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 clearly tell you that preparing meals on an induction cooktop is one of the safest and most efficient ways to cook.
Not only will cooking your dinner 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).
Models that didn't shine in our testing
Though induction cooktops generally perform pretty well, they can also be pricey. There is a huge variety of options on offer ranging from around $700 to over $5000, each boasting different features such as flexible cooking zones, cooking pan size detectors, timers and more.
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 bottom performers stood out as appliances our experts wouldn't buy for their own kitchens
Although these 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 four 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 – CHOICE members can access the full test results.
The induction cooktops our experts wouldn't buy
This Beko cooktop can't easily accommodate larger cookware.
1. Beko BCT601IGN 60cm induction cooktop
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 72%
- Price: $1499
- Cooking performance score: 68%
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 claim 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 home economist 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.
Any pans with a base larger than 21cm may not work efficiently on this cooktop
"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.
Read the full Beko BCT601IGN review.
It may be cheap, but our experts weren't impressed with this Ikea buy.
2. Ikea SMAKLIG 59cm induction cooktop
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Price: $799
- Cooking performance score: 78%
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, which can make things tricky when you need to turn the temperature down but your pans are virtually on top of the controls.
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.
If you're trying to keep costs down, you might be better off considering a ceramic cooktop
If you're trying to save money on your kitchen reno, buying a cheap induction cooktop may not be the best way to go about it. Unfortunately none of the cheaper induction cooktops we tested performed especially well, and all the models recommended by our experts cost $2000 or more.
If you're trying to keep costs down, you might be better off considering a ceramic cooktop. Several ceramic models around the $800 mark are recommended by our experts. Check out our review to find the best ceramic cooktops for your money.
Read the full Ikea SMAKLIG review.
The control panel on this Whirlpool model isn't the most user-friendly.
3. Whirlpool WS8865NEP 65cm induction cooktop
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Price: $1499
- Cooking performance score: 73%
A CHOICE Expert Rating of 76% is certainly not the worst performance we've seen in our kitchen labs, but CHOICE experts say that for that price, there are better buys out there. Check out our induction cooktop reviews to find out the models we rate much higher.
"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, so your cookware could slide over the controls (causing an error that could shut down the controls).
The front cooking zones are positioned very close to the controls, so your cookware could cover them up
"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.
Read the full Whirlpool WS8865NEP review.
Not worth the $3000+ price tag, say CHOICE experts about this Bosch cooktop.
4. Bosch PXV890DV5E 82cm induction cooktop
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Price: $3299
- Cooking performance score: 75%
This Bosch has things a bit back to front: it has one of the highest prices of all the cooktops in our review, but one of the lowest scores.
You could spend hundreds of dollars less and get a cooktop that scores tens of points higher. In fact, four of the six cooktops our experts recommend cost less than this, but score 90% and higher.
So where did it lose marks? It didn't sizzle in our high-heat test, where we cook a vegie and beef stir-fry to see how the cooktop performs on a high heat setting for a short time.
Four of the six cooktops our experts recommend cost less than this one
For the 'turn-down' test, our experts bring the rice to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer – this is a good measure of how responsive the cooktop is. One of induction cooktops' selling points is their responsiveness, which rivals gas cooktops: when you change the setting, the cooktop responds quickly and adjusts the heat.
Ceramic cooktops don't always perform well on this test, but many of the ceramic cooktops we've tested scored far higher than this Bosch – even ones that are far cheaper.
Its ability to melt chocolate and cook white sauce, however, was red-hot: our experts scored it a scorching 95% on this test, which assesses how well it cooks on low heat.
But this skill couldn't save it from an underwhelming overall score. Unless you're a chocolatier or a white sauce addict, you can find better value for money elsewhere.
You could even buy a CHOICE membership, pick up an induction cooktop recommended by CHOICE experts for less than $3000, and still have spent less than if you paid top dollar for this model.
Read the full Bosch PXV890DV5E review.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
