I’m facing a problem every time my family and I want to go hiking in the mountains or when there is no power or gas at home. At home we have a gas stove.
If there is no electricity usually I turn on the power generator but if there is no gas I can not cook anything for the family, which includes a 3 year old child.
So I thought to find an alternative item to be able to cook when there is no gas.
Because the only alternative when I’m out of gas or power is the power generator I decided to look for a product that can be used with electricity.
I have read many reviews about induction cooking appliances so I decided to evaluate some of the portable models that exist to make a comparison between them and choose a suitable one.
It must be portable because I want to use it when we go hiking (you have to bring your generator with you to use this one while hiking or you’ll need access to a 15 amp outlet).
The first portable induction cooktop I’ve researched is the Duxtop 1800 Watts Model 8100MC made by Secura. Let’s see if this one is the one.
1. Design: look and feel
As you can see in the picture above Duxtop 8100 MC
model has a nice design, black color and clean surface.
This model come with a plastic control panel flash with the burner, and a gold colored border around thecontrol panel.
The plastic Control Panel can be a problem because when you use a larger pan this will get hot and if it makes contact with the plastic congrol panel it can warp or melt the panel so you need to be careful when positioning the pan. I will take this into account for my final decision.
The Duxtop 8100MC surface has all straight sides and the reeded legs give it an old air but also a sense of a very stable item which can’t be overturned by mistake.
But the gold color of the control panel gives your countertop more life. As you can see in the picture there is a big rectangle around all the controls. Every control is surrounded with a rectangle or square with round corners. This design combination make it very pleasant to the eyes.
At the left front of the bottom side you will find the Cool Air Inlet and Fan and in the back bottom left you will find Warm Air Outlet.
2. Controls
The 8100MC induction cooktop is very simple to use. It has few controls which makes learning time for the user to be very short.
It uses a control panel with digital contacts which are well positioned and very intuitive.
Lets’ take a look to see how every control is positioned and if they have any influence on how easy is to use them.
Below you can see the control panel picture for 8100 MC
Controls/LEDS | 8100MC Model |
|---|---|
On/OFF | Is placed at the left of Control Panel, also above it you can see Power inscription which has a led which glows red when you plug the power cord (which have 6ft) into 120V/15am electrical socket |
LED READOUT DISPLAY | This is placed near ON/OFF control and surrounded by a gold rectangle line, very close are 3 LEDS: Heating (W), Temp (F), Timer (min). |
+ and - | These are placed at the right of LRD (LED READ OUT DISPLAY) surrounded by a small gold color rectangle. They are pretty close to each other so by mistake you can press both and the cooktop will warn you with a beep. |
Heating (W) | This is placed in the last rectangle, near the right side, where also the other 2 functions are available, being the first in the row from left to right. This is the default mode of operating when the cooktop is turned on, the LED READ OUT will show a 5 (and you can use + and controls to increase or decrease the power). The manual advises us to use the power mode if we dont need a specific temperature. |
Temp (F) | Placed at the middle of the function rectangle having at left Heating and at right Timer functions. The Temp is placed into a double gold circle and above have a LED which turn red when you press it. The default temperature is 390 F degree (199 C degree) and you ca use + an controls to increase or decrease the temperature. Manufacturer advises us to use Temp Mode when we need a specific temperature. There are 10 settings: from 140 F (60 C) to 460 F (238 C). |
Timer | Is the last placed in the gold rectangle of the functions, the text Timer being placed in a double circle and above has the well known LED which will turn red when you press it. Can be used with both Heating and Temp functions. If we want to use this we have to press it and hold until the LED Readout Display shows a 0 then using + control we can increase the time till 170 minutes.. If we press and hold the increase or decrease controls we get much faster to desired setting. The timer increases or decreases in 5 minute increments. We can change setting during the cooking time. When the time has expired well hear a beep and the cooktop will turn off. |
Safety Lock | This control is not present. |
3. Surface
The surface is perfect plane, even the control panel is at the same level as the burner but the CP (control panel) is made of plastic which can get melted if a hot pan slid over it.
The burner is covered by black ceramic glass which makes this portable induction cooktop look very nice. Also this material is very resistant against scratches and heat shock. But even so we need to take care when handling heavy pans.
This model has 2 circles on the black surface marked with white color. Between the 2 concentric circles there is the text “Induction Cooktop”. Also at the back there is an inscription which warns you that the surface will still be hot after use “Surface Remains Hot after use. Do not Touch”
The 2 circles are a guide for centering the pan for optimal cooking. The small circle is about 6 inches in diameter and the bigger one is 8 inches. The small circle is fit to the induction coil which is 6” but can handle pans up to 6.75 inches.
The surface is very easy to clean except in the case when the control panel gets melted and warped out of shape.
4. Heating Elements
Duxtop 8100MC model has 1 burner and there are 2 circles on the surface which will guide where to place the pan.
The small circle has a 6 inch diameter and the bigger circle has an 8 inch diameter. So the flat bottom of your cookware needs to have at least 4 inches otherwise we will see an error coded with E0 and the cooktop will not work. “E0” code error will let you know that the cookware is not suitable (non magnetic or too small) and that you need to take off the pot/pan, wait 30 seconds and try again with another one.
The cooling of induction element is done by a Fan installed on the front back at left.
It’s sometimes hard for people to believe that a small, stand alone burner like this can get hot enough to perform the function of a regular stove top but it does. This cooktop can even be used for canning as long as the right size pot is used.
5. Power/Watts
This model uses 110/120 volts electrical outlet having 15 amps of electricity – standard in all homes. Basically we plug the cooktop into any standard household outlet. This makes it very convenient to move around. Nothing else should be plugged into the same outlet during cooking.
Secura Duxtop 8100MC has 10 pre-set temperature settings and can also be used in either Temperature mode or in Power mode. The Temp mode is good to be used when you need a specific temperature.
When you turn on they start heat at level 5, most of buyers would find normal to start at a lower level and increase from there so this might take some getting used to – you just have to push the controls to change the power level to something higher or lower based on your needs
For the Duxtop 8100MC Model the Power scale starts at 200W and end with 1800 W. Till the 3 level the Power increase at 300 w step, so would be 200,500 and 800, starting with 3 level the step is 200 till the level 5 so 800, 1000, 1200 (which is considered a medium low power), at level 6 we have 1300, so only 100W difference from 5 level, step which will be kept till the level 9, so 1400,1500, 1600 and the last level use a 200 W step ending with 1800 W.
For a better visualization I did a graph which clearly show the steps in both modes.
The benefit of having both modes of cooking available to you is that you can speed up the time to boil water by going right to the highest (fastest) power level setting or you can set the cooking level by watt usage if you’re operating on a limited power supply.
Because of induction technology you will save using less energy than resistance heating. Also because of its power requirements are low enough to be supported by an emergency generator during a power outage. Also you will see is very responsive compared to gas and even faster than an electric resistance heating.
One note: Induction cookware produces an electromagnetic field so the manufacturer warns that it should not be used around anyone with a pacemaker unless approved by their doctor.
6. Sensors
Duxtop 8100MC has these sensors:
Auto Pan detection – which will let you know if a pan is present, if you lift the pan from cooktop there is an acoustic warning (beep) and the cooktop turns off;
Induction Type sensor – will let you know if your pan is a magnetic one, will display an error code if not, the code is E0;
High Temperature sensor – this will make you aware that your cooktop is over heated (the fan not working properly ), the error code you will see on LED Readout Display will be E1;
Surface Temperature Sensor – this will let you know that the surface is over 450 F (232 C) and you will get the E2 error. This sensor is activated mostly in Power mode and warns you that your cookware can be damaged;
Voltage Sensor – this will let you know that input power is too low or high and the E3 error will be displayed. The sensor will shut down the cooktop after 60 seconds.
You can use pans that are smaller than 6” but the cooktop doesn’t always seem to respond to those smaller pans.
7. Ventilation
The ventilation system is located this way: at front left is the cool air inlet and fan which will assure a proper enter of the air for ventilation and at back bottom we find Warm Air Outlet which evacuates the hot air.
The cooling fan will create some noise but is not disturbing. The fan will work till the cooktop is cooled.
You will need a 4 inch clearance around the cooktop for proper ventilation.
Dropping into a countertop is not advisable because the cooktop needs to stay in line with regulations and also the ventilation would be a problem.
8. Safety Features
The 8100MC model is in line with ETL which is the minimum standard for safety.
An interesting safety feature is the auto pan detection which will shut down the cooktop in 60 seconds if no cookware is detected. This will help to avoid accidents.
9. Accessories
When you receive the Duxtop cooktop inside the box you will find only the cooktop and the user manual.
In case you don’t have any induction cookware you would need to buy some otherwise you will not be able to cook and the cooktop will show the “E0” error code if you try using it with a non induction cookware.
Don’t forget to take a magnet with you when shopping for induction cookware and check the magnet to see if it sticks firmly to the bottom of the cookware. If so, then it’s induction cooktop compatible.
Some cookware that you might like: Wolfgang Puck and Giada DeLaurentis.
10. Duxtop 8100 MC Dimensions
Following are the cooktop dimensions:
Dimenssions | Duxtop 8100 MC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Unit | Packing | |||
Inch | Cm | Inch | Cm |
|
Length | 13 | 33.02 | 13 | 33.02 |
Width | 11.4 | 28.95 | 11.5 | 29.21 |
High | 2.5 | 6.35 | 2.5 | 6.35 |
Cord Length | 6 ft | 182 | NA | |
Copper coil | 6 | 15.24 | NA | |
Weight | 5 lbs | 9 lbs |
As we can see there are some differences between unit size and the packing size but only at width.
The copper coil can be found under the ceramic glass and is the element that generates the heat. The manufacturer stated that the dimension of 6” is the standard for any induction cooktop to be able to pass safety regulations.
One buyer has opened it up and effectively measured it and got 6.75 inches
11. Warranty
This item come with 1 year warranty.
There is an option for buying an extended warranty. For 8100MC model you can buy an extended warranty of 2 years.
You need to pay attention of this extended warranty because it covers only a specific cost, you need to choose the level of expenses you want to cover.
12. Pros
Is easy to use
Easy to clean
Is compact and light weight so can be easily stored
13. Cons
You will need new cookware
Some noise because of fans for cooling
It has plastic control panel which can get melt if your pan is larger
The surface stay a bit hot longer than a full size induction cooktop
Timer setting only allows for 5 minute increments
14. Consumer Ratings for 8100 MC Duxtop Portable
This model has great consumer reviews over 500 at the time of writing this ,mostly on Amazon. Walmart seems to not have this brand in its inventory.
I have noticed that 10% of buyers who talked about it gave the product 1 star. Reading through those comments I realized that some of them have higher expectations and at the time when they started to use this induction cooktop had difficulties in finding the right temperature for cooking different recipes.
Anyway being different from gas we should expect for fast heat so we need to act accordingly. A little bit of patience and some trial and error will help to discover the right settings.
Overall it’s well regarded for even heating, ease of use, its easy to clean exterior, and lightweight size. Even restaurant staff have written reviews to discuss their appreciation for using this in a commercial environment
Here is a video made by a buyer:
15. Price
The manufacturer price is 129 USD for 8100 MC model and is clear listed on their website.
But on Amazon you will find discounts up to 40% and is one of the top ten sellers for a portable induction cooktop.
From my point of view this product is worth its price and can be an alternative when you are out of gas. Most of buyers use it every morning being fast at heating then gas.
16. User Manual
Write us below in comment section and will send it by email.
17. Error Codes Duxtop 8100MC
If an error code appears ( E0, E1, E2, E3 ) follow the instructions below:
