The 5 Best Counterop Burners
For those who find themselves running out of space on their kitchen stove while preparing a holiday feast or potluck, or frequently cooking on the go, a countertop burner may be a perfect solution. While the general concept of a countertop burner, also referred to as a hot plate, hasn't changed much since its inception, modern burners come with many additional features such as an automatic shutdown and an adjustable thermostat.
What Is a Countertop Burner?
A countertop burner, or hot plate, is a self-contained kitchen appliance that is made up of one or more electric heating elements. Power flows from a source to heat up the electric heating elements, once heated, you can proceed to cook food as you would atop your kitchen stove. Modern induction burners use magnetic coils to send most of the heat directly to the pan rather than heating surface, making them heat more quickly and efficient, but are generally more expensive as well.
Best 5 Countertop Burners
Waring SB30 Countertop Portable Burner
The Waring SB30 countertop burner is extremely well-rated amongst users. The 1300 watt plate allows for greater variety of cooking and users like the sturdy, brushed stainless steel casing. This Waring burner also features and adjustable thermostat as well as "On" and "Ready" indicator lights, allowing for greater precision while cooking. Additionally, this burner model is also available as a double burner, but the double version will run you a little more.
Currently $46.24 for the single burner on Amazon
DUXTOP Portable Induction Countertop Burner
The DUXTOP Portable Induction burner comes with a number of features that make it a favorite for those looking to purchase a countertop burner. By heating with a magnetic field, its capable of heating faster than conventional burners. Its self-adjusting burners are capable of detecting the size of the cooking base, and adjusting itself in order to reduce the amount of energy wasted. This burner also features an automatic shutdown that will turn the unit off if no cookware is detected for 60 seconds.
Proctor-Silex 34101 Burner
The Proctor-Silex 34101 countertop burner is a perfect choice for those looking for a functional and inexpensive burner. For a 1000 watt device, users report that it gets quite hot and heats up relatively quickly. This burner also features a temperature knob with low, medium and high heat levels. While this burner ultimately doesn't carry too many bells-and-whistles, users appreciate its ability to handle the fundamentals.
Aroma AHP-312 Double Hot Plate
The Aroma AHP-312 countertop burner offers two burners for greatly expanded cooking ability at a very reasonable price. Users note that the build is solid and sturdy while the plates themselves are made of strong die-cast metal. Each burner has its own temperature control and indicator light.
Nuwave PIC 2 Precision Induction Cooktop
The other induction countertop burner to make this list, the Nuwave PIC 2 offers a lot of adjustable settings to make cooking on the burner easier. Temperature on this countertop burner is adjustable in 10 degree increments. Additionally, this Nuwave burner is also capable of programmable cooking with up to 100 hours of program memory.
And those are our recommendations for the best countertop burners. As always, be sure to check out the Wise Bread Buying Calendar to learn when and how to buy just about anything!
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