Great price for an induction stove stove from a reputable brand
Enjoy
$1.20 items (Scroll down)
Great price for an induction stove stove from a reputable brand
Enjoy
$1.20 items (Scroll down)
I would assume so because you can control the temp
Get a slow cooker. These induction units generally pulse heat on and off.
If you still want to use a portable induction hob for slow cooking, the Ikea "tillreda" model starts at 100W at it's lowest setting vs 450W for the Tefal IH2018. I don't own either but was set to buy the Tefal until you asked this.
Don't know for sure, but considering the price, and what looks like soft-press buttons (like on a fisher & paykel washing machine), I'd say no. First the power probably pulses on and off, instead of being a constant heat. If it does (and I'm pretty confident that's the case), then they often have 'steps' missing in the temp range. i.e. Highest setting is too hot, next down too hot, next down too hot still, next down is a big jump - and too cold, grrr! I own a similar but better one, and it's not the kind of thing you can leave alone for hours. It's either far too hot, too hot (which both require stirring to stop food burning to the bottom), or too cold.
On the other hand, if you get a pressure cooker or wok, they're better for that. Pressure cooker = same preparation but meal cooked in 12-30 minutes depending on what it is, with same or better results as a slow cooker. Wok is ok too, because of the nearly instant heat - only you might have to cook smaller amounts if used to cooking on a powerful gas burner.
Btw… If this IS the type with soft-press buttons… I'd recommend looking for one that has an all-glass top. The soft buttons often crack, or oil gets under them and they fail, lift off, etc.
er.. not really.. this'll burn the bottom if you use it to slow cook. These (cheap ones) are like (cheap) microwaves, they pulse on and off.. they don't really go low. Slow cookers cook w/ a slow, gentle, and even heat that radiates from the bottom and the sides. hence the thick ceramic containers.
Also.. slow cookers are what? $20?
That being said, I'm buying this because it's good for chinese hotpot!
Good for hot pot?
Absolutely. I've been using this as my hotpot cooker for 2 winters now. Easy to control and easy to clean as well.
Got one of these exact units. Can't fault it but I wouldn't class it as a 'slow cooker' even at its lowest setting as it's still too powerful. The inbuilt cooling fan whips up air and creates a fair amount of white noise in the process which bothers some people (not us) but that seems to be a complaint for most of these bench top units. We're currently in the middle of a long term major reno so this is out only cooktop but mixed with a Microwave it's amazing what can be cooked up! Easy to clean and pack away soon after use too. Great unit for the $130 we paid about a year ago (got a bonus frypan with ours!) so for $80 it's a real bargain!
We're currently in the middle of a long term major reno
So does that mean this is a portable one (plugs into 240V outlet) and does not need to be installed into the bench top?
Also, a friend told me these work as well as gas, I find that hard to believe, but we currently have electric and wish to give induction a go. Can you please tell me if the induction cook tops heat the pan up as fast as gas?
Yes, correct. I built a temporary kitchen at the back of the Lounge Room. It has a small sink at one end and a Power Point at the other end of the bench but no stove top or oven… more like a wet bar. We just store the Tefal Cooktop in a nearby shelving unit along with a toaster and sandwich press then pull it out onto the bench and plug it in whenever we need to cook anything then let it cool, clean it and put it back afterwards. Perfect solution while we renovate but I'll definitely be keeping the Tefal once we eventually get a proper Kitchen & Cooktop back as it's just such a convenient little appliance.
We had gas in most of our houses but then built a new house a few years ago and decided to install a gas line through to the Kitchen just as a fallback but try induction instead. We ended up with a pretty high-end Induction cooktop which had massive amounts of power on tap but it functioned very similar to these Tefals. Now that we know how good induction is we'll never go back to gas… ever. As an added bonus Induction allows us to cut the umbilical with the Gas company once we get our Solar HWS then taking that further we can then install a decent PV & battery system and go completely off grid in the not too distant future (hopefully). You can't do that with Gas appliances!!
Thanks heaps for that. Greatly appreciated.
It's quite easy to go off grid with gas. Many people do so when camping, for instance…
https://www.bunnings.com.au/gasmate-8-5kg-lpg-gas-cylinder_p…
I applaud your move to potentially lower environmental impacts, but I like cooking in a wok and I don't think induction is up to the task. I've seen one that did it but it looked a bit gimmicky, you had to use the specific matching wok to fit in the concave hole on the stove.
If I can ever afford a house, maybe I should get an induction stove and a portable gas burner for the wok…
@abb: Yeah now that's a very good point. I doubt induction would ever be good for Wok cooking however most Gas BBQs have Wok burners as an available option so maybe that would be a suitable option for some. Our desire to go off-grid is for a few reasons… lower environmental impacts is only one of them but being in full control of our own energy is far more important to me/us. It's the connection fees I hate and they're only going to go up & up. It's currently very close to being financially viable to go off-grid even in the middle of the city so with all energy prices & associated connection fees set to soar and PV & Battery costs, lifespan & efficiency set to improve more & more it'll only be a matter of years if not months to invest $40,000 in an off-grid PV/Battery setup as that should equate to about the same price as we're currently paying for electricity over a 20 year period. A communal PV/Battery system spanning across with the neighbours would be even better but now we're getting a bit too 'hippy' for OzBargain ;)
@abb: nar mate, induction is absolutely fine with woks…especially if you put on the "turbo" mode….it's crazy hot! it will burn your food to a crisp in no time! :)
@abb:
For your Wok, use bottled Propane and something like this.
@homersyd: are you definitely sure this will stir fry vegges the same as gas on turbo mode? Cos if it can I will definitely get one.
@Lizard Spock: i got one at home, and I remember whenever I use the "turbo"/boost mode it's scary…it will burn veggies in seconds in the wok…
But maybe I got a decent one (by Samsung).
Seriously as someone who came from gas, I found the induction to be awesome, IMHO even better than gas. The main benefits are:
1. easier cleaning (wipe clean even if spilled liquid)
2. heat stops almost immediately (compared to hotplates)
3. Faster than gas (on turbo mode)
4. can set timer to auto turn-off
Seriously even just #1 alone is good enough of a reason to keep the missus happy :)
@homersyd: thanks for that.
@homersyd: It's not the power I'm worried about, just the shape. My wok doesn't sit flat, and I thought induction had only a fairly short range so the sides of the wok wouldn't get much heat.
But it sounds like I should at least look into it a bit more rather than being a slave to the gas burners ;)
Depends on what 'gas' you're comparing to. A typical BBQ side burner - then yes this would be better. But a better kitchen gas stove… this would be similar or a bit worse. Why? Because they pulse on and off. So for example with a wok, it's going on/off, hot/cold, whereas gas is just on all the time. That would be different (this would be better) if it is a true 'analog step' temperature range (sorry I don't know the correct name). But of course it also depends on how good your gas stove is. I cook on one of these (different brand/style) with a wok, pressure cooker, or cast-iron frypan. I prefer it over my 1970s electric stove. Mainly because it's virtually instant heat. But if I already had gas, I probably wouldn't use it. I've had both and it's similar - to the gas stoves I've used.
If you were choosing which to fit to a house, DECENT induction would win. No monthly gas line fees, instant heat, which means you finish cooking sooner thus less power used.
Because they pulse on and off.
Surely the pulsing occurs many times per second? i.e. the thermal mass of the pot means the cooking temperature is pretty stable.
Or do the shitty cheap ones (e.g. this product?) turn on/off over a much longer time scale?
@abb: It depends on the setting as to how often it pulses. On one setting it turns on hard for a second, off for several seconds, then back on.
I haven't looked in detail at the continuous ones, but I believe you have go up quite a bit in price. Certainly anything below $150 is going to be a pulse type.
It's not a huge problem. Because they're instant-on, you don't spend as much time standing there cooking, and you soon learn how to best use it.
e.g. For steak or a chicken breast I usually set the heat where I know it won't char it (you remember the numbers after a while), and I put a saucepan lid on top of a cast iron frypan. I can come back 8 minutes later, or even 20 minutes later, and it won't be overcooked due to the trapped steam.
Simmering can be a pain though. The heat is often either too high and cooks food to the bottom of the frypan. Or, it's too low only warming a couple of small areas in the frypan, but leaving the rest nearly cold. For some strange reason the one I have (but they're probably all the same)… has three or four highest settings, that as you step down through them, there's suddenly a 'blank jump' of a few steps. The perfect heat you want is often in that larger gap that can't be accessed.
No problem if you're standing there - you just set the heat one step higher and stir the food. But you can't simmer something like say chicken cacciatore and walk away. Without stirring it, the food will either burn in just those two small areas where the induction heats, or, the next step down reduces the power so there's not enough heat to cook the meal. Probably wouldn't bother most people who would just stand and stir. I like to go do other things.
Is it worth the extra $20 over the ikea one?
From the specs looks like the Ikea "tillreda" model starts at 100W at it's lowest setting vs 450W for the Tefal IH2018 so it should be better for slow cooking.
I'd just get the Kmart one
http://www.kmart.com.au/product/2000w-induction-cooker/62785…
I have the exact same model got it from Myer about 3 months ago. I'm renting at the moment and hate conventional electric cooktops that takes forever to hear up and control.
this is a great little unit, with loads of power. great for stir frying, soups, curry everything really.
if I'm being really picky, for slow cooking, lowest setting IMHO is not low enough. can be a bit low powered.
How does this compare to the Aldi one on sale last week?
Or the Ikea one? I've heard good things about that one.
I'm interested in this too. Aldi one is $50, goes up to 2100w as well, and has a 3yr warranty.
This Tefal only has a 1yr warranty, I believe.
This past year I've bought electrical cookware from Aldi's ambiano range and so far so good.
Even so, I wonder if the Tefal quality would justify the $30 difference.
Could this be taken camping for cooking?
If you had a powered site, yeah, and induction cookware.
Otherwise you'd need a generator and a beefy one at that.
I think half the enjoyment of camping is cooking on the fire - induction stove in the bush kinda ruins that simplicity of camping hehe
Apparently for pots 12-26cm on the Tefal website, but 12-24cm in the manual. Anyone have any idea what happens if the pot is bigger than that?
I would assume it'd rely on heat conduction through the pot/pan
whats the lowest price item I can add which is not "in store only"?
does this go on/off at intervals like a thermostat? im assuming its non-inverter at this price point.
Very likely it pulses, considering the price.
I have one, yes it pulses on and off.
Annoying if all the low cost items via your link are all 'in store only'
you can buy any item and return it after you click or collect or return it to the store for a refund
How do I get Anniversary20 to work?
just need to make the order $100 or more.
cheers, even after adding item to make it all above $100 it says I'm not eligible lol. I must be doing something wrong.
try ANNIVERSARY20 in caps!
I'd really love to find a portable induction type like this with an inverter. The on/off behaviour of those I've used is really annoying. Bubbling.. stops bubbling.. bubbling.. stops bubbling.
It's ok if you're a person that stands there and stirs.
We have one, it is excellent! Way better than the old electric cooktop in our current rental.
I think we paid $130 last year with the free frypan.
YES it cycles on and off at lower temps, so NO it is not ideal for slow cooking. We use our slow cooker for that.
It boils water faster than our kettle does.
aha, does it have soft buttons or touch control?
Soft buttons. They are holding up ok at the moment but I know what you are thinking, eventually they will become a weak point of this device.
So this would be good for slow cooking if you only have a gas stove, yeah?