I tried Smeg's induction cooktop - here are 3 reasons you might invest in one for your kitchen

Once upon a time cooking in your kitchen at home was fairly simple - with the options extending to ovens, grills and hobs only.

But cooking in 2025 has more options than you can dream of, with something to suit pretty much every lifestyle, space, budget and preference. When it comes to hobs, gas was the preference for quite some time after superseding its electric predecessors.

Then came induction, promising to be faster, more energy efficient, and safer - all coveted benefits that it shares with another recent innovation, the best air fryers, especially at the moment. That's why I wanted to try out the Smeg Portable Induction Hob, to see if the tech is worth the expense of purchasing a hob like this. Here's how I got on.

What is a portable induction hob?

A portable induction hob has plenty of benefits - it provides a safe, efficient, cooking method for someone or somewhere that a full hob might not be an option.

Even if you do have a fully kitted-out kitchen, you might want to add an extra cooking option, or set a portable induction hob somewhere specific if you’re entertaining. All of those options are easy to do with a product like this.

The Smeg portable induction hob can even do a little bit more. As well as induction technology and a sleek look (that’s easy to clean too, which we all love), it has a detachable temperature probe (which are all the rage with the best dual zone air fryers right now too) that allows you to check the temperature of your food while cooking. A game-changer for us amateur cooks. But is it really necessary?

Having used the Smeg portable induction hob to fry up some bacon and eggs, and also to cook a piece of chicken, using the temperature probe to check it was at the right temperature, it’s safe to say it does what it says on the tin.

It’s also easy to clean and looks quite slick. However, while a useful space-saver compared to a built-in hob, it’s still fairly sizeable so you’ll need some surface space for it.

And at £349.95 it’s not exactly a cheap purchase, especially compared to some other similar portable induction hobs - or indeed other kitchen gadgets - that do similar things.

You also need to remember that induction hobs need special pans, like HexClad pans, which we gave 5 stars to in our HexClad 7-Piece Cookware review. This is because induction cooking heats via electrical induction rather than thermal conduction, hence being more efficient. But it also means you’ll need to spend a bit more buying the right pans to use with it.

You’re also limited to hob cooking - and while that does give lots of options from frying to boiling and even melting chocolate and cooking sous vide, some might argue that other gadgets are a bit more versatile for the price tag.

However, if you do have money to spend, and think this might be the answer to your cooking needs, here are three reasons that might make you want to invest in something like this.

3 reasons to invest in a portable induction hob

1. You can take it anywhere and it's easy to set up

This means if you’re limited on space or need an extra cooking zone for big occasions that you can then pack away, it’s quite handy. It’s literally a case of plugging it in and starting to cook.

There are nine power levels so you can do anything from quite gentle cooking to getting a rolling boil on. It’s also quite good for entertaining if you want to cook something in a different room, or maybe at the table in some kind of showstopping moment.

Though you’ll need to remember that while we’re used to most built-in kitchen hobs having an extractor fan above or near them, this one won’t if you start moving it around.

2. Its got a built-in temperature probe

Along with being able to control the temperature fairly precisely, the fact the Smeg portable induction hob comes with a detachable temperature probe is a nice addition, making it easy to check when your food’s cooked.

There’s no denying it’s a pretty efficient way to cook, getting up to temperature quickly, and speeding up the cooking process for some elements. I cooked a piece of chicken in the pan, testing the function that allows you to set the target temperature of what you’re cooking and then leave it to cook - with an alarm beeping to tell you when it’s done.

The only thing you’ve got to be careful with is that the whole item of food is checked. While one part of the chicken breast was up to temperature, another one wasn’t so we had to cook it for longer.

The perils of cooking in a pan maybe, and one argument for possibly considering another space-saving, easy-cooking gadget to cook food in over a portable hob, since you then have to rely on cooking everything in a pan.

3. It’s safe and easy to clean

One of the big advantages of an induction hob is it’s safe, with no naked flames to worry about. This is particularly useful for something portable like this. If you live somewhere where space is at a premium, or are trying to use this in a tight spot, the last thing you want is gas flames causing a hazard.

There’s also a warning light showing when it’s still hot once you’ve finished cooking - again useful to avoid any burns (providing you notice it). On top of this, the glass surface is easy to clean, so there’s no messing around with the iron bits that go on top of classic gas hobs, and struggling to clean spills or spits.

All in all then, after my tests, it's fair to say that this portable hob impressed me. Though the price is undeniably steep, if you need something convenient and electric, I can see the appeal.

Would you consider investing in a portable induction hob?