5 Star Chef Portable Induction Cooktop

(Was "Works -- sort of") ..... but still as-new four years later – It's still irritating as per the original review (see below) but three years of heavy-duty usage and, give it a good spray, and it looks and works as if new. I bought it thinking 12 months maybe but four years later and it's still working perfectly. I'd (now) rate it at 5 stars if they'd fix the ergonomics. Do be aware that not all stainless… Read more

steel is magnetic so check before buying any pots.

======= original 3 star revue ==== On the good side, it's cheap'ish and lightweight and easy to clean and does cook (quickly). As an induction cooker, it is happy with the cheapest steel saucepans form KMart etc.

However its ergonomics are extremely poor unless you intend only to use it at its highest setting, where it does do an excellent job in heating rapidly to a high temperature.

If you want a controlled heat then the multiple settings are a laugh. The lowest 0f 300 watts is barely warm while the next step up of 400 watts will burn sausages etc unless watched over closely. It has no memory so you can't leave it at (say) 300 watts then start up next time at 300 watts - it starts at maximum. Pause cooking and restart it and it (re)starts at maximum. Whoever designed the user interface obviously wasn't a cook.

I was intending to use in a caravan via an inverter but this high startup current means that is not possible.

For the record another user has stated elsewhere that this model is sold under multiple names "... such as Eurolab, Maxkon, Euro Chef, 5 Star Chef etc."

It really worked – Purchased to simmer / reduce tomatoes to make tomato paste and tomato sauce, and because it advertised temperature control. And it works. After referencing reviews on this cooker and noting that over 10k had been sold on Ebay, I decided to give it a try as the hotplate sold to the wife by Hardly Normal only had thermostatic temperature control… Read more

and was not suitable.

1. the Cake and Fry recipes offer temperature control, the other settings offer thermostatic control. The Hardly Normal salesman and the Phillips tech did not know the difference between temperature and thermostatic control. (Temperature control varies the heating rate to maintain constant temperature whereas thermostatic control allows the temperature to vary depending on environmental conditions and the amount of salt/moisture in the pot).

2. At low temperature settings, the heat is applied using thermostatic control (i.e. 2.5s heat, 2.5s standing) which is why the temperature can vary by 20 degrees at the 60 and 80 degree setting, and 30 degrees at higher settings.

3. Pots need to react to magnetic fields (hold a magnet) My expensive heavy based stainless steel stock pot wont work, but the cheap 304ss stockpots with the thin folded base worked perfectly. Cast iron and steel pots will also work. I was able to reduce the tomatoes without scorching with this unit on Cake setting whereas using a cooktop that only had thermostatic control scorched and almost melted the pan.

4. The unit will switch itself off after 2 hours unless the timer (or some other setting) is changed.

Next I'll try it to render fat. Anyone know what temperature I should try?

So much misunderstanding of the Cheap Chinese Portable Induction Cookers – With all these portable induction cooktops there is a great deal of misunderstanding: 1. Just because you have put a stainless steel pot and it is showing E1 or E0 this does not mean there is something wrong with the cooker. Not all stainless steel is magnetic. Test with a fridge magnet first. 2. What can you expect for AUD 45.00? These are cheap… Read more

mass produced. I have had a $150 unit of a name brand and it did not last as long as the 5 Star Chef. 3, I have had 4 from a well known Australian brand reseller. All 4 were faulty. 1 x plastic cracked, one stopped working and one did not work from the moment I opened the package. but the all had the standard 1 year guarantee and the retailer was most co-operative. 4. For me they (when not faulty) work brilliantly and I use them in preference to gas - incredible speed and convenience. eg Table top cookery and safety for children. If I have to replace them once a year then I have to wait 10 years for them to equal the price of a fancy built in multiple burner type. 5. "You can't use them with a wok" The base of my wok glows bright red. But you cannot leave it on the cooktop too long or it will show the high temperature error. With care wok cooking is amazing. ADDENDUM. For wok cooking you can buy a fibreglass insulation sheet that works very well.

Best thing since sliced bread – We have been using cooktop every day for more than 8 months as our primary cooking appliance since we have been installing a new kitchen.we have been using the smallest pan to the biggest boiler.never had any problems at all.fast and reliable.since our new kitchen has been installed I have found I didn't need to get a new cooktop I just kept using the single induction cooker.  Show details

great when working – This unit we use in our caravan which is not often. We have just gone away and have taken it out to use. Out of the blue we now turn it on and up comes 1800 then we get error code EO and nothing will work on it. All the pans etc that we bought especially for this unit worked before and now nothing but EO. WHAT THE!

Please beware of buying this from a company called 'HongLang Commodity Consult Co'. They are scamme – Hello I purchased two of these units form a company known as "HongLang Commodity Consult Co'. Only one was sent - their website is pathetic - and after several attempts at getting my other unit - and no response from them at all - other than please review our product - I can only conclude that they are a form of scamming. The unit (albeit… Read more

one unit) can manage that elusive 100c - just try pressing the other buttons - such as rice etc. You will be surprised. I don't think they are that accurate - but for the money - a unit is decent and I would prefer to buy the eurolab version.

Waste of money – Bought this because I have limited cooking facilities. Lasted one time! Now shows error code E1 constantly and the manual says cooking pot not in correct place! Tried everything..waste of money. I have tried everything I can think of now it will go in the bin! Don't waste your money.

Cheap product does it's job – Got 2 at home and had been using it for more than 1 year. The plastic will crack over time depends on how you handle your pot/fry pan. Obviously it's not made to last, but it is not too fragile either. It has a very small heating element and watt setting less than 600w is a joke. It will heat up with excessive power and stop for 30 second and… Read more

heat up again. This makes any slow cook impossible and burn food on the bottom of the pan.

However if you just want something just with high power to boil veg or grill steak, this is perfect.

This is the worst gadget one can buy – I fail to understand who rated this faulty product with 5 star. It has no thermostat an extension cable is not allowed to be used. The setting of temperatures is faulty and should not be allowed to be sold in Australia. It is not worth the money because it is rather useless for most consumers.

Dont waste your money – Purchased this 5 Star Chef single portable Induction Cooktop for our caravan, it lasted about 2 months. The plastic between the glass & the control panel has cracked. The heating stopped. The motor has overheated and now will not work at all. Purchased this through During Days & 2 emails later, we have not received any response. Beware.

Perfect appliance for my needs – Purchased my 5 Star Chef Portable Induction Cooktop while on special, backed by consumer law, I was willing to take a risk on new technology. I was housebound at the time so home delivery was convenient. I find it 100% appropriate for my tiny kitchen. I cook gourmet meals often and while I would like to have finer temperature control it is easy to… Read more

adapt to prescribed settings. The cooker's performance equals comparable gas. I recommend staying with it because of heat response speed.

It's $45 and it works – If this was a two hundred dollar cooktop, I'd be advising people to stay away from it. But it's not. I paid like $45 for it (including postage), I've been using it for five months, and it still does what it's supposed to, which is heat my pan bloody quickly. Yes, the induction area isn't huge, but I'm using a $20 pan from IKEA and that does a good… Read more

enough job of distributing the heat evenly throughout the base. I don't know what kind of pans the reviewers above are using, but the problem has a pretty cheap solution. Just be aware that the quality of the plastics around the edge of the unit is pretty rubbish. It doesn't affect the functionality of the unit, and can be pretty easily repaired with a bit of duct tape. It just won't look pretty. It's obviously not the best unit money can buy, but it is the cheapest, and for the price, it's pretty alright.

Advertised as 22cm cooking surface but in fact only 12cm – Bought this one due to rave reviews on a website. ad stated that cooking surface was 22cm diameter...try 13cm which creates hotpots/coldspots when using 22cm pots which = burning/charcoal in middle of cookware. insisting on Full refund as false advertising and my right under Aussie Consumer Law. Sick of shonky websites making false claims & check everything out before you buy chinese rubbish

Great (apart from the manual that is) – I love this little cooktop, works brilliantly and so quick to use. I had to learn to stay with it because it came to boil so quickly, but the control is good and I like the timer function. The manual I received is hopeless, so I don't use the fancy functions, just set it to Watts or Centigrade, but that's fine and I've got the hang of it now. Don't know why it doesn't have a 100C setting.

durable it is – purchased in 2012. lasted three years fantastic for heating coffee not sure which part eventually failed a light blinks when not in use which is wasteful of power

Disappointing – I have the two-top version of 5 Star Chef induction stove and yes the noise is pretty loud but most disappointing are the not-so-logical 'jumps' in the Temp.settings. It starts at 60 (degr Celsius), which is fine (low heat), then goes to 80 (simmering) then skips a 100 (why?), then goes to 120, 140, 160, 200, 220, 240.....Anything over 140 you… Read more

never use as it is too much heat, but where it counts, in the lower settings, the 100 is a real big, inexplicable & rather annoying miss! quick heat, economical noisy, misses vital Temp settings

Very useful addition to kitchen or caravan! – I ordered my 5 Star Chef induction cooktop from oo.com.au and it arrived within the time frame they stated. I purchase from oo.com.au quite a bit as they are so efficient. It was a reasonably priced item and although the 'stir FLY' function button attracts humourous comments it in no way detracts from the usefulness of this item. Having never had… Read more ·  1

anything to do with induction cooking I was more than impressed with how fast this unit works. I have always cooked with gas but this is much faster and makes cooking a pleasure. I have found it to be very efficient and fast for cooking anything and it is an absolute must for a a caravan as you can cook the 'more aromatic' meals outside - nothing worse than the stale smell of a good curry lingering in the confined space of a caravan. I will be buying one for my son who loves cooking as long as it is fast - perfect for him! Efficient, light weight, easy to clean and store. Temperature controls are variable. A little noisy but I got used to that.

Plastic surround cracking up after short time! – This unit has ALL the problems we tried to avoid when replacing older unit. The pastic surround is cracking & saggling after 4 months! The coil is inefficient-probably Aluminium - and may not last long and is more power wasting than copper coil. Temperature control is poor. The 13cm dia heating area is only for small frypans that need to have… Read more

fantastic heat distribution. Not recommended. Cheap Plastic casing can't stand the heat! Small heating area, poor temperature control, poor energy efficiency. Asian cooking style control selection

Quiet but induction zone is tiny – I have been a long time reader of this site but this is the product that has inspired me to write my first review - having had a few portable induction cooktops - as there is great variation in the size of the induction zone between them and buyers should be aware of this. This one is TINY at 13cm. 2000W in a 13cm zone means it is ok for boiling… Read more

water, but prone to burning anything else in the middle of the pan. I am now looking for something with a bigger induction zone. Quiet, cheap Very small induction zone.

5 star chef induction cooktop portable single – this product did not live up to all of its claims, it claims you can use stainless steel saucepans and stainless steel frypans , this is not true with this product . i have seen demonstrations with other brands where they cook with stainless steel cookware but it is not so with this product it is quick does not live up to all its claims

Good value for money – Previously, I had a 3 burner Miele induction cooktop that cost close to $3,000. This made me a bit wary of an induction cooktop that cost less than $50. However, I am very happy with the product. It works well. It has a timer and I can choose to control the heat either by setting the temperature or the power consumed. Very easy to use. Works well,… Read more

easy to use, it has a timer, and it allows me to control the heat. It is not silent, but the little bit of noise it makes reminds me that it is on.

Very Quick & Convenient – This portable induction cooktop is very good. It is super fast and hassle free. easy to clean and a great price. I would recommend this to anyone that needs to cook in a hurry and with ease. It;s a great way to prepare food and encourages you to cook rather then take the easy way out.  Show reply