Test of the KITFORT KT-102 induction stove: fast, inexpensive, delicious!

Induction, the most modern and advanced cooking technology with many advantages, is now available. Induction stoves are now available: inexpensive, mobile and multifunctional. The most important difference of induction heating: it is not the burner that is heated, but the bottom of the pot. That’s why the efficiency of induction burners is so high – 90% efficiency ranges from 50% to 65% for gas and electric stoves . Very impressive speed: induction heats faster than traditional burners and burners, while instantly responding to changing power levels and saving energy. It’s also possible to precisely control the settings. We tested one of these models, the KITFORT KT-102, to find out if it’s true that induction stoves work just as well as built-in hobs.

A table-top induction stove

CONFORMANCE: 2.0 KW.

CONTROL: touch screen, digital display, buttons for adjustments, voltage/energy indication, error indication

FEATURES: 10 power steps, 10 temperature steps, preset settings soup, porridge rice, simmer , timer up to 4 h.

SAFETY: automatic shut off, overheat protection.

DIMENSIONS: 30,5×38,5×6,5 cm. WEIGHT: 2.0 kg.

WARRANTY: 1 year.

Design: unpacked, it looks like a tablet!

The “appearance” of the stove gives a very pleasant impression – laconic and beautiful. Rounded-edge burner, black bottom, silver color on the sides, plastic case. Accurately made, that’s why it looks quite convincing. All the buttons are touch sensitive, understandable and convenient. You’ll blossom in your kitchen on such a beautiful stove!

How does induction cook??

Induction stoves are always a memory booster: Buying one, you need to revel in the atmosphere of your high school physics class to refresh your knowledge about induction.

Let me remind you that there is no heating as such. In the depths of the device is installed induction coil, which generates an electromagnetic field. It can be used without hindrance on a glass ceramic hob.

But when it’s in contact with the bottom of a special cookware, it causes a resistance that causes the cookware to heat up. By changing the field characteristics, you can change the cooking temperature in seconds.

Test with a magnet over all the dishes in the house

To start using an induction stove, it’s worth deciding what kind of cookware is suitable for cooking. To do it simply: take the magnet, which is included with each Kitfort stove, and put it on the bottom, it’s sticky, it means that the bottom is able to be magnetized. Cookware is okay. In my case there were no unsuitable cookware.

Water in the pot on a regular gas burner boiled twice as long

The same pot of water on the induction stove came to the boil unexpectedly fast, overtaking the gas burner like an ancient turtle!

TEST #1: is it faster or not??

Let’s compare how long it takes an ordinary gas burner and an induction stove to bring 1 liter of water to a boil.

For our test we use the burner with power of 1,8 kW and switch on the induction with the same power.

We measure the water by electronic scales remember that 1 liter of water weighs 1 kg , take it from the tap, the temperature – 25 ° C it’s hot outside .

I used the same crock pot in both experiments and in the second one, we cooled it down first , without putting a lid on it.

We arm ourselves with a stopwatch, the results are as follows:

Gas burner, on 1.8 kW power	10 min 03 sec
Kitfort induction hob, on 1.8 kW power	5 minutes and 19 seconds

It is obvious that the manufacturer’s claims about the speed of the Kitfort mini induction stove are based on reality, even with the margin of error.

THE INDUCTION BURNER HEATS THE WATER IN HALF THE TIME!

! The process in general is impressive: at the beginning of the test, I poured some water into the pan and watched how the control works, but I did not have time to do it – just moments later I began to see bubbles in the water. So, the great advantage of Kitfort induction stove is the high heating speed.

TEST #2: but to make a microwave oven weak?

Now let’s compare the speed of the Kitfort induction and the German microwave oven when heating the milk up to 30° C.

Of course, we use different pots and pans: a glass beaker for microwave cooking and a pot for induction cooking.

We take 100 grams of milk from the refrigerator and heat it in a microwave oven at 800 Watt, controlling the temperature in 20, then 10 and then another 10 seconds. The whole process takes 40 seconds.

Induction: 100 more grams of milk, turn the power up to 800 watts.

Check the temperature in the same way. The milk heats up in 30 seconds.

The advantage of Kitfort in comparison with my microwave is not so obvious, but still there is an advantage.

Microwave, power 800 W	40 seconds.
Kitfort induction burner, at 800 Watt power	30 seconds.

TEST #3: It does not smell fried?

According to internet users, one of the most vulnerable points of using the mini-induction is the frying process. Let’s check it out – cooking mini pork chops.

Dipping each piece of meat in beaten egg and breading.

We take a frying pan with ceramic coating, do not heat it up beforehand, pour the oil.

Place the meat. Set the power to 1600 W.

In a couple of minutes, fry on one side and then the other side – it’s done.

TEST #4: One, two, three – zucchini!

To prepare side dish: fry zucchini in homemade breading same pan .

We choose the power 1200 W, but it is weak, we add up to 1400 W – pretty quickly the breadcrumbs become golden. Roasting temperature 200 ° C. After frying on both sides, we turn the heat down to low and leave it for 8 minutes. Set the timer for convenience.

Set the required time with the “+” button. There is no need to fix the setting. If there were no changes the appliance accepts it and starts counting down. At the same time on the indicator is alternately displayed time to end the cycle and the temperature setting.

At the right moment the heating automatically stops, and I hear a soft beep from the kitchen – you can set the table.

! While frying, I like to spread the food around in the pan, lifting it over the stove and shaking the contents. An error code appears on the Kitfort, but as soon as the pan is in place, my settings are restored.

Test #4 for an encore: swap zucchini for meatballs

Cooking croquettes of minced lamb. We use a cast iron grill pan. Heat it on power 1800 watts, wait for the smoke my frying pan has no non-stick coating and requires serious heating , then reduce the power to 1600 watts, put the cutlets.

It’s important to me that the frying and cooking proceeds evenly throughout the thickness of the pan. I switch to temperature control mode – indicator says that frying is going on at 220 °C. Now comes the fun part: my grill turned out to be too big, so I have to center the cutlets as precisely as possible.

But because of the large size of the frying pan, we weren’t able to keep this order perfectly, and half of the cutlets fried more quickly, and the others had to be cooked a bit longer. So I conclude: the size requirements of the dishes should not be neglected. But overall the frying only took a few minutes, and the dish tastes great!

TEST #5: gentle heat – everything will be chocolate

We want to make sure that keeping it cool really does make it easier to cook. The most common problem: the chocolate pieces are not yet melted in the center, but the edges are already starting to burn. It is usually necessary to do it in a water bath. Let’s check the induction!

Put a few pieces of dark chocolate in the ladle. Preheat at the lowest temperature possible – 60 degrees Celsius.

Very gentle heating, indeed. After a minute or two the pieces just become soft. The picture shows the beginning of mixing, and you can see that the mass is already very plastic . Used chocolate to decorate ice cream.

Test #6: Cooking rice on autopilot

Check preset cooking mode – cook a handful of rice.

We put the pan on the panel, select the cooking mode “Rice”, the display shows the operating power of 1000 watts. The water boils quickly, and after a while I get the feeling that it is urgent to turn down the heat. But then everything calms down and the rice begins to behave very quietly, gradually swelling.

Then the situation worsens again, but here we decide that it’s time to check the readiness, and it turns out that the rice is boiled. Turning the heating off.

All cooking took about 5 minutes.

The test in the field: can you fry fish on both sides??

This test is really about safety. It occurred to me to have another test – to check how far the electromagnetic field extends. For the experiment, I take a frying pan, put the pieces of fish on it and press a heavy cast-iron lid on top.

This press is magnetized. And I wondered if it was possible to fry fish on both sides at once. But the cooking proceeded as usual, that is, only from the bottom. Then I lift the frying pan over the burner by 1 cm – the crackling immediately subsides – the field acts very compactly.

Cleaned with a simple towel

During the test, I must have cleaned the stove a hundred times, brushing crumbs from its surface, collecting water and oil drops, and even during the cooking process itself. Since this cleaning was prompt, I used an ordinary kitchen towel, and after the hard work the stove looked as good as new.

The KITFORT KT-102 induction stove allows you to control your energy consumption – press the touchscreen. The button and the kilowatts are streaming to the meter…

And the induction hob KITFORT KT-102 shows the true voltage of your electrical system – just in case – the voltage starts to fluctuate…

REVIEWS

• It’s a bit unusual to think in terms of cooking temperatures, and while most hostesses know the optimal temperatures used in the oven, the numbers for the stove are little known to us. But you quickly get used to this system and try to consider both the power level and the temperature. Over time, the owners of the stove “feel” those modes that will be optimal for their favorite dishes.
• Another unusual feature is the ability to control the consumption of energy, although without the possibility of comparison, one can only assess the cooking with this particular device.
• Another setting allows you to have a more realistic idea of your power grid: the indicator shows its voltage, which can be very important when living out of town.

• The appliance emits a considerable hum during operation, the main source of which is the cooling fan that continues to work for about 1 minute even after the burner is turned off.
• I’ve written many times that the induction hob itself doesn’t heat up much, but it does – because a pot or frying pan heats up considerably, and the glass ceramic also takes its toll. That’s why you shouldn’t touch the heating zone after frying or boiling – it’s hot. Burner cools down quickly enough, and this, of course, is a plus.
• Burner starts to heat up immediately after turning on at maximum power. It felt like there was not enough time for a calm and thoughtful introduction of the settings, after which it would be possible to start working. After switching it off, including the timer, four dashes blink on the display, which at first sight inspires anxiety – something is wrong.

KITFORT offices:

New York:8 499 400-23-34

Saint Petersburg: 8 812 339-22-15