ISO: recommendations for a stand alone burner?

mariadnoca

Moderator
After years of frustration with my old 1959 pink cooktop, then kinda falling in love with my old pink appliances and appreciation they are still going strong, I need a workaround burner. Since my cooktop has a push button choice of too hot or not hot enough, I think a single burner “hot plate” of some kind should work. something that would have precise heat control, so I could do candy and such. also pressure can, maybe Induction?

Any recommendations?
 
I have a 1,500 W Tatung induction tabletop and it comes with a very thin, wide pot/pan. It works fine with that, but last week it didn't work during the candied walnut demo with a Calphalon anodized 3.5 qt. The bugger kept shutting off. Fortunately I had also brought a butane gas burner (not appropriate to use at library for safety reasons, but needs must as the two burners on the mobile cooktop with iffy). I put the boiling water over the gas burner and the hot oil on the iffy mobile electric burner.

I would look quite deeply into reviews for any product you are considering. The Tatung actually has pretty bad reviews, but this was when I was stupid and didn't look at that sort of thing. Also, engineers with more skill than me say this product vacillates the temperature range....so rather than a constant Medium heat (indicators NOT relative to actual temperature), it toggles between low and high to produce an average Medium heat.

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This one is highly rated by NYT Wirecutter and my friend has it, loves it. In case the link doesn't work for you, it called

Duxtop Portable Induction Cooktop, Countertop Burner Induction Hot Plate with LCD Sensor Touch 1800 Watts, Silver 9600LS/BT-200DZ​


I read a lot of the reviews, it's intriguing for use as a "keep warm" device as well as an additional burner to augment stovetop when entertaining.
Off topic a bit, but I recently purchased one of those warming mats for a brunch buffet, and it works great!
 
Do you know if they’ve used it to pressure can by chance? I think I’ve dug myself a bit of a hole.

On a whim of an idea, never a good start, I bought a pressure canner. I thought why have I been worrying about trying to get a freezer when I can just pressure can a bunch of stock? I never have enough room for stock. I didn’t think about the fact that I have a push button electric cooktop. Those push buttons have been the vain of my existence overtime. You can’t fly anything because it gets too hot or it gets too cool there’s not an in between medium high and high. Mom solved this with using an electric frying pan which I also use. You see I didn’t think this one through, right? Then trying to find a burner recommended by pressure canners ends me with everyone recommending a particular commercial hot plate that’s nearly $300. I mean, I don’t have a whole farm of stuff I need to pressure can. I haven’t even taken the pressure canner out of its box, but it is too late to return it..Btw, did I tell you I’ve now read that pressure canning destroys the nutrients in the stock And the recommended storage is freezing? Now they tell me, lol!

So, I’m back to looking at upright freezers. Why don’t they make any that are the same height as a refrigerator? Don’t they know that’s where my stockpots need to go? (Apparently not!) They are either TALLer or shorter. Taller than the wall light fixture! I currently have it narrowed down to one that’s probably bigger than I need at 20 ft.³ where all the shelves are adjustable or 14 ft.³ that’s probably a better size for just me, but the shelves aren’t all adjustable. Bad shelf placement is something that annoys me about my current refrigerator. So if you’ve read this far down into my off topic tangent, which would you choose?

Gah! Such first world problems!
 
I'm sure he hasn't tried pressure canning. Sorry! I never have enough room for stock either. :(I usually use the quart containers to freeze, but am considering trying the ziplock bag/flattening to freeze. I'm always afraid it's going to leak or tear.
 
I'm sure he hasn't tried pressure canning. Sorry! I never have enough room for stock either. :(I usually use the quart containers to freeze, but am considering trying the ziplock bag/flattening to freeze. I'm always afraid it's going to leak or tear.
Yes! I got an organic chicken on sale yesterday, so will try to freeze stock flat. Apparently they make little shelving units to use in a freezer for that. Not that it will fit in my tiny current fridge freezer, but good to know they exist. I like the idea of freezing flat, but prefer glass instead of plastic. 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
I like my butane one burner, it’s compact for storage, safe for indoors, the butane can lasts a long time, hot enough to do stir-frys and canning. I got it from Daiso but many are on Amazon too.
 
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