Summer is the season of sizzling burgers, seared steaks, and caramelized onions – but all that cookout cooking often comes with a downside: lingering grease and food odors that can hang around your home long after dinner is done.
Instead of filling your kitchen with smoke, heat, and smells, you can move the action outside. IKEA's $75 portable induction cooktop lets you create an instant outdoor cooking station at a fraction of the cost of a full outdoor kitchen, keeping cooking mess and odors out of your home while giving you more space to socialize as you cook – no grill required.
Whether you're hosting friends or simply enjoying a quiet meal in the sunshine, it's a simple, affordable upgrade that makes summer cooking cooler, cleaner, and far more enjoyable.
This portable cooktop is perfect for smaller kitchens or wherever you need an extra cooking zone. It’s easy to move around and can be stowed away when not in use to free up counter space for other activities. As it is over $35, it qualifies for home delivery, too.
Outdoor cooking often gets a reputation for being complicated. Even the best grills require regular maintenance, take time to heat up, and can limit what you cook. A portable induction burner, on the other hand, offers far more flexibility. You can fry, boil, sauté, or simmer almost anything outdoors, all while keeping excess heat and lingering cooking odors out of your kitchen. It's one of the simplest ways to make summer cooking cooler, cleaner, and far less stressful.
The IKEA TRILLREDA Portable Induction Hob is an excellent budget-friendly way to take the hottest, messiest cooking outdoors with minimal setup. Thanks to induction technology, it heats magnetic cookware directly, making it fast, precise, and highly energy efficient. All you need is a power outlet, a flat surface, and the best induction cookware to create an instant outdoor kitchen.
The hack is also endorsed by Homes & Gardens’ Head of Solved, Punteha van Terheyden. She shares, 'My parents always did this for our Iranian parties as we had to fry so much onion beforehand, and it was a game-changer. I do it myself now, too, as I am very sensitive to cooking smells.
'It makes a huge difference, especially when you’re cooking in bulk or in a small kitchen where the odors really linger.'
Shoppers are equally enthusiastic about the portable induction cooktop, praising its fast heating, ease of use, and convenience for everything from everyday meals to outdoor cooking. It's the perfect quick fix.
What Else to Shop
Preventing kitchen odors requires a layered approach. To help keep your space fresh while making summer cooking easier, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite accessories for neutralising kitchen odors, simplifying cleanup, and streamlining everyday meal prep.
All prices were correct at the time of publication.
Powered by CH-Cut Catalytic Decomposition, this fridge deodorizer breaks down gases into water molecules to eliminate odors at the source and keep food fresh longer.
With notes of sea salt, tropical fruit, and vanilla, this candle is perfect for summer, with a vessel that oozes the charm of the season. As it's ceramic, it's the perfect candle jar to reuse around your house.
The Shark NeverChange Air Purifier MAX can cover spaces up to 1,400 square feet with smart air quality detection, removing particles and odors from the air. Cleanable filters avoid any filter replacement costs for up to five years, which is when the manufacturer recommends a new one.
Gordon Ramsay's favorite, when our expert Lydia Hayman was working as a recipe editor, she used the induction-safe HexClad pans to test and shoot recipes, from sizzling steaks to seared seafood. The non-stick is just as good as people say it is.
With double the stove space, this double burner is ideal if you are cooking more on the stove than you are a grill when hosting outside this summer.
Made with a recycled polyester insulator bag and a braided bamboo shell and handle, this easy-to-carry cooler basket is one of the most chic options I have ever seen, and it can be used to double as food storage when not cooking outdoors, too.
Moving your cooking outside is also a great way to stay cool when hosting outside in summer, but we have several more tips to make al fresco less stuffy this season.
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