I've gotten to the point at work where I need a hot plate for our break room. A unit that sits on the countertop, is a plug in and can be easily stored in a cabinet. It needs to get hot enough to boil a pot of water. Any recommendations from The Pit Crew?
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I’d have a look at an induction burner. You’ll need compatible pots/pans (not much of a challenge these days) … and the lack of an open flame or even a blazing hot electric burner would carry much less potential liability.
FWIW, this one has served me really well for the past few years: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FL...b_b_asin_titleLast edited by MBMorgan; June 9, 2026, 10:16 PM.-
+1. Just need any pot/pan that is induction compatible, usually listed on packaging. Metal core. -
that's exactly the one I use at work. It does the job. Hulagn1971 you can also buy induction plates but IMO it's easier to just buy the compatible pot or whatever from the get go.
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Induction all day. It’s a magnet, so what ever sticks.Comment
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Cast iron or carbon steel. But don’t “shake it”, you’ll scratch the dickens out of the surface. Ask me how I know…..Comment
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^ What they said. ^ Pretty much all of the tri-ply stainless cookware will work fine on an induction. All Clad is the fancy brand, but there are a ton of lower priced options as well.Comment
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I am also a fan of doing induction for your need, but.......................be prepared to do a bit of training for the various employees who will use it. It functions slightly differently than a "normal" electric unit and the unaware might waste some of your time with "that new hot plate isn't working..." kinda stuff.Comment
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Solid advice. They won't use it though. Too busy ordering delivery or stopping at a fast food place lol. I only have one employee that cooks and she is under 30 with 2 little boys. She uses the air fryer pretty much daily. I may show her if she has interest. My assistant manager and I are the oldest. Me being 54 and Lily is 37. She doesn't really cook either but she knows how to. The other girls are all under 30. 6 of us total.
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Hulagn1971 as an easy test if a magnet will stick to the pot then it will work for induction.Comment
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Any pot/pan that a magnet will stick to will work.Comment
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Thanks all for that magnet advice. I never knew that. Good stuff!Comment
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Shucks. If we were closer I would give you my thrift store $13 commercial induction burner.Comment
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Induction compatible cookware doesn’t have to be expensive to be good. We have a kitchen full of All-Clad, yet … when it’s time to boil a pot of water, out comes THIS little “treasure” found on Amazon. Works great and didn’t break the bank (we have the 5 qt.).Comment
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Another for induction if you all are doing anything besides just water. If it’s just hot water needed for teas, soup mixes, and such, an electric kettle will boil fast and be simpler. I recently got ATK’s “Best Buy”, Duxtop Portable Induction Cooktop and it’s worked well.Last edited by snowswamp; June 10, 2026, 08:19 PM.Comment
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Our daughter asked me what I wanted for Father’s Day. I don’t really need anything, but one of these would be cool to have, so she is sending me one of those Duxtop things!Comment
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Well, I just found out that about 75% of my cookware is NOT induction compatible. The cast iron is, and I have 2.5 qt and 4 qt sauce pots with steel cores. Which is plenty, I can run my kitchen on that stuff alone if I had to.
I really wanted the LARGE stock pot to be compatible! It’s fine, though. The induction burner will only be needed occasionally. Outside, heating sauces, I’m just going to use the 2.5 qt pot anyhow. I can always put a large pot over the charcoal, if I had to!Comment
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Im in the induction camp. I have a few induction burners i enjoy both inside and out back, i boiled a 10 quart pot loaded with potatoes for thanksgiving and it worked like a charm, they’ll handle most, you just cannot remove the pot. Make sure your cookware works.
I have also used induction burners to hold pans on a warmer for holiday gatherings.Comment
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