Getting a Copper Chef induction cooktop is a move that can only help you on your journey as a chef.
It may solve a lot of dilemmas that you face on a regular basis. Do you want to easily melt butter for baking? Do you need to make the perfect pancake to impress your roommates? Did you forget to cook your pasta and your guests have already arrived? An induction cooktop can help you with all these and more. Cooking on an induction cooker is quick and safe.
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No wonder induction is slowly catching up to the popularity of gas cooktops when it comes to stove of choice for many households. An induction cooktop might seem like magic, since it doesn’t heat up unless you place a pan or a pot on its surface. But it isn’t magic — just science. The iron in the pan heats up by reacting to the electric current circulating on the stove.
Read this Copper Chef Induction Cooktop Review in order to see if this brand is the right buy for your cooking needs.
Product Review
* Copper Chef Induction Cooktop
One of the main selling points of this Copper Chef Induction Cooktop is its portability. This cooktop is very small and lightweight. It only measures 15 x 12 x 3 inches and weighs 5.8 pounds. It is probably smaller than some books from the library (and better at heating up food, too)!
If you are a college student and you want to cook in the dorm or a small apartment, this may be an ideal cooktop for you. You don’t have to content yourself with just heating food using a microwave, which is what most dorm do. This thing is small enough to place on a small table. Once you are done cooking, you can just pack it away.
You can also keep the Copper Chef induction plate as a secondary stove. Should there be a time when you need another cooking space, this could be your helping hand. You can even bring it to a neighbor’s place if you need to do the cooking there.
As long as there is a power source, you can bring and use the Copper Chef induction cooker. Another great thing about this small and portable cooktop is that it can easily be stored in a small kitchen drawer. It will not take up too much of your precious countertop space.
The Control Panel is Easy to Use
All the information that you need to know as you are cooking is shown on the cooktop’s digital display. Under the display are five buttons that you use to control the preset functions. These functions set your cooktop to a precise heat setting for a given time. Here are the buttons and what they mean:
- Timer – The induction cooker’s timer button allows you to set the cook time. It can be adjusted in 1-minute intervals and can be set for 2-and-a-half hours or 150 minutes. After the cook time, the display will go to the OFF position.
Keep Warm – If you press this button, the Copper Chef induction cooker will heat your food at a low temperature of 175°F.
- Temperature / Time Decrease – This button allows you to decrease the cook time or lower the temperature.
- Low setting – If you press this button, the cooktop will run at a steady 100°F for as long as you indicate on the timer.
- Medium setting – This will keep the cooktop running at a medium temperature of 275°F.
- High setting – The will keep the cooktop running at 425°F for the time that you set.
- Sear setting – This keeps your cooktop running at a scorching 500°F, which is perfect for searing meat.
- Temperature / Time increase – This button lets you increase the cook time or raise the temperature.
- Power button – This switches your cooktop on or off.
The controls are very intuitive so you can cook even without consulting the manual. Plus, no matter what setting you press, you can see it on the display so you always know what you’re doing. If you know how to use a microwave, you will easily learn how to use the Copper Chef stove top induction cooker. And if you still get confused, you can always consult the manual.
The Cooking Surface Is Durable and Easy to Clean
The Copper Chef induction plate is made from durable ceramic. This is a big pro for this cooktop. Ceramic is a more efficient material for heat transfer, so the heating is quick and even. You will need less energy to cook your food, too. Less energy means more savings for you. As a bonus, ceramic has non-stick properties.
This means if your stew or sauce overflows or splashes on the cookware, it’s so easy to clean. All you need to do is to give the surface a wipe with a damp cloth. If it needs a more thorough cleaning, you can also use a little detergent and water.
Ceramic is very tough as well.
It would be hard to dent this surface. Unfortunately, since it doesn’t have any give, if you accidentally drop a cast iron griddle or a full pot of stew on the cooktop, the cooking surface will probably crack. Once the surface cracks or breaks, you will have to replace the entire cooktop.
If you scrape the pot on the surface as you move it around, there is also a tendency for the ceramic to scratch. So, if you are using induction cookware that has a rough bottom, it is important to lift it off the cooktop rather than slide it off.
The Cooktop Is So Easy to Maintain
The Copper Chef induction cooker’s heating element is incorporated directly onto the cooking surface. There are no dirt traps where food debris can get stuck, which is a huge plus.
Additionally, since the buttons are touch-sensitive and not in knob form, there are no knobs for the sauces and oils to collect under. You can clean the cooktop almost immediately after cooking, since it cools down as soon as the cookware has been removed.
Sauces and other liquids will have no chance to dry out. And should they, all you’ll need to do is use a wet rag to wipe it off. Do not use any abrasive brush or cloth as these will damage the cooking surface.
This cookware is fundamentally easier to clean because cooking via induction doesn’t create carbon build-up. There is no greasy black stain that most cooks have to contend with when they use other types of stoves. If there is one thing that a cook hates, it is having to scrub the bottoms of the pans after cooking.
The Cooktop Offers a Wide Temperature Range
The cooking temperature that the Copper Chef portable induction burner offers ranges from 100°F up to 500°F. This will allow you to cook a variety of dishes from gently stewing potatoes to searing a good piece of meat.
You can control the temperature using the buttons at the front of the cooktop. Unfortunately, because the heat ring is fairly small, this induction cooker has a hard time maintaining heat.
This is not good news for people who like having steaks or frying things to a crisp, as it is crucial for the temperature to be maintained at a high level after you place the meat on the cooking surface to get these results.
Since the cooking heat plummets once the ingredient has been placed, it tends to turn the food into a soggy mess. Nobody likes soggy French fries or fried chicken.
Additionally, the power output of this cooker is 1300 watts. However, it does not perform that well consistently. A user claimed that when she tried to boil an egg using this cooktop, it took more than ten minutes for the water to boil.
Normally, if you try to boil water in an induction cooker, it will start bubbling in just a few minutes. So, if you plan on softening meat for stew, prepare to cook for a very, very long time.
The Cooktop Has Air Vents and Other Safety Features
Keeping the air vents at the back and bottom of the cooktop is crucial to prevent it from overheating and keep it working properly.
Remember to place the Copper Chef induction cooker away from the wall to prevent the air vents from getting blocked. Some users report that the fan inside works loudly and can be heard whirring even when frying things.
It is also a good idea to place it on a heat resistant top so that you are sure the stove doesn’t burn the surface where you are cooking.
This model is not meant for commercial use. Using it for too long may damage the heating mechanism. But one thing that you will not have to worry about this particular cooktop is switching it off.
As soon as you remove the pot or pan from its surface, it begins cooling down. Additionally, the unit has a timer built into its system. Once it goes idle, it starts to count down from 150 minutes. It automatically switches off when the timer reaches zero.
The Lowdown on the Copper Chef Induction Burner
While the Copper Chef Induction Burner has a lot of positive features, there are some negatives that may prove to be deal-breakers for you.
Pros:
- Can cook and keep food warm
It is lightweight and small
- It is easy to use
- It is easy to clean
- It is versatile
- It has many safety features
Cons:
- Durability might be an issue
- Takes a long time to cook food
- The temperature fluctuates when ingredients are placed in the cookware
Conclusion
If you plan on using the cooktop as secondary kitchen equipment or as a stove in your dorm, it might be an okay enough option. It is easy to use and can cook food and keep it warm for those times when you don’t want to eat everything in one go. It can also be used to reheat food, making it an ideal dorm companion.
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Many users claim that this model is not for heavy-duty cooking. It will take a little longer to cook your food, but it will cook it safely and conveniently in the end. It is very easy to use and quite easy to maintain as well. The controls are easy to understand. It doesn’t require heavy cleaning and there are no nooks or crannies where food debris and grease can collect.
It even has 5 pre-set temperature settings, so you don’t have to worry about cook times and temperature too much. Hopefully, this Copper Chef Induction Cooktop Review has helped you with your decision in buying an induction cooktop.