Customer Reviews

Viking Portable Induction Burner 15x12-in.

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Having owned a 5 zone induction cooktop imported from the UK in my previous home, I was already spoiled and no stranger to the responsiveness, efficiency, and pure power of induction cooking as well as the different brand units out there. I was a tad nervous about plunking down $500 for a single induction burner, however, this little workhorse has proven to be one of the most joyously hard working appliances in this old kitchen being used exclusively now while the archaic smooth top stove sits cool and idle.

The heat settings on this unit are spontaneous and responsive with a range that will shame your pro-gas stove or cooktop for putting a perfect sear on a roast and boiling a large pot of water lightening fast, plus all settings in between that are dead on accurate as well as a setting low enough to be used as a hot plate. And all this can be done anywhere, even outdoors. What a concept!

I highly recommend this Viking cooker if you are considering bringing induction into your home and would like a test drive a unit that is truly top notch and representative of the genre.

***Important to remember with all induction cooktops is your cookware must be ferrous or magnetic. You can test your pots and pan bottoms with an ordinary kitchen magnet. Cast iron and enameled steel work wonderfully on induction and now there are many cookware manufacturers producing lines of stainless steel that are induction capable.

This Viking Portable Induction Cooker has the highest power rating of any 120V unit I have found on the market. At 1.8kW, it claims to be the equivalent of a 15,000 BTU gas burner. I beg to differ. This induction cooker can boil 2 qt of cold water in 7:11; my Thermador professional cooktop with 15,000 BTU burners, takes 10:08 to boil that same pot of water! A cast iron skillet reaches a temperature of 400F in 0:57. Almost too quick, it throws off your cooking rhythm a bit. No time to turn around and grab something from the fridge.

The unit is of high quality construction, but easily portable. Styling makes it look like a commercial grade restaurant appliance. In more and more restaurants/hotels, induction is replacing butane burners for the exhibition omelette and pasta stations. They use 203/230V units, which have even more power. This unit is more appropriate for the home kitchen since you can power it from a standard outlet. At 15A, I wouldn't put too much else on the same circuit, although I haven't tripped a breaker yet.

The other unique feature of the Viking is that it has a large knob, instead of a touchpad to control the heat. For this function, I like knobs. As claimed, heat response is almost instantaneous. The ceramic surface stays very cool, only a bit of transfer heating right under the pan. Easy to wipe off spills, won't burn the kids.

To cook on the Viking, I use a Lodge cast iron skillet, a Circulon Infinite omelette pan, a Farberware Millenium sauce pan, and a steel wok (with a flat spot on the bottom). All of these pieces work great. The cooker is smart. If you put an incompatible piece of cookware on the surface, it won't turn on. The light just blinks.

Very happy with the purchase. Especially with Macys.com sale price offered on Amazon in late July. My cousin's wife is into green, energy saving appliances so she's making him buy one too. He'll have to pay the current selling price because the sale is over and she won't wait.

I've been using the Viking Portable Electric Induction Cooker (15x12-in.) since October 2008. It is fantastic. There are some limits, for example, no Le Creuset will work on it, and Staub works intermittently. But all Lodge work fine (both regular cast iron, and their enameled which has a better cooking surface than the more expensive brands), as will any carbon steel. Pretty much any pan or pat that a magnet can stick to strongly will work. The high is much hotter than a normal cooktop, and the low is lower. With induction, the amount of heating changes the instant you change the power. I have more control over heating than with gas now. The traditional-style control knob is essential, I think. I would not want to be tapping little buttons in the middle of a sauté. Cleans like a charm. It sits on top of my old electric range, which I never use.

you can buy more than eight of the new GE induction cookers for the cost of the Viking.both are made in china.both are rated for home-use only.but the Viking has 500 watts more power,has an un-matched clean industrial look,and has much less fan-noise,even when maxed-out boiling more than 2 quarts of water.also,you can use cooking equipment with a 12 inch base on the Viking.the GE has a raised lip on its cooking surface,restricting the cooking base to 9 inches.each unit deserves a 5-star rating,but for differing reasons.i own and use them both.

I own many Viking appliances so I knew that although expensive, the induction burner would be a good product. It is fantastic. It looks and feels like a quality product and works flawlessly. I agree with the other reviewers who gushed about the burner. I only use the stove when I need to be cooking two things simultaneously. Foods are at cooking temperature instantly, cook quickly and once the unit is turned off it is instantly cool, a big hit for those of us without air conditioned homes. I like the energy efficiency of it as well. I can cook real food on the burner much more quickly than I could microwave fake food.

One warning: the burner will only work with pans with enough iron to generate the magnetism that creates the heat. I have had to buy additional pots and pans because my expensive Swiss set did not work. I have had excellent success with the Maubiel brand of pots and pans. Look for "induction ready" pans.

Every kitchen should have this!
It is great for quick browning, soups, stews, anything!
I love it. It does not heat the kitchen up like a conventional stove or oven.
I have a Wolf stove and I rarely use it now since I bought my Viking induction burner.
Easy to clean, makes life much easier:)

I was new to induction cooking and bought a lower priced one first. I sometimes teach cooking classes/demos and induction is much easier to use than those table-top gas burners. My first induction experience was with a Fagor unit. It works fine for me, but has a major drawback in its "touch button" controls. It's hard to get it to do what you want, especially when it gets some grease spatters on it.
The Viking has much easier control, a larger platform and more power. High is high and medium-high is medium-high. I had no trouble using a whopper of a pan and steaming four dozen clams on it. Preparing a delicate piece of fish or searing a steak, this unit is up to any task. I use it in my own kitchen more and more instead of my glass cooktop, which takes longer to heat up and stays hot long after I'm done cooking.
You can expect quite a performance for its hefty price, but the unit simply delivers and lives up to expectations.

I bought this cooker because my glass cooktop on my range takes forever to boil a pan of water. When I read about induction cooking, I had to try it. I have only used my range about twice in the month since I got the induction cooker. Induction is so much faster than my electric cooktop that I can cook much more quickly and I love it. I did have to buy some new pans that are magnetic on the bottom, but it was well worth it. Viking Portable Induction Cooker

Like everyone else looking at induction it is a fantastic tool for any kitchen. We received our first Viking unit and put it to use to boil some water. My wife and son quickly complained the unit was putting out a nausiating odor. I called Viking and with no hesitation they sent me another one. This one also is putting out the same nausiating odor. Viking is standing behind the unit as I send the second unit back. I hope we get the odor problem cleaned up because I like the unit.

I had this cook top for about six months and it stopped working. I called and wrote to Viking several times. The would not respond. After several months of trying to get someone to help me, I finally just threw it away. What a horrible waste of money. I have two other brands that I purchased since that have worked for over two years without a hitch. One is the Waring. All in all the Viking customer service for this product was deplorable. I will never buy another Viking product because of this.