Customer Reviews

Sunpentown SR-1881S 1200-Watt Countertop Induction Cooktop, Silver

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This induction hob is a great addition to any kitchen with Electric, Gas or Halogen cooktops. The hob does not heat up the kitchen as it cooks, cools quickly when you are finished and cooks quickly with instantaneous changes of cooking temperatures.

If you use a skillet to cook your steaks and then move the skillet to the oven to finish the meal, you can sear the steak(s) outside leaving the smoke behind and then move inside to the oven to finish cooking the meal.

If you are looking to cook anywhere, even outside, you can plug into any 110 outlet (2 prong) and start cooking.

The hob comes with a non-stick skillet which is geared to the induction cooking style which works very well.

Buy this and you will never look at your "older" style cooktop / stove the same way.

I have been using this cooktop for a while, since I am preparing to move from a gas-stove-equipped to an all-electric kitchen (uggh.)
The Sunpentown countertop model boils water in the same time as the gas stove. More importantly, it takes the same time to bring my pressure cooker to high pressure and it then maintains the pressure better than the gas stove. Temperature control was truly instantaneous--pressure started to drop as soon as I reset the heater. (Hint: use Medium, not Low, settings to keep the cooker 'warm'). There are no boilovers and very little adjustment needed though you will still need to watch the presssure cooker.
Rice does not boil over on this cooktop, and I was able to pick up my All-clad pan by its handles without using potholders. Amazing.
I plan to use it for items that require heat changes (rice, pressure cooker.) The electric stove is suitable for steaming veg and stir frying, not much else.
I don't hear much of a noise from the fan at all. That other reviewer clearly had a defective model, or else their ears are unnaturally sensitive. The fan makes a slight noise, about the same as an air filter, certainly not as loud as the over-the-stove ventilator fan.
I don't know how durable this unit will prove to be, but it is a good, midpriced addition to a cook's kitchen when you don't have a good cooktop available. If I was remodeling, I'd consider induction cooktops if gas wasn't available.

I have been using the SR-1881S induction unit for two weeks... and in that time I have used the regular stovetop once. The unit is that good!! Now the great features:

Safety - will not turn on without a cooking utensil on the surface - forks, spoons etc. will not turn it on; if the pan is empty or overheats, turns off.

Speed - easily twice as efficient - tested with one cup of water to boiling and was twice as fast

Controllability - as precise and fast as a gas flame but no heat escapes from around the pan

If you try induction, you will never go back to gas or electric heating tops!! My next project will be to replace my standard top with all induction.Sunpentown SR-1881S Induction Cooktop Silver

We purchased this item to use as an auxiliary cooking station outside on our deck, so we could fry without smelling up the house. We previously tried to do this with one of those auxiliary electric burner cooktops, but we could never find one powerful enough to heat up oil, or even heat up a big pot of water efficiently. This SR-1881S model (which I think is the top of the line) does the job. It heats up oil to 420 degrees, and quickly too. The unit itself doesn't heat up (how it works I'm not quite sure), and you have to use it with a steel or cast iron pot or pan (an aluminum pan won't work). However, the cooktop comes with a very nice metal frying pan perfect for burgers, etc., so when you compare this item's price to another induction cooktop, be aware that you are getting a quality pan thrown in. When you're finished cooking, ironically the cooktop is now hot, because it has absorbed back some of the heat given off by the pan in the cooking process, so you do have to be careful in handling it at that point. How about that - a technology that actually works, and works well!

Induction is great! But make sure you know what it is before you buy it. Your pans MUST be induction compatible pans. Out of the 20 I had, only one was. Induction cooking is basically sending a magnetic charge that causes the metal in the pan to heat up, rather than actually heating a coil.

I contacted the company and someone answered promptly and in a language I could understand to tell me what the problem was. Great service!

So after I got the pans I needed..... great for low temp fairly controlled 'sous vide' style cooking, and great for cooking something really splashy and messy outside. Pans heat up in seconds!

I bought one of these to serve in the absence of a real range while I am renovating my kitchen. It works like magic. Forget about conventional electric cooktops (such as you might find at Target) unless you just need a warming plate. This thing heats up faster than gas, and offers precise temperature control as well.

Compatibility with my cookware is good, too. I don't use much teflon so I can't speak for how a typical aluminum pan might fare. But it's great with cast iron (as expected) and it works very well with my stainless steel cookware set. These are Costco's branded cookware, and have a copper-clad, aluminum-core base. All of the pans in this set work fine with the exception of the smallest saucepan. The burner obviously has a feedback mechanism of some kind to determine whether or not it's got a suitable pan while running, because when using the little saucepan, it just shuts itself off after about 20 seconds. But every other pan in this set works perfectly.

The only question I have now is... where can I get an induction range for my new kitchen? I'm a convert!

I took a long, slow time decided on which induction cooktop to buy, and it was hard deciding because there weren't a lot of reviews around. This one had the best reviews available and I took a chance on it. Now I'm glad I did. In fact, I'm giving away my old apartment sized gas stove and putting a nice attractive work table in its place where I can put my steamer, my wonderful Black and Decker toaster oven, and my GREAT Mr. Induction cooktop. With that range of equipment I can cook a tiny meal for myself, or a full meal for guests. The first usage took me a moment or two to get the hang, but soon I was cooking away. I do everything from omelets to meats to veggies to pasta. For a single person like me I have everything I need on my little table of electric goodies. No more pilot lights! No more vaporized oil. No more dangerous flames. No more overheated summer kitchen. This is a great little product, easy to use, and requires absolutely no setup. You just plug it in to a conventional electric socket and it's ready. You will need to experiment with the temperature settings to determine how they work compared to what you're used to but you should adapt fairly quickly. Those who've complained about the type of cookware required shouldn't - after all that's a known factor, not a defect. I found I had a good plenty pieces of cookware, many of them enamel, that work just fine with it. Take care when you remove something from it - the cooktop does stay hot a while after you remove the pan, but it turns itself off if left unattended, has a timer if you need to leave the room, and the pan that came with it is nicely designed with a clear glass cover with a vent hole. It's attractive and easy to wipe clean. I've read some minor kvetching about the fan sounds, but to me they're soft and rather unobtrusive. It's exactly what I wanted, better than expected and an all around good value for the price. Couldn't be happier!!

We have had one of these units now for about a year. It is a wonderful little device for most cooking, but it has it's limits.

As many others have noted, induction cooking is a real deal and wonderful way to cook efficiently and wo lots of waste heat generation.

We use our unit 95% of the time.

That said here are the limitations:

1) High temperature cooking is limited, especially with larger cast iron skillets. This unit not sized or powered for such cooking.

2) For simmering the unit operates by periodic pulsing, thus there is a tendency to burn things to the bottom, especially with heavier stews and such due to the cycling effect for heating.

I recommend this unit if you are coming from an electric stove and are new to induction cooking. If you are coming from a gas stove, it is a toss up as to which is best for cooking. This unit is nice as an introduction to cooking with induction. If you are looking at a broader array and control in cooking, you might consider other units.

Overall this is a worthwhile unit as an introduction and use in generic cooking. It offers the myriad advantages of energy efficiency, safety and convenience. It is a good value. But in that value it comes with some minor limitations in capabilities.

We bought this unit to test induction, before committing to a built-in unit, and to supplement our existing electric cooktop because two of its burners had stopped working. The Sunpentown far exceeded our expectations. While it is not as powerful as a built-in that uses 240 current, this unit can match standard small burners. The timer feature that can be set to turn the unit off is a nice feature when cooking something like rice. We now use the unit for tabletop cooking, such as sukiyaki, and out by the grill or pool. Because there is no flame or hot coil, it is a much safer choice for a portable unit where electricity is available.

We purchaed this induction cooktop to complement our outdoor gas grill. There are some foods, such as fish or other fried foods, that linger in your home for days after cooking them. In nice weather, we can now cook those items outdoors without smelling up the house for days. Perfect for this type of application. It heats just as hot as your stove top.