Nothing beats this fast and efficient Aroma Housewares AID-509 Induction Cooktop!

“Enhance and enrich people’s lives” is the mission of the Californian company. Aroma Housewares is located in San Diego, where its Aroma AID-509 products originate from.

This portable induction cooktop has safety features and warming functions that sets it apart from many other portable cooktops.

The product is very easy to use; all controls are digital and intuitive. Is very handy to use, light weight , makes it ideal for small spaces, including camping , road vehicles and student rooms.

Many of the units are made in China with quality materials. This cooktop is pleasing to look at, and is sturdy and well made.

1. Controls

The Aroma AID-509 has 6 controls which makes it very easy to use. The control panel is located at slight incline from the surface to insure that spills from the pot or pan will not damage the keys. The controls are not damaged easily and are push buttons type.

Let’s take a look at what controls the Aroma cooktop has.

Power Button – is placed at the right of control panel, the standard mark for turn off/on. This button should be pressed only after you plug in the item and the pan already placed on top. When you press the power button the cooktop will beep, the fan will start and the digital display will show three dashes.

Next controls at the left of Power button are “Heat Setting” and “Warm Button”. They are placed in column with the heat setting first.

Heat Setting – this control will allow you to increase or decrease the cooking heat level from 1 to 6. The level is visually showed by an LED. When you press it, the round LED near it will glow red.

Warm button – if you want to keep the meal warm you can use this control. When you set a time for cooking the warm button will keep your food warm by default (if the LED near button is red that means is activated)

+ and – controls : are positioned under the heating level LED. These controls will help you to change the cooking heating levels and cooking time. Every heating level has a LED which will glow red when it is activated.

Timer control – will allow you to set up the cooking time. The timer can be adjusted in increments of one minute. When you press the Timer button, the digital display will show a flashing “1” and you can use + button to increase it to 180 min. The numbers will flash for 5 seconds and stop after with a beep. You will see the count down within a minute. When the time is up, the cooktop will “beep” five times and will switch to “Warm” mode.

2. Surface

The Aroma AID-509 has a square surface. It’s made from ceramic glass and is black. On it, you will see 2 circles which mark the cooking area. The cooking circle is pretty large measuring 8 ½ inches in diameter so you will be able to use large pans.

Also on the surface in the left lower corner you will see the brand name, “Aroma Induction Cooktop”.

The surface will stay cool around the pan. There have been people to do tests where an ice cube was placed near the pan, and the ice did not melt.

Because the surface stays cool there won’t be any spills that burn . The user manual advises to use toothpaste as a cleaning agent in case anything sticks  to the surface. Regular soap and water will not clean it the same way. You can put a small amount of toothpaste on a clean damp cloth, any spills will be removed fast.

3.Heating Elements

The item has one heating element located under the ceramic glass. Due to the induction technology, the unit will only be warm the bottom of the pan; which is why the cookware should be compatible with this particular stovetop. (a fridge magnet should stick to it).

The cooking area is 9 inches in diameter and the heating element (the coil) is 6 inches in diameter which is not a problem if you have quality ready induction cookware.
The heating element is activated when the Heating button is turned on.

4. Power/Watts

The Aroma AID – 509 model uses1500 W and needs to be connected to a standard US household outlet of 120 V and 60Hz.

There are six levels of heating and one level is used to keep the meal warm. You will notice on the LED display numeric codes corresponding to every level. The first code is “P01” for the “Low” level. Here is the wattage for every setting:
P01 – 120 W
P02 – 500 W
P03 – 800 W
P04 – 1000 W
P05 – 1300 W
P06 – 1500 W

When you use the warming setting the temperature is 110- 129º F. The temperatures for next 3 levels: Low (210-220 º F), Medium (290-310 º F), High (380 º F-398 º F).

How much you can save with Aroma AID 509 Model?

If we compare between gas stoves and the Aroma AID 509. The comparison is done between a gas stove that uses 1000 BTU (British Terminal Units) of energy. Using this stove for 1 hour will cost you $2.

The Aroma AID-509 uses 13.5 amp. The cost for an hour of use is $0.59. Almost four times cheaper then gas.

5. Sensors

For a great experience, the item has 2 sensors which helps the user to use the unit accordingly and to understand what is happening with their induction cooktop.

Position Sensor – the unit will not turn on if the cookware is not in place within the circle on ceramic glass surface. This is for user safety.

Cookware Sensor – if the unit is heating slowly or can’t boil improper cookware is being used. For this particular stovetop, you need induction ready cookware.

6. Ventilation

The unit has 1 fan and a vent which is located in the back. The location of the vent is good because it prevents spills from getting into cracks. For example the Nuwave PIC2 has the vent on sides and the risks for spills are potentially higher.

The fan noise is not very disturbing either. The only way you would be able to hear the fan is if it’s completely quiet where you are using it. It’s as quiet as computer fans.

The unit should sit on a countertop in order for it to have proper ventilation.

7. Safety Features

Because of the induction technology , there is no chances for burning. This makes the induction cooktop safe for children. Children will be able to place toys, or even their hands on the stove, since it only heats with compatible cookware. You will feel much safer when using Aroma AID 509.

Another safety feature is the auto shut off when you take off the pan. I hate when I leave the gas stove on after I take the pan off, and this happens to me a lot because of things distracting you all the time like children asking for something, the cell phone ringing, someone knocking at your door etc. I really like this feature.

Since the bottom of the pan is the only thing that gets heated, the area around the pan stays cool. This is great because any spills won’t start a fire or cause your house to smell. So this is another great safety feature.

8. Warranty

The Aroma Housewares Company offers 1 year warranty for this model.

You need to keep a copy of your sales receipt to prove the date of purchase.

The manufacturer will replace any defective parts within warranty period.

9. Accessories

The package includes the Aroma AID – 509 induction cooktop and the user manual. No cookware is included.

You will need induction – ready cookware to benefit from the power of this induction cooktop. Also you need to make sure you have a pan to be no more than 9 inches. A larger pan can be used but the performances are not the same.

The cookwares tested to work are:

– Analon nouveau line;
– Wolfgang Puck Stainless Steel ;
– Faberware 3 Quart Sauce Pan;
– Tramontina Professional 10 Quart stock pot;

The best way to test if your cookware is induction ready is to run a magnet over the bottom of the pot and if sticks then it should work.

10. Dimensions

The product is a best fit for camping, small kitchens, student dorms, and car traveling.

Let’s take a look at the dimensions to get a better idea:

Wide: 11.6 inches
Length: 13 inches
Height: 2.2 inches
Weight: 6 pounds
Cord length:44 inches
Coil diameter: 6 inches

11. Pros

12. Cons

13. Consumer Ratings

I have noticed that 90 % of buyers from Amazon are happy with their purchase. These are high and very good ratings for someone searching for a new induction stovetop.

14.Price

The manufacturer list price is 75 USD but you can find it at great price on Amazon.

From my point of view, this induction cooktop is worth the . I like the “warm” function the most, and the ability to setup a cooking time, which once it is up will automatically switch on the warm setting. Also, the auto shut off feature is a great help for the elderly and people who need supervision.

15. User Manual

Leave a message in comments section and will get back with Aroma AID509 user manual.

16. F.A.Q

1. Does Aroma Housewares AID-509 Induction Cooktop include an ON/OFF switch or it must be plugged in and out?

Aroma Housewares AID-509 Induction Cooktop does not have an ON/OFF switch: just keep and leave it plugged as there is no need to unplug that unit. There is no risk of burns or low voltage as it includes the necessary safety features for a better operation.