Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner Review

Hamilton Beach 34104 is a portable single induction cooktop. It’s compatible with magnetic cookware with diameter from 4’’ to 10’’ inches (10.16 to 25.4 centimeters).

Cooking with Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner

So here is the truth about portable induction cooktops – most of them work more or less the same. There might be some differences in features but generally there are no significant differences in how they cook.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing as most portable induction cooktops work fairly well – including Hamilton Beach 34104. It heats up very fast and cooks well.

The actual heating circle is quite smaller than the largest pans you can use so outside of the pan might be less hot than center but this is true for other units too and despite this perceived flaw Hamilton Beach 34104 still cooks fairly evenly!

Heat settings

Hamilton Beach portable induction cooktop has 10 heat settings ranging from 180 to 450°F. The lowest heat setting (180°F) could be a bit colder as it’s a bit too hot for some situations like when you just want to keep your food warm or melt chocolate.

Noise

Like most portable induction cooktops Hamilton Beach 34104 is equipped with a fan to prevent it from overheating. This fan does make noise and it’s a bit noisy which is something some consumers will dislike.

Advantages/Disadvantages of Induction Cooktops

The main advantaged of induction cooktops are that they heat up very fast (faster than oven or stove) and are more energy efficient.

The main disadvantage is that they only work with magnetic cookware like cast iron, iron, magnetic steel, enameled iron, stainless steel with magnetic bottom (will not work with stainless steel if it doesn’t have magnetic bottom).

Control panel

Control panel of Hamilton Beach 34104 portable induction cooktop features display screen and 7 touch-sensitive buttons: “On/Off”, “Timer” (up to 150 minutes), “Temperature” (press if you want to adjust temperature or hold to switch between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperature scales), “Power” (press if you want to adjust wattage), “-” (press to decrease temperature or power), “+” (press to increase temperature or power) and “Booster” (will enter the highest power setting for 30 seconds and then revert to the settings you had set before).

Verdict

Hamilton Beach 34104 works as it’s supposed to work. It’s a decent single burner induction cooktop but it isn’t wildly different that what competitors offer.

Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop Countertop Burner Specifications:

• Power: 1800W (adjustable)
• Temperature range: 180°F to 450°F (82°C to 232°C)
• Compatible cookware diameter: 4 to 10 inches
• Approximate dimensions (W x D x H): 11.02” x 14.17” x 2.52” inches