Top 9 Hot Plates and Portable Stoves for Easy Cooking Wherever You Are
Whether you need more cooking surfaces in your kitchen or are looking for the best camping stove, we’ve got you covered.
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Cooking is always more fun when you have the tools to do it right. Take, for instance, cooking for a dinner party with all four of your stove burners in use. Beyond providing you with more space to cook in your kitchen, portable stoves and hot plates have a myriad of uses, from backyard fun to camping trips. But with so many burners on the market, it can be tough to find one that satisfies all of your needs, which is why we scoured the internet high and low (and sautéed way too many onions) to find the absolute best available.
There’s so much to love about this portable stove. It heats up quickly and evenly with infrared cooktops designed to last with 120-volt power. It’s also compatible with all types of cookware (unlike induction cooktops which require cookware with a magnetic bottom), so long as it doesn’t exceed 7.1 inches, you’re good to go.
Last but not least, it automatically shuts off to keep you safe whether you’re camping, in a dorm room, or simply need more space to cook in your kitchen.
This Amazon’s Choice product has a total wattage of 1,500 and a 27-inch power cord checks off many of the boxes you should look for when buying a portable stove. It has a ton of built-in safety features and is super-fast to heat up. Plus, it even lets you cook at different temperatures on each hot burner, so you can keep things going low and slow on one burner and boil water on the other.
The seven- and six-inch cast iron flat cooking plates are nonstick, and the appliance is light enough to take with you for beach days or picnics in the park.
Fact: You don't have to spend a lot to get a decent hot plate. This one doesn't have all the bells at whistles, but for under $15, it's a serious value. It features a temperature regulating knob, easy clean surface, and offers a slim, compact design for easy storage.
This sleek induction cooktop is if you prefer your cooking to be done at the touch of a button. Another Amazon’s Choice selection, the user interface features helpful buttons like a child safety lock, timer, boil, and keep warm. The glass surface makes cleanup simple, and this model includes 20 pre-set power levels (100W to 1800W) and 20 pre-set temperature level settings (100°F to 460°F), making it a versatile workhorse.
FYI: This appliance is only compatible with cookware that has a magnetic bottom, so an auto-pan detection will turn the unit off if you’re using the wrong cookware.
When your hot plate is replacing your home stove, you need two burners, and this Cuisinart model is a total win. Not only is the stainless steel model sleek and compact enough to display on your counter, but it's also incredibly durable.
This butane-powered, corded electric stove has many standout features, but we’re especially a fan of its double-wind guard burner that protects your flame from the wind or air conditioning. It also has a pressure-sensing shut-off safety feature, a range of heat settings, and comes with a hard carrying case. Cleanup is as straightforward as removing the plate from the top of the burner.
This smart induction cooktop pairs with the One Top app, so you can control the cooking time and temperature to nail whatever recipe you’ve got on deck. The integrated thermometer is also super handy to measure the internal temperature of your proteins so they reach a safe temperature for consumption. And we don’t know about you, but the sky blue color just makes us happy.
We also appreciate that this electric appliance works just as well at pan-frying and poaching as it does at deep-frying and sautéing, with an intuitive surface sensor to keep tabs on the heat levels of your pots and pans, to boot.
Weighing only three pounds, this is a fuel-efficient burner that’s easy to use and won’t break the bank. Earning an Amazon’s Choice accolade, we also like that this butane stove automatically safely shuts off if something awry is detected with the fuel.
Bonus: When the crew is gathered ‘round the patio, use it for interactive cooking of table-cooked dishes to jazz up your average dinner party.
Featuring a 225,000 BTU set of burners, this portable outdoor stove will be your best friend if you’re big into hosting tailgates, big camping outings, and the like. The propane-powered apparatus also includes the hose to connect to your propane tank, and a regulator. Each burner has its own knob for adjusting the flame height.
Now, who’s got the chili recipe handy?
Perri is a New York City-born and -based writer; she holds a bachelor’s in psychology from Columbia University and is also a culinary school graduate of the plant-based Natural Gourmet Institute, which is now the Natural Gourmet Center at the Institute of Culinary Education. Her work has appeared in the New York Post, Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, Oprah Daily, Insider.com, Architectural Digest, Southern Living, and more. She's probably seen Dave Matthews Band in your hometown, and she'll never turn down a bloody mary. Learn more at VeganWhenSober.com.
Sienna is a Deputy Editor at Hearst, where she oversees coverage of style, beauty, lifestyle, and more. She lives in California with her husband and two littles.
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