding up the cooking process. This appears to be a random hardware flaw and not a rule for all units.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Easy cleaning, the anti-scratch surface
- Custom programmable cooking setting and temperature options for auto-cooking
- Double burner layout for independently cooking two things at once
- Quick heating and cooling times
Cons:
- Sporadic hardware flaw in the left burner causing delated heating when both sides are used
8. True Induction 30″ electric built-in induction cooktop
If you’ve been holding out for a full, family-style induction cooktop that will let you make an entire meal, but you’re also hoping to find a bigger design that spaces everything out a little further, then True Induction is here to tell you that your patience has finally paid off.
They provide you four heat contacts in three different sizes (small to large), a durable and anti-scratch ceramic surface that’s easy to clean, and very simple touch controls that let you adjust the temperature manually, without all the bells and whistles of pre-programming.
Because this cooktop is the largest one on the list, it’s also naturally the most expensive. Additionally, although its requirements are quite standard formost modern homes, the wattage and kind of connection this cooktop unit needs are a little different than older stoves and, therefore, might require a change of fuse on installation if your house hasn’t been updated recently.
View price on AmazonPros:
- Durable, easy to clean surface
- Simple touch controls that give you manual temperature adjustment power
- Well-spaced, diversely sized burners positioned for easy, ergonomic flow
Cons:
- Fuse and wattage requirements might be too modern for very old homes, requiring updating before installment.
Where or what does an induction cooktop buildinto?
Unlike your regular stove, a built-in induction cooktop can actually be inset right into your countertop. So long as it’s installed properly and positioned a safe distance from the back and side walls, it’s entirely safe for the cooktop to be positioned right into your counter. Many people actually choose to install them on a kitchen island, so an independent stove can be installed close by as well. You can install your worktop quite easily yourself using the manual each brand provides and DIY videos on YouTube, but don’t be ashamed to hire a contractor if you’re not confident enough to do it.
Do you know another foodie who has been thinking about investing money in a new built-in induction cooktop, but they need a hand analyzing the best options? Share this post with them, so they have all kinds of models and designs to choose from!