Photo: Thermador
From the moment that man first discovered that heating food changed the taste and properties of it until now, there are two fundamental areas of cooking that we have to deal with. The Heat source and the tools we need to cook the food on that heat source. One of the newer ways of cooking food is through induction cooking and in this article we are going to be looking at the advantages and disadvantages of this relative newcomer to the market.
How does an induction cooker work?
Induction is unlike the other types of heat sources. The fundamental difference is that the actual heat source or cooker does not actually heat the cookware, rather it is the cookware that is heated through the process of induction.
Very basically the “element is an coil of copper wire that has an alternating electric current run through it. This oscillating magnetic field along with the resistance (from the iron in the pot) causes the pot to heat up. It is the same principle that heats up your charger but obviously that is on a far smaller scale. If you are interested to read more about this check out the wikipedia page on it.
Because the change is instant the heat change is also instant and so induction cooktops are far more responsive than the other traditional methods, especially electric cookers. Is there any specific cookware that I will need for cooking with an induction cooker? There is a small catch to this, you will need to have a specific type of cookware for this to work. Cookware such as stainless steel and cast iron are good for this although many of the more modern brands will add a layer of ferrous metal in the base of their cookware so that even some of the nonstick and ceramic cookware can be used. It is important to understand that not all induction ready cookware is created equal and ultimately the amount of iron in the base will have an affect on how efficient your cookware will be.
A quick and easy test to see if your cookware is induction ready.
The best way to see if your cookware is good to go is to hold a magnet to the base, if the base is magnetic then you can use this cookware. Often the newer brands of cookware will have a little coil on it to show that it is induction ready. There is a good chance that at least some of your current cookware will work on induction if you are planning to invest in one of these. This can be a great help when it comes to keeping your expenses down.
What are the advantages of induction cooking?
There are a number of really cool advantages that induction cooking offers:
Faster - The heating process is instant and direct into the cookware making it very responsive and extremely fast when heating up. There are various tests out there using a pot to boil water, induction will usually win hands down over gas and traditional coils any day.
More energy efficient - One of the things that you will notice with induction is that your kitchen does not get as hot when you are cooking, that is because there is no energy waste in the transfer of heat from the stove to the pot or pan. When you cook with gas, for example, your kitchen will become very warm or hot because a big chunk of the heat from the stove literally heats the kitchen not the cookware.
Far more accurate - Many of the induction stoves have preset temperatures on them that make it very easy to get the right temperature when you need to cook something. Because the process of induction heating is directly controlled by the flow of electricity as opposed to the transfer of heat you get highly responsive and accurate temp settings and changes every time.
Safer - Because the actual stove top does not heat up directly and there are not naked flames (in the case of gas) you create a much safer environment in the kitchen. This is especially so if you have children that like to be involved in cooking. While the glass top of an induction cooktop will get hot from the heated cookware on it, it is not nearly as hot as traditional stoves and glass is a poor conductor of heat so the heat transfer into an unsuspecting hand is a lot slower and so will “burn less.”
Photo: cookware-solutions
They also have a portable cooktop - You don’t have to use this like a traditional cooktop as the heat is not generated by the cooktop, that means the base will not get so hot and so you can use these on normal kitchen surfaces. The smaller portable tops are great for students or when extra pots or pans need to be used. Once you have used it you can easily store it away for the next time; leaving your kitchen surfaces clutter free. This means really that anywhere that you have an outlet you can use them, in fact many campers use this because of the safety factor and their portability.
Very to keep clean - The smooth glass surface and the fact that they do not heat up like traditional cooktops means that anything that spills on the surface can be easily wiped away before it burns and sticks to the surface. You can even do this in the middle of the cooking and not burn yourself.
Disadvantages of induction cooktops
As with most things in life there are advantages and disadvantages to using something and the induction cooktop is no exception…
Can be expensive to buy initially - There are two things that you are going to have to deal with initially when buying induction:
The cost of the actual cooktop which can be quite high if you are getting something that is good quality and will last. This can be very high for some of the top of the range models. The portable models are less expensive.
Cookware specific - You will also have to look at what cookware and other related accessories that you will need to be buying for this to work for you. If you are lucky, you will already have most of the cookware that you need. There will almost always be an expense in this area as you will most likely need something that is made specifically for this type of cooking. I should point out here as well, even though something might be induction ready, it may not be ideal for the job. I don’t know about you, but if there is one thing that I have learnt in the kitchen is that the right cookware for the job is a must if you are even half serious about cooking good food.
The bottom line: Make sure you budget for at least some new cookware that fits the bill exactly or else you may not get the best out of your induction cooker.
Induction cooktops do not give you the versatility of gas especially for more professional kitchens.
This is a very important factor to be considering and might be a deal breaker for many who have been able to tick all of the other boxes and this is especially if you are using gas currently. I cook with gas and one of the things that I love about it is that I have a lot of versatility with gas, there are a lot of little tricks that I can use that I may not be able to with induction. Of course if you have a normal electrical one then you will already be used to working with some restrictions. All I am saying here is that there is a reason why restaurant kitchens cook with gas.
Conclusion
While the prospect of cooking with induction comes with many advantages and will over time be a cash saver for you in terms of energy consumption, there are some things that you should be taking into consideration. It is also important to point out that because of the nature of induction cooking it is possible to have your cake and eat it too. You can still keep your old system and opt in for something portable to use when you need. Whatever choice that you make having all the facts will help make that choice the right one for you, so take your time before you buy. I hope that this article has given you something to think about as you go through this process.
About the author:
Sebastian is the chief editor at twokitchenjunkies.com. He has a passion for the gadgets and cookware that you find in kitchens. Along the way he has learnt a thing or two about what is good and what is not so good and would like to help you find out what is best for you without all the fuss of having to do the research yourself.
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