Cooktop for sale

Received this last week and it works extremely well except for a loud high pitched squeal. I have tried various cookware (induction ready) and so far for the PRICE have found Winco's line of induction ware the best to use.
I have not used cast iron or carbon steel. Will be checking that over the next few days.

Update 5-28-11
We received a second unit and used it for a Pasta station last night. Tried cast iron skillet - no noticeable squeal.

Event was a huge success and everyone commented on how fresh, well prepared and quick, meals got to them. Used Linguini and Penne with over 15 toppings. Average cooking time on previously sauteed or cooked food (all was cold)was 2 minutes done in front of clients. THEY LOVE THE SHOW!

Strongly suggest Winco RSK-6 1/2" or RSK-8" Iron Skillets that will eliminate the squeal. You do not want anything bigger than that for individual meals. Portions are more controllable, skillet weighs less and takes up... Read more

I have had this item for a few weeks now, and it has performed well. It not only lets you select the power in watts for heating things up, but it will also let you select the temperature. Neither the watts or the temperature are infinitely adjustable, but there are enough choices to make it usable. For instance in temp mode you can select between 180 or 210 degrees, basically boiling or not. It will go all the way down to 140. The wattage goes all the way up to 1800 for fast heating. The wattage and temperature modes are independent of each other. Change to power and set the wattage, it will pump out that many watts continuously. Change to temperature and it will maintain the temperature you set (I assume on the bottom of the pot). As I'm sure most know you have to have pots and pans that are magnetic to make it work, and the disk they sell is no alternative if you want to boil water, or heat things up alot. My allclad works great as do other pots I have. My Cuisinart pots... Read more

I still very happy after weekly use for almost six months. With rapid response and easy adjustment, I've found it versatile and reliable. I move it frequently and it travels well, but adjustable feet would be nice as many tables aren't flat or level. In the kitchen it's been a workhorse, stable and solid, it has shown little of the squealing mentioned by others. Even a slightly rounded-bottom is a bummer, though, but good cookware with a flat bottom is well worth it. Small pans or large pots both work well, as cooktop has no rim, allowing overhang. I don't like that it shuts itself off after a couple of hours, so you have to remember to turn it back on if you're cooking an all-day recipe. Went done, it cools quickly (and so can be put away) and it's easy to keep clean. Nice.

The other reviews cover everything else nicely, except:

1. The difference between the model 6200 and the 6000 is that the 6200 has a stainless steel skin, while the 6000 is black plastic. The innards and wattage are identical.

2. If you purchase this with 1-click ordering, you'll miss out on free shipping. Grrrrr. To avoid spending an extra $9.00 on postage, use the checkout cart instead, then change the shipping method to "Free Shipping"

3. If you want an excellent overview of induction cookers, look up the topic in wiki-pedia.

4. (Updated 8-2011). Someone in the comments below asked what the wattages are: When the "Power" mode is selected, Level 1: 200w. 2-500. 3-800. 4-1000. 5-1200. 6-1300. 7-1400. 8-1500. 9-1600. 10-1800w. When the "Temperature" mode is selected, the ranges (1-10) are (in degrees F): 140, 180, 210, 250, 280, 320, 360, 390, 430, 450.

5. (Updated 11-2012). I had not used the "Temperature" mode at all. A... Read more

I have only had this unit for a few days, so don't know how it will hold up over time, but it works like it's supposed to, and I'm very happy with it so far. I'm not thrilled, however, that the price has dropped by $20 in the few days since I bought mine! Like others have said for others of the induction cooktops, the heat is concentrated in the center 4" of the plate, but this is not a real problem for boiling water, etc. And, if using a pot/pan that spreads the heat well, such as iron or pots with a thick clad bottom, it seems to mostly work out ok for other things. I had a problem trying to make an omelet, but maybe if I heat the pan slower and then add the eggs, the heat might spread out to the edge of the pan better (scrambled omelet wasn't bad, however). It might not work well for everything, but for most everything I've tried so far, it worked fine, and doesn't heat the kitchen up a lot. My 3 different sized steel pots with steamer inserts worked fine - 2 are Tramontina (from... Read more

... for your learning dollars, that is.

Had this for a month; free-shipped, it arrived intact and within a very reasonable time. Manual is brief and to the point.

Works fabulously with simple time-proven cast iron cookware, but don't expect omelets to come off whole easily - might do with enameled cast iron which I do not have. It is great to have minimal heat dumped into the house when you are paying for your air conditioning and it is 90�+ outside. That it worked just fine with some of my older - cheaper stainless steel pots that didn't pass the magnet test was a pleasant surprise. I plan to move it to the back porch before I try my heavy-flavored grill-pan fried fish!

Took away the 5th star since (a) heat is so localized over the center that it charred stir-fry veggies and burnt the thin-gauge pan when I got a bit over zealous with the power settings and (b) the temperature preset increments are too far apart for my liking. It shouldn't be a big... Read more

As an experienced cook with many years of cooking with Induction under my belt, I would like to share my experience, and clear up a lot of bad information propagated by some well meaning, but totally unqualified people who have submitted comments about the Max Burton 6000 Induction Cooker. I am also an Electronics & Mechanical Engineer, giving me additional insight into some of the issues being discussed.

First off, this Induction Cooker is a tremendous bargain, comparing favorably with products many times its cost. It is truly an 1800 Watt (input) Induction Cooker. Induction Cookers cannot be compared in any way to simple hotplates that use a resistive heating element. Electric hotplates, similar to conventional gas and electric burners are at best around 50% efficient. The wasted heat simply goes into heating your kitchen and makes your stove and cookware handles scorching hot. Induction Cooking is typically 80-90% efficient. Remember that even though the Max Burton... Read more

There's good news and bad news. I bought this unit as a training unit to check out the technology and have a good extra hob on hand for times when we strain our kitchen resources. The intent is to eventually equip our kitchen with an induction cooktop for energy efficiency.

The good news is that the technology works as advertised. It's remarkably quick and has plenty of power despite running off a normal power outlet. The bad news is that on this unit the heating element (if that is the correct terminology) is only about 7 to 8 inches across. It worked fine when we made soups, though we did notice that only the middle boiled or simmered. However, when frying, the limitation of the element size became a problem. We used a lodge 12" cast iron skillet to fry fish. The center of the pan put a beautiful tan on the panko, but the outside of the pan was relatively cool, requiring that each piece of fish be flipped to four positions before it was properly cooked.
We tested... Read more

What a find! This lightweight cooker is quite a workhorse. It boils water faster than my professional-grade Viking, and I can control the heat as quickly and precisely as I can on a gas range. From simmer to sear, it does it all. I teach cooking to kids, so I especially like that it's safer than other cooktops--no flame, and the surface stays relatively cool (there's some heat transfer from the pot, however, so you still need to be careful). Two drawbacks: you can only use induction-compatable cookware (anything that attracts a magnet will do), and you need a very reliable power supply, because this little guy requires a lot of juice.