Can I Use Induction Cook TOP in USA

Can an appliance built to be used outside the USA power grid standards be used in the USA? Yes it can be done. However, depending on the specific appliance model being used, the relevant import/export tariffs and the available electric power in the new location it can easily be an expensive process. This leads me to a critical rephrasing of your original question to what you probably really mean.

Can an appliance built to be used outside the USA be cost effectively used in the USA? I've never seen this to be true. It is invariably more cost effective to sell that appliance in the region that it is designed to work and bring your money here. Use this money to buy a USA grid compliant model here. This will avoid shipping and tariff costs, insurance concerns and a whole lot of migraine inducing minutia concerns.

I have (and love!) an induction cooktop (hob in the UK) that runs on 240VAC 60Hz. It uses a switching type power supply, so I presume it would work nearly the same on 50Hz. 230V vs 240V should not be a problem.

...0r to say it the other way around, I suspect (but can't guarantee) that the unit made in India would work just fine here, IF it runs on single phase 230V 50Hz in India.

On the other hand, it will NOT plug in to a standard outlet. It will have to connect to a high power 240V outlet such as a dryer or electric range connection. At 2kW, you would need a very large 120-230/240 volt transformer to use it on on a standard 120V outlet. Such outlets are usually limited to 1600W-2000W, and losses in the transformer will bring the required power well above the single outlet limit..

We may also have a bit of misunderstanding on the term 'cooktop'. To me, a cooktop is a built-in unit that has several cooking areas. Mine has two induction cooking elements and two radiant cooking elements. The induction section uses 3600W.

Since the OP describes a 2kW unit, I suspect that it is a single-element unit that is portable, and normally plugs into a standard outlet in India. I also have one of those, rated at 1800W, 120V. It can only be used in outlets intended for heavy current use; it will blow a standard 20A breaker if anything else is on the same circuit.

Finally, I tend to disagree with your cost analysis. Induction cooking is hardly mainstream here in the US (at least in California). Single-element induction cookers (I've been told) are commonly available in Europe for well under 50 Euros. I have yet to see a decent one in a store for less than triple that value here in the US

Liked your post, fully accurate to my mind.

You said:-

Finally, I tend to disagree with your cost analysis. Induction cooking is hardly mainstream here in the US (at least in California). Single-element induction cookers (I've been told) are commonly available in Europe for well under 50 Euros. I have yet to see a decent one in a store for less than triple that value here in the US

Actually, they are often even less than that, under €40 quite often for a single and under €80 for a dual unit. Portable type. Very useful....

A built in dual unit I bought about a year ago went for €110 on ebay, new with 2 year guarantee...

But sadly for the USA, all with 230-240 VAC..

I looked on ebay USA and found the portables to be of a similar price and what should be (check) USA mains voltage. See here:-

Aroma-AID-509-Induction-Cooktop

Buy two!!

I came across the Aroma model at a thrift store, still in the box, but without instruction. Not being familiar with these, I plugged it in and emediately got an "E" code. Theorizing that it must have a pan in place, I tried an aluminum pan, same E code. I found a cast iron pan and it worked, so well that only 20 seconds on high produced enough heat to burn fingers. It is an excellent supplemental burner for large meals.

Some of the benefits of induction Hobs (stove tops in English!) are as follows, in no specific order:-

1) very efficient, only the pot or pan (of the correct type!) is actually heated, leaving the stove top itself warmed only by contact. Far less likely to seriously burn inquisitive tiny fingers....

2) You can place a sheet of newspaper over the Hob, placing say a frying pan on the paper (in the right spot of course!) and fry, the newspaper absorbing any splashes of oil/fat.....the paper will not even go brown!!

3) No oil or fat fires possible as the Hob is programmed to switch off if the temperature exceeds 240°C, well below the temperature at which oil will normally burst into flame. A seriously good safety feature....

4) As heat is not transferred by direct contact, there are no "hot spots" to worry about, not only is more energy pumped into the pot, but the whole base is equally heated. Far less likely to "burn-on" as long as the power is correctly controlled, as any good cook will do. Though many of the units can be set to cook at a specific temperature if needed which can be a great help.

5) Hob will switch off if the pot is removed.

6) Many are shocked (my daughter recently!) at just how fast stuff gets hot on such units!!! It is a nice thing to "have to get used too!"

7) Reacts even faster than gas to power adjustment or simply switching on and off.

8) Portability, we even take them on camping holidays.

9) In comparison to other hob types, there is far less heat lost into the kitchen atmosphere, therefore particularly welcome in summer, the kitchen remains far cooler.....gas hobs in particular are really bad in this area of over heating the kitchen, as well as burning much of the available oxygen in the air......very poor health wise unless good ventilation practices are used.....

10) Power usage down in comparison to other electrical hobs by around 80% on average. Some say more!

Any questions just ask.

I think a Euro is still worth more than a US dollar, but that might change soon. A $55 induction portable cooktop. It is not worth the shipping and conversion costs.

Do you think they should ship the iron ware pots and pans, too?

Do notice that I said I hadn't seen a cheap one in a store. I don't shop Walmart. In fact I haven't been looking for portables, only built-in units. The last time I looked online for portables (several years ago), the prices were 2-3 times higher than I see now. That's a good sign!.

When my built-in unit failed a few months back, I looked into getting a new unit, since my current one is only half induction. As I recall, the cheapest units were around $1300, but were black in color. My wife insists on white, and those were a couple hundred more. Of course those were the low end units; the better ones were all over $2000, plus installation. I do my own installation, so that didn't matter.

Fortunately, I had purchased the extended warranty, so it was repaired for no additional charge. In fact the second repair person had it fixed, but didn't read his instructions carefully enough to know to clear the settings, and thought he had failed. The third person installed another controller and had the same results, but then called for help, and learned about the little detail. He left the presumably good control unit installed by the second guy with me, so I have a spare if it ever fails again.

Actually, it is just as well that we kept the unit, as we do still have a few different cooking utensils that don't work on induction. If I were to design my own, I think it would have three induction elements and one radiant element, just for those odd utensils.

Yes, you can.

Yes but having extension cord for reaching will be difficult. You must open bean can befor heating!!!! Also climbing of pole to attach wire is not allowed in U.S !!!!!

Cheaper to just buy another...

http://www.amazon.com/1800-Watt-Portable-Induction-Countertop-8100MC/dp/B0045QEPYM/ref=pd_sim_k_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=180DTT2126HCFEDJEZ44

http://www.amazon.com/Simran-AC-2000-Voltage-Converter-Transformer/dp/B004MPR42Q/ref=sr_1_cc_7?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1428817878&sr=1-7-catcorr&keywords=2000+watt+voltage+adapter

Two things to consider. In general, many items manufactured in the world will work on both 50 and 60 cycle but the manufacturers literature should be consulted.

US insurance laws generally specify UL ratings. While these are frequently no better than most countries protections, and the use of other items is common, it is at the users own risk. If it were to cause harm to others, say in the burn down of an apartment building, then the liability could be very great.

If the OP is considering a personal use then I say go for it and as long as the circuit is properly protected, observe the operation carefully at first. It should not be marketed without UL and manufactures blessing, however. The portable, (assumption) device is generally considered to be used with a person present at the time who could stop operation if a problem occurred.

I have a full cooktop (4 burner) induction range in the US which I love. There is nothing better