Electric Induction Cooktop How It Works

Induction ranges look a lot like typical glass top electric ranges.

Electric induction cooktop how it works. The biggest difference you ll notice is that because the electromagnetic field on an induction cooktop doesn t create a glow. Induction compatible cookware for an induction cooking surface can nearly always be used on other stoves. Products like this stainless steel induction hob heat diffuser can be placed on the cooktop under the pan. Until recently cost was the biggest disadvantage.

If you have an induction cooktop but a favorite piece of cookware doesn t work on it you might still be able to use it. How induction cooktops work before i get into how induction works you should know i m just an average mom who loves to cook. The processes described at right are a more efficient alternative to heating by a flame or a resistive electric coil. The heating reaction will then heat the contents of the pan.

Induction cooking surfaces work well with any pans with a high ferrous metal content at the base. Whereas other stoves heat food indirectly by applying an open flame or a hot surface to the bottom of cookware induction cooktops use electromagnetism to cut out the middleman and heat. When you turn on the burner an electric current runs through the coil generating a fluctuating magnetic field but no heat on the burner itself however once you set an iron or stainless steel pan on the burner the magnetic field induces many smaller electric currents in the pan s metal. Induction cooktops boast speed surpassing electric temperature response rivaling gas and safety and cleaning ease that beat out glass and ceramic top stoves.

Some cookware or packaging is marked with symbols to indicate compatibility with induction gas or electric heat. Also induction cooktops heat stuff up very quickly unlike regular stoves which lose a great deal of energy to their surroundings. Induction cooktops generate heat in the cookware itself. A typical induction cooktop could be two or three times more expensive than an ordinary electric or gas cooktop and even though you d save energy the energy savings weren t usually significant enough to pay back the difference.

Drawbacks of induction cooktops.