Head-to-head · Best Compact Induction Cooktops

Breville Control Freak CMC850 Induction Cooktop vs Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

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The short answer

Breville Control Freak CMC850 Induction Cooktop comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.6 vs 4.4). The gap is mostly about Pastry cooks, confectioners and anyone whose failures come from temperature drift rather than lack of power — custards, curds, tempered chocolate, caramel, long low-temperature holds. Also a defensible buy for a small professional kitchen. It is the wrong appliance for a dorm room, an RV, or a counter where it would have to be put away between uses. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best Compact Induction Cooktops

Breville Control Freak CMC850 Induction Cooktop

4.6

4 sources3 derived$1,499.95

The Control Freak is the outlier in this category and the reason is measurable. Serious Eats found that on ordinary portable induction burners a temperature setting can be hundreds of degrees away from what is happening in the pan; this one held cookware within 15 to 20 degrees of target and came with a probe to tighten that further. It is also 21 pounds, has no quick-boil, and costs more than ten times the price of the burners it beats. That is a specialist's trade, not a general one.

Strengths

— The only cooktop in Serious Eats' 17-model test whose temperature settings tracked reality, holding cookware within 15 to 20 degrees of the target
— Ships with a probe that attaches to the cooktop for closed-loop temperature regulation rather than open-loop guessing
— Breville specifies a 77°F to 482°F range and Serious Eats counted 397 discrete temperature settings within it — resolution no other portable burner in that test approached

Watch-outs

— Costs more than ten times what most of the other recommended portable induction cooktops cost
— 21 pounds and 13.7 by 18.5 inches — Wirecutter says it "takes up about as much counter space as a 1980s microwave"
— No quick-boil setting; without one it took 19 minutes to boil a gallon of water, slower than the Duxtop 9100MC's 16

$1,499.95 · Buy at webstaurantstore.com Full review →

Ranked #3 in Best Compact Induction Cooktops

Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop

4.4

1 sourceall derived$79.95

Hamilton Beach's 34104 finished second to the Duxtop 9100MC in Serious Eats' test of 17 portable induction cooktops, and it wins outright on the one job the Duxtop struggles with. It was the fastest and most efficient burner in the group at heating oil, comfortably clearing the 375°F frying mark on full power. The cost is a slower boil — 20.5 minutes for a gallon — and a touch panel sensitive enough that the tester kept triggering a 30-second Boost function she could not find a use for.

Strengths

— Heated frying oil faster and more efficiently than any other burner in Serious Eats' 17-model test, and could push past the 375°F frying target on full heat
— Strong temperature stability across long cooks, which Serious Eats called out specifically alongside its ease of use
— 8.5-inch coil and a stated 4- to 10-inch pan range, the widest cookware tolerance among the affordable picks in that test

Watch-outs

— Took 20.5 minutes to boil a gallon of water, four and a half minutes slower than the Duxtop 9100MC in the same test
— Touch controls are oversensitive — Serious Eats hit the Boost button by accident more than once during testing
— The Boost function itself is close to useless: it runs maximum power for exactly 30 seconds, a duration the tester could not find a purpose for

$79.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

How they stack up

Breville Control Freak CMC850 Induction Cooktop

Every other cooktop here has temperature settings you have to re-learn for each pot; the Control Freak is the one where the number on the display means something. It does not win on speed — the Duxtop 9100MC boiled a gallon in 16 minutes to the Breville's 19 — and it is not portable in the sense the Duxtop 9600LS, IKEA TILLREDA or Nuwave PIC Gold are, at 21 pounds against their five to six. The Hamilton Beach 34104 is the cheap way to get frying headroom; this is the expensive way to get precision.

Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop

Against the Duxtop 9100MC the trade is explicit: the Duxtop boils faster and holds a steadier simmer, the Hamilton Beach 34104 fries better and takes wider pans. It has the same advantage over the Duxtop 9600LS, which never got oil past 350°F in the same test. The IKEA TILLREDA also cleared the frying target but caps at a 7.9-inch pan; the Nuwave PIC Gold is 300 watts down on all of them; and the Breville Control Freak CMC850 Induction Cooktop is the only unit here bought for precision rather than power.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Breville Control Freak CMC850 Induction Cooktop	Hamilton Beach 34104 Portable Single Induction Cooktop
Type	Portable countertop induction (commercial)	Portable countertop
Model	CMC850 (SKU CMC850BSSUSA)	34104
Burners / Zones	1	1
Total Power	1800W	1800W
Temperature Range	77–482°F (25–250°C); 397 settings	175–450°F (15 settings, °C selectable)
Temperature Sensing	Through-glass sensor, 20 readings/sec; Probe Control probe included	—
Power Levels	3 intensity settings (slow / medium / fast)	10 settings
Burner Diameter	10 in	8.5 in
Recommended Pan Diameter	5.5 in minimum	4–10 in
Timer	Up to 72 hrs, 4 end options	Up to 150 min
Surface Weight Limit	13 lb	—
Cord Length	36 in	45 in
Dimensions	13.7 × 18.5 × 4.3 in	13.88 D × 11.73 W × 2.68 H in
Weight	21 lb	6.4 lb
Included	Probe, pot clip, USB stick, accessory box, padded carry case	—
Controls	—	Touch panel with Boost
Voltage	—	120V ~ 60Hz
Warranty	—	1 year limited (US)

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