Best Induction Cooktop For Van

Have you ever put your hand down on a stove thinking it was off when actually it was on the whole time?

Me neither. But can you imagine if you did? Or worse if your kid did, and you were miles away from the nearest hospital? And in the limited space of a van or an RV, such an incident is more likely to happen.

But don’t worry. If you get yourself an induction cooktop for your van, then you can put your hand on the edge of the cooktop without getting burned. Even if you’ve got something cooking in the pan!

We’ve been checking out some of the best induction cooktops suitable for vans and RVs, and after much deliberation, we were able to handpick our top 5 favorites.

We’re going to be showing you our reviews on those very shortly, and after that, we’ve also got a buying guide for you, that will walk you through everything you might want to think about before you buy.

So, without further ado, let’s get straight to it!

Best Induction Cooktop For Van

1. NUWAVE Lightweight Induction Cooktop

Nuwave is a big brand in the field of induction cooktops after all of their infomercials on TV. And we think their good reputation is truly deserved.

What makes this such a good induction cooktop for a van is how there are no sharp edges, and the cooktop is rounded, so it’s less likely to get knocked over while you’re cooking.

Despite its small and compact dimensions (handy is a small space like a van), however, the actual cooking surface is surprisingly generous and can accommodate pans up to about 12 inches.

There are a whopping 52 different temperature settings to choose from, starting at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and reaching as far as 575 degrees Fahrenheit. (It goes up in 10-degree increments.)

Or if you prefer you can choose from 6 different easily identified pre-programmed settings.

We love just how energy efficient it is – using up to 70% less energy than a conventional stove.

It has a couple of additional features which are quite nice. There’s an automatic shut-off if you leave it on too long – a great safety feature. And there’s a “delay” and a “resume cooking” feature, which can come in handy with certain recipes, or if you’ve had trouble trying to get everything ready at the same time.

The accessories that come with this model are really good too. There’s an instructional DVD, a quick & easy cooking guide, and a complete manual & cookbook.

You could argue that it’s a little pricey for what it is, but then you are paying for the name.

If you’re worried about not having the right cookware if you click on “check price” you’ll be taken to a website where you can buy this cooktop together with a compatible 10.5-inch frying pan.

Pros

• Top brand as seen on TV
• Rounded rather than square
• Delay and resume features
• Auto-shutoff safety feature
• Impressively energy efficient
• Comes with great accessories

Cons

• A little expensive for a single burner model

2. iSiLER Portable Induction Cooktop

Now, this is a great induction cooktop. It’s a bestseller with online retailers, and after about 2000 individual customer ratings on Amazon, three-quarters of customers rated it at 5 stars out of 5.

And there’s a lot to love about it. We mostly love how easy and straightforward it is to use. Using the touchscreen at the front, you simply select the function you want (e.g. slow-cook, sear, etc.) then you can control the power and temperature using the plus and minus keys, and set the timer if you want to.

There are 17 pre-set temperature levels from 140 all the way up to 460 degrees Fahrenheit. And 18 power levels.

And with its 3-hour long timer, you can get your food cooked nice and soft and tender.

What makes it a great choice for use in your van is its small and compact size, and how lightweight it is. It can accommodate pots and pans up to 8.6 inches, so it’s a great choice of induction cooktop for couples or solo travelers.

It has some very nice safety features, such as overheating protection, a child lock, and rounded edges. There’s even a special fan to dissipate the heat really quickly after use.

We also love the premium glass surface, which is a doddle to clean.

And it’s available at a very fair and reasonable price.

If you decide to buy this one, we recommend bookmarking the Amazon page, because it tells you what all the error codes mean, if you need to do any troubleshooting.

Pros

• A bestselling induction cooktop
• Excellent customer ratings
• Lots of great safety features
• Large easy to use touchscreen
• Easy to clean premium glass surface
• Super easy troubleshooting

Cons

• Only accommodates pans up to 8.6 inches wide

3. Sandoo Induction Cooktop,1800W Double Burners

If you’ve got enough room in your van or RV, you could do a lot worse for yourself than getting this double burner induction cooktop from Sandoo.

And you don’t have to worry about it using too much energy when both stoves are on – the total power is still less than 1800 watts.

And the controls for each burner are independently operable, which means you can have something cooking at a low temperature in one pan and at a high temperature in the other pan.

But what we really love about this induction cooktop is how you can cook your food low and slow, over several hours, thanks to the 10-hour timer. This is great if you want to spend the day on the beach or hiking in the woods.

This cooktop is great for families because the left burner is particularly large, so together with the medium-sized right burner, you can be sure you can cook enough food for everybody.

It’s easy to use and easy to clean, with touch buttons along the tempered glass surface. And very intuitive to use, with its easy to interpret icons.

There are 6 different power levels and 6 different temperature settings. Giving you all the versatility you need.

It comes with detachable legs, which provides you with room to stash plates and dishes as you cook. Great when you have limited space in your van.

It has a total of a whopping 9 different safety functions. (We won’t list them all here, simply click “check price” to be taken to the product page.)

It also comes complete with a 12-month limited warranty and excellent after-sales service.

Pros

• 1 large & 1 medium burner
• Great for slow-cooking
• Easy to use, easy to clean
• Comes with detachable legs
• 9 different safety functions
• 12-month limited warranty

Cons

• Premium product at a premium price
• Maximum temperature of just 200 degrees Fahrenheit

4. Nutrichef Double Induction Cooktop

Here’s another great double burner induction cooktop. And again, one that’s gone down really well with customers. A bestseller in fact.

If you have the room for it in your van, it could well be worth investing in a double burner, even if it’s just two of you using it. You could have your meat and veg frying in one pan and make a sumptuous sauce brewing in the other pan.

The two burners are independently operable, meaning you can have one pan on low heat and have the other on a high heat at the same time. Very convenient.

It’s quite compact for a double burner, measuring just 23.6 inches by 14.3 inches. And this makes it very easy to stow away when not in use.

But despite being so compact it can accommodate quite sizable pans. Pans of up to 26 cm in diameter in fact.

It’s very easy to use, with a large digital display and touch sensor controls and features some handy built-in cooking modes, specifically for boiling water, frying, and steam cooking.

It has a nice easy to clean surface made of tempered ceramic glass, that’s both non-stick and stain-resistant.

Its best safety feature is the built-in child lock. It serves to lock all of the buttons on the touch screen, to avoid any nasty scalding. Great if you have young kids to worry about.

Other features we like include the “keep warm” function, for those who are late getting to the table.

Amazon occasionally has deals on this cooktop, just click “check price” to see if there’s a deal on now.

Pros

• Popular bestselling induction cooktop
• 2 independently operable burners
• Compact for easy storage
• Non-stick & stain-resistant surface
• Built-in safety child lock
• Handy “keep warm” function

Cons

• Some customers have said that the controls for temperature are not as fine as they could be

5. Duxtop 1800W Portable Induction Cooktop

Now, this is an induction cooktop that has really been flying off the shelves. And better yet it has been met with excellent customer feedback.

On the Amazon website for example, there have been well over 10,000 customer ratings, and over 70% of them rated the cooktop at 5 stars out of 5.

It’s a single burner cooktop with compact dimensions that won’t take up too much room in your van or RV, and can be stowed away very easily when not in use, giving you more room to chop your meat or veg.

It’s great for those one-pot meals where you can fix it and forget it. There’s a built-in digital timer that will let you know when your food is ready to serve.

It’s very easy and intuitive to use, and you don’t get a control panel designed to bamboozle you with unnecessary details. All you have to do is, switch it on, choose from temperature, power, or timer mode, use the plus or minus buttons until you get the setting you want, and leave the machine to do its thing.

The available temperature settings range from 140 to 460 degrees Fahrenheit, so there’s plenty of room to work with there. And there are 10 power settings.

And troubleshooting with the machine is a breeze. The machine gives you an error code, and from there you can look up the error code in the user’s manual, find out what the problem, and solve the issue according to the instructions.

And it come complete with not a 1-year but a 2-year warranty. How reassuring is that!

And it’s available at a great price too!

Pros

• A huge best seller with the online retailers
• Particularly straightforward & easy to use
• Comes with a 2-year limited warranty
• Small, compact, and easy to stow away
• Excellent price point for such good quality
• Troubleshooting is a walk in the park

Cons

• This is quite a basic model and lacks any special features

Best Induction Cooktop For Van Buyer’s Guide

As promised, here’s your buying guide!

Why Get an Induction Cooktop for Your Van

As we mentioned in our introduction, induction cooktops are far safer than their gas-powered counterparts. There’s no dangerous gas flame to worry about, and it’s only the pots and pans themselves that get hot.

Moreover, the cooking temperature is much easier to control than on a gas stove, and you won’t get any water boiling over the edges of the pan. Some great safety features there.

And, there’s no waiting around forever to get cooking at high temperatures, induction cooktops heat up super quick.

Plus, they’re super easy to keep clean – all it takes is a quick wipe down after every use. Really convenient.

But that’s not all. They’re also more energy-efficient, so by using them you aren’t draining the van battery or your generator unnecessarily, and at the same time, you’re also helping the environment in the battle against climate change.

Size of Cooktop

If you have a small van, and there’s only one or two of you traveling, you might decide that a single burner cooktop will do the trick.

But if you have a larger van or RV, and you have kids tagging along with you, then it might be more appropriate to get a double burner induction cooktop.

That way you can have meat cooking in one pan while you’ve got pasta, rice, or vegetables cooking in another pan.

This will of course affect the price of the machine.

We were sure to include both single and double burners in our top 5 picks.

Power & Inverters

You will need some source of electricity to run your induction cooker in your van or RV. And you will need an inverter.

A van electrical system is typically 12V DC, so an inverter is required to convert the power to 120V AC. A 2000-watt inverter would be ok, but a 3000-watt inverter is recommended.

Compatible Cookware

Remember that you will need compatible cookware. Basically, any frying pan, wok, pot, or saucepan that will allow a magnet to stick to the underside will work on an induction top.

More specifically, this includes cast iron cookware, including enameled cast iron cookware, or magnetic stainless steel.

Cookware that will not work on an induction cooktop includes the likes of glass, aluminum, ceramics, and copper. (And any concave cookware.)

Additional Features

If you’re travelling with kids, you might be particularly interested in safety features. This might include an automatic shut-off to avoid overheating. Or perhaps a child lock, so that your little one doesn’t accidentally turn the device on and possibly scald themselves.

Other nice features you can get with an induction cooktop include a “keep warm” feature. Super handy for when someone’s running a little late for dinner.

Cost

Induction cooktops can really vary in price, with some starting at about $50 for a single burner, and at the other extreme, you’ve got double burners costing about $200.

Our advice to you when you’re shopping around is to check the prices as you go along and learn what features your money buys you. That way you can make a well-informed decision about what your budget should be.

Customer Ratings & Reviews

Whenever you’re shopping for something online, why not make the most of the opportunity and check out what other people have said about the item you’re interested in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which brand is best for induction cooktop?

One brand that’s particularly well known for its induction cooktops is Nuwave. Nuwave has some really good models in its product line-up, and we were sure to include one in our shortlist of our top 5 picks.

But it’s by no means the only brand to consider. The brand that’s currently dominating the bestseller lists with online retailers is Duxton. We don’t necessarily believe that Duxton is better than Nuwave however. And much of Duxton’s popularity with customers is driven by its relatively low price tag, and consequent value for money.

What is the best portable induction cooktop to buy?

This is a tricky one to answer. We think you’ll be in good hands with any of the induction cooktops that made our shortlist.

Do professional chefs use induction cooktop?

We are pleased to report that professional chefs do use induction cooktops when they have the chance. This is because of their superior temperature control compared to their gas burner counterparts. It can come in particularly handy with many different recipes.