Secura 8100MC 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner

If you’re looking to buy a portable countertop burner for your kitchen or for travelling and have heard about induction heating and would like to find out about it then check out this review on the Secura 8100MC 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner.

We’ll be looking at the features offered, how well it works and what the buyers think about it. If you’re not sure about induction stoves and think you would prefer a normal electric burner read our review on the Cusimax 1500W Electric Countertop Burner.

If you landed on this page just to buy the Secura 8100MC 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner checkout Amazon.com

Secura 8100MC Review

Which pans to use on an induction cooktop

The first thing most people hear about with the best portable induction cooktops is the fact that you need specific cookware. The way to check if your pots and pans will work on this burner is to test them with a magnet, they need to have a magnetic bottom. If you have to buy something new it would be worth taking a magnet with you when you buy to double check because some say they have a steel bottom but it is a mixture and they aren’t always very magnetic.

How does induction work

In normal cooking a flame on a gas burner or an electric ring will generate heat and it will heat up your food by thermal induction, you tend to lose a lot of heat into the air with this kind of cooking, what induction cooking does is use the cooking pot itself to generate heat through magnetic induction.

The cooking part of an induction cooktop is a powerful, high-frequency electromagnet. The Secura 8100MC 1800W has a ceramic surface and electronics within the unit generate the electromagnetism.

When a magnetic based pot is placed onto the surface the magnetic field transfers energy into the metal and the pot then becomes the heat source as it becomes hot. The heat is controlled by altering the strength of the magnetic field and that change can happen instantly, and in a nutshell that is how you can do induction cooking.

Features of the Secura 8100MC

• Duxtop Induction Cooktop uses 120 volts, 15 amps of electricity – standard in all homes; Lightweight and compact for easy handling and storage
• Digital control panel. Built-in count-down digital timer with 1 min increments up to 170 minutes; 10 temperature range from 140 Degree Fahrenheit to 460 Degree Fahrenheit; 10 power levels from 200-1800Watts
• Requires induction compatible cookware. Compatible with Duxtop and other induction ready cookware such as stainless steel with a magnetic bottom, or cast iron
• The auto-pan detection will shut the unit automatically after 60 seconds if no cookware is detected; Equipped with diagnostic error message system, Low and high voltage warning system; ETL approved

We have already talked about specific magnetic cookware and how to check yours so we will take it as read that magnetic based cookware is required for any type of induction countertop burner.

Find out more…

This single induction cooker is powered by 120v with a normal plug, it can be used anywhere it can be plugged in. You can take this with you when you go travelling as long as you have access to electricity. It’s light and small in size so it would be easy to pack up to take with you or store in a drawer or cupboard at home if you want an extra burner in the kitchen.

The Secura has a digital control on the front which is a simple press button. There are 3 types of control when cooking on this unit, you can just use the 10 power levels on this cooker adjusting it with the +/- buttons. Most people tend to use this as it probably relates more to how we use a normal hotplate. There is 10 temperature levels so you can cook by temperature if that is easier for you to manage and there is also a timer unit so you can set it to cook for a certain amount of time then switch off, it can adjust in 5 minute increments up to 170 minutes.

The Secura 8100MC has an automatic pan detector which will shut off the power if no pan is detected after 60 seconds and it also has high or low voltage warnings.

The difference that you notice cooking with induction is the speed of it heating up your food, it can boil water very quickly and although the pan will get hot as it cooks the unit itself doesn’t so the buttons feel cool to the touch. The ceramic top with get hot with the heat of the pan but when it is removed cools quickly and is easy to wipe clean.

Although the heat control is instant when you adjust it there is still some familiarisation needed when you start cooking by induction, people find it can burn food quickly if you don’t take care.

Customer Opinion

Most customers are pleasantly surprised and delighted at the speed of cooking that they get with this little cooktop.

Buyers have bought this to take away with them and tried it out at home and decided to keep it there.

If you need an extra burner in your kitchen buy this but be prepared to not use your basic cooker very much in the future, it really changes peoples minds about cooking.

The negatives found are some people find the fan noisy, some people have found difficulty getting it to work with smaller pans and some buyers have found it stopped working after a few months.

Verdict

If you want something small that can heat up well, cools down quickly and can clean up easily the Secura 8100MC definitely fits the bill, be aware that once you try it you might not want to go back to a normal gas or electric burner. The fact that you need to check if you have pots and pans that can work on this cooker might mean an added expense of some new pans but these will be able to be used on your normal cooker too. Well worth checking out in our opinion.

Buy the Secura 8100MC 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner at Amazon.com