I believe that our life is going to be easier if we categorize our gear under three different levels of the word "Essential." This article explains the main reasons why I believe an induction cooktop (with the corresponding kitchenware! as otherwise is nothing but a fancy brick) is a piece of equipment that can be considered essential.

"Level 1 Essential" includes the gear you can't make it without. That depends on your particular situation of course. A good, reliable hunting tool, your defense tool, the items for communications with your group, for instance. A vehicle, the shelter or BOL, a wood stove or fireplace. All of those, you fill out the form according to your needs. The other two levels of relevance will decrease in importance of the items within them of course.

Why I use an induction cooktop
As usual, everybody's situation is different. Let's put it this way: if you live in a cabin in the deep forest, with plenty of firewood and a fireplace, your need for an alternative cooking heat source is not the same as I may have.

Tropical forests can appear lusty and fast-growing, but only for certain species. The ones with higher density, more efficient for firewood, grow slower for reasons that a specialist could explain better.

If the lucky person living the dream has an average-sized battery rack and doesn't receive too much sun, maybe the energy has a better use with other applications, like pumping water into the tanks or heating the chicken's coop, than powering a cooktop.

In my case, where the gas cylinders can disappear from the shelves overnight because the supply is controlled by you-know-who, just like the power supply, having alternative means is a wise choice. The most efficient use of a cylinder gas (for me) is using it to feed my generator and plug the refrigeration equipment while using the induction cooktop simultaneously.