Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Original Review April 3, 2010
All of the reviews for the Fagor Portable Induction Cooktop apply to this one, so you should go read those. This is the 'double' version of that one. I've never found the controls to be non-responsive. You do have to lift your finger up & put it down again for it to register - sliding from one button to the other doesn't activate the 2nd button. If the control area gets wet, just wipe it down with a towel.
The most important thing you need to know is that you can't use both burners on max, just one at a time. This is alluded to on the box/in the description (it's why they call it a "buffet warmer" and not a "double cooktop"), but never explicitly stated.
There are six power level settings (1 to 6) and you can only use a combined total of 6. So that's 6+0 (saute + off), 5+1 (medium high + keep warm), 4+2 (boil water + reheat), or 3+3 (gently simmer on both), or any combination that adds up to 6 or less (2+2, 3+2 etc).
I find that 5 is enough to get a stainless steel pan hot enough to pan fry and keep it at the right temperature, but you may want the option to go up to 6 when you start adding ingredients. 1 is enough to keep water hot & steaming. 2 is enough to keep water on a low boil (only boils directly above the heated areas, stops immediately when you turn it off). 3 is enough to keep things at a low-moderate boil. If you have a large pot of water, you 2 will take a long time to get it boiling, but it will keep it there. Other reviewers (of the single burner version) say that a setting between 2 & 3 would be welcome for simmering things, and I sort of agree with them. I suspect they calibrated it so that 2 would be just enough of a boil to see bubbles. The efficiency of our pot/pan may also play a role in how well each setting works.
So while they call it a warmer, you can cook with it, you just can't use both burners for frying at the same time, one will always be a "back burner" - keep your sauce warm while you prepare your main ingredients on the other burner.
As I was researching cooktops, I saw that the price for double cooktops was more than triple the price of a single cooktop. I figured that the double (or greater) cooktops were industrial level and meant to be stove replacements. I was right. The double cooktops all use 220 volts - industrial use, some air conditioners, etc. rather than the 120 volts that comes out of your standard electric socket.
This cooktop is 120v so it's limited in how much it can do. If it allowed both burners to go to max simultaneously, you'd blow a fuse. This is also why I wouldn't recommend buying two single induction cooktops and plugging them into the same circuit (though if you have two outlets on two different circuits - go for it).
As with all induction cooktops, you need a compatible pot or pan. Basically it has to have a flat bottom & a magnet should stick to it. An aluminum core will also help distribute heat more evenly. It heats the pot or pan directly, without wasting any energy (it's really like magic). It will turn itself off in 9 seconds if there is no pot or pan above it, so you have to limit the time you take something off the cooktop surface to 9 seconds, which can be annoying when cooking (for example) eggs, which you may want to let cool/even out before putting back on the cooktop.
If you spill some egg on the cooktop, the heat radiating off of the pan may cook it, but the cooktop itself won't cook it (unless there's leftover heat from the pan there - the cooktop will get hot from the heat radiating off of the pan, but does not produce heat itself).
The burners are a decent distance apart - 11 inches on center. So no using two 12" skillets at the same time. The timer works well - using Timer + adds 5 minutes, and Timer - subtracts 1 minute, giving you fine control over the timer. The cooktop will turn off after that amount of time.
All the controls are duplicated - so there are two timers (one for the left cooktop, one for the right cooktop). If you try to turn the heat up above the combined ouput of 6, it won't let you. There's also a child lock - hold the button for a few seconds to lock the controls. Hold it for a few seconds to release.
There are vents on the bottom & back that you need to keep clear, and it the fan can get noisy, but it's not so bad. There's no guarantee that the cooktop will be level if your surface isn't level, so getting a large flat grill pan (you can probably only fit one at a time and need one that is induction friendly to spread the heat evenly) means your eggs will run off into a corner if it isn't level. This may or may not be an issue for you, and may or may not be something you could easily fix. I got a fagor grill pan free with my purchase at a local store that sells this cooktop, as well as other things for the table.
All in all, for roughly twice the price of other cooktops (I got a cheap single induction cooktop for 1/3 this price in Chinatown) and for 50% more than the price of the Fagor single induction cooktops, you get something you couldn't get otherwise - two induction burners that work at 120v. and for less than a small fortune. Sure you can't use both on max at once, but it gives you way more options than any single burner will give you.
Update April 29, 2010
A few days ago I was cooking with a 12" skillet and after I was done as I was washing the skillet, I noticed something sticky on the bottom. Confused about where it came from, I looked at the skillet and noticed that there's a plastic lip that rises up above the glass cooking surface that got melted by the skillet. I posted some pictures for you to see in the customer photo section above.
As you can see in the pictures, the 12" skillet is technically small enough to fit on the cooktop, but you'd have to keep your eye on it nonstop, and who does that? When I'm skillet cooking it's constantly on the move. Raising the plastic molding above the glass cooktop virtually guarantees that items with larger flat surfaces will come in contact with & melt the plastic.
The inexpensive Tatung (single induction) cooktop that I purchased in Chinatown (and which is available elsewhere online) doesn't have anything raised above the cooktop surface - the cooktop surface is a good half a centimeter above anthing else.
Because of this, I downgrade my review from 4 stars to 3 stars. It's still a great cooktop for "cooking one thing on high and keeping one thing warm" provided you don't use items with very large flat surfaces such as 12" skillets and don't go near the edges with anything while it's hot.
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Perfect portable solution for Indoor & Outdoor Entertaining, Holiday Meals & Family Gatherings! Its stylish design makes it a perfect centerpiece on the table for entertaining dishes or just to keep foods warm.
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