If you’re renovating your kitchen, or looking for a more efficient alternative to cooking with gas, a new induction cooktop is likely to be on your shopping list.
A little research will tell you that preparing meals on an induction cooktop is one of the safest and most efficient ways to cook.
Not only will cooking on an induction cooktop be quicker and more energy efficient, but your stove will stay cool to touch
An induction cooktop heats your food quicker than any other type of cooktop because it produces an electro-magnetic field between the stove and the cookware to directly heat your cookware.
This means that not only will preparing your dinner on an induction cooktop be quicker and more energy efficient, but your stove will stay cool to touch during cooking too (unless you’re cooking on high heat for an extended period of time).
Induction cooktops generally perform pretty well, even the lowest scorers in our tests give good overall results. But they can also be pricey, so if you’re spending the big bucks you want to make sure you’re getting the best possible performance.
There are a huge variety of options on offer, each boasting different features such as flexible cooking zones, auto pan detectors, timers and more. The models we tested range in price from $799 to more than $5000.
Our kitchen experts have put a batch of induction cooktops through their paces in the CHOICE labs, so they’re really on top of what to look out for when buying this nifty appliance.
Several of these stood out as appliances our experts wouldn’t buy for their own kitchens
Although even the lowest scoring models in our latest test received a CHOICE Expert Rating over 70% (which isn’t a bad score, overall), the best performers in our review all scored 90% or above. Which means that the models below are certainly lagging well behind.
Several of these bottom performers stood out as appliances our experts wouldn’t buy for their own kitchens. Here we reveal the three models that really didn’t impress.
The good news is that alongside these low scorers were several cooktops at different price points our experts would happily recommend – check our induction cooktops review to see the best performers.
This Beko cooktop can’t easily accommodate larger cookware.
Beko BCT601IGN 60cm
CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
Cooking performance score: 68%
Price: $1149
Our testers found several issues with this cooktop.
The manufacturer states that the cooktop can “accommodate any meal” thanks to its Indyflex hob with flexible cooking zones that claims to accommodate either four normal pans or two larger ones.
But our testers didn’t find this as convenient as it sounds.
“It’s really important when selecting a cooktop to look at the cooking zones that it offers and check if it’s compatible with your induction pots and pans,” says CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair.
“The issue with this model is the flexi zone is only 18cm wide and the large cooking zone is only 21cm wide. This means that pans with a base larger than 21cm may not work efficiently on this cooktop.”
Pans with a base larger than 21cm may not work efficiently on this cooktop
CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair
“As part of our testing we also calculate the annual running cost of each model – this model will cost you around $80 a year to run, which is the highest of all the models in our review.”
Our kitchen experts also found that this cooktop was a bit hit and miss when it came to the effectiveness of different induction cookware.
“There are plenty of other models around this price point that performed better in our testing, so I would opt for those over this Beko model,” says Fiona.
“Ease of use is really important when you’re considering which induction cooktop to buy,” says Fiona.
“With this model, we found several issues that made the cooktop more complicated to use – for example, the front cooking zones are positioned very close to the controls which increases the risk of the controls getting wet, overheated or accidentally activated, potentially shutting off the cooktop.
With this model, we found several issues that made the cooktop more complicated to use
Fiona Mair, CHOICE kitchen expert
“The controls are also a little crowded which could be annoying if you have larger fingers or an issue with dexterity.
“There’s no written labelling and very small symbols which means it’s not intuitive to use, and you will likely need to refer to the manual quite a bit when you first use it.”
Although this cooktop received an excellent score (95%) for cooking over a low heat (which means it’s great for low temperature cooking tasks such as melting chocolate), there is no large cooking zone, which means the cooktop struggled to achieve the temperatures needed for high-heat cooking such as stir-fries.
It may be cheap, but our experts weren’t impressed with this Ikea buy.
Ikea SMAKLIG 59cm
CHOICE Expert Rating: 78%
Cooking performance score: 83%
Price: $799
It might be one of the cheapest cooktops in our test, but this Ikea model unfortunately isn’t a great buy.
Its cooking zone is only small, and it’s very close to the controls, so your cookware could slide over the controls (causing an error that could shut down the controls).
It might be one of the cheapest cooktops in our test, but unfortunately it isn’t a great buy
It does have a flexi zone that accommodates rectangular or oval cooking pans, but the heat distribution across the flexi zone could be uneven.
And you can only use three cooking zones at the same time, which will limit what you can make. Plus, if your pans are larger than 21cm they may not work as efficiently.
In the case of this Ikea induction cooktop, buying cheap isn’t the best way to save money on your kitchen reno.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Find Pru on LinkedIn.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Find Pru on LinkedIn.
Rebecca Ciaramidaro is a Content producer in the Household team at CHOICE. Rebecca writes about a wide range of children's and household products, ranging from cots and strollers to ovens, BBQs, espresso machines and electric blankets. And also grocery items such as nappies, sanitary pads and laundry detergents.
Previously at CHOICE, Rebecca worked as a Test officer in the kitchen lab.
Rebecca has a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food) from the University of Western Sydney.
Find Rebecca on LinkedIn.
Rebecca Ciaramidaro is a Content producer in the Household team at CHOICE. Rebecca writes about a wide range of children's and household products, ranging from cots and strollers to ovens, BBQs, espresso machines and electric blankets. And also grocery items such as nappies, sanitary pads and laundry detergents.
Previously at CHOICE, Rebecca worked as a Test officer in the kitchen lab.
Rebecca has a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition and Food) from the University of Western Sydney.
Find Rebecca on LinkedIn.
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