What to know before buying an induction range or cooktop?
"Every induction cooktop and induction range in Consumer Reports’ tests delivers fast cooktop heat and superb simmering.
The power and precision of the technology comes from an electromagnetic field below the glass cooktop surface that transfers current directly to magnetic cookware, causing it to heat up.
Essentially, induction cuts out the intermediate step of heating up a burner and then transferring the heat to the pot.
Home cooks have been warming to induction because it cooks faster and responds much faster when you dial back the temperature. As the technology becomes more available the prices have been dropping, with some induction ranges selling for $1,000 or less. Induction cooktops and ranges still tend to cost more than electric smoothtops, but the difference in performance is significant.
Induction ranges look a lot like typical glass-top electric ranges. The biggest difference you’ll notice is that because the electromagnetic field on an induction cooktop doesn’t create a glow, you won’t know it’s on. That’s why manufacturers have started adding virtual flames and other lighting cues. As for the ovens in induction ranges, they broil and bake the same as other electric ovens.
The Induction Advantage
This cooking technology has been tested to be faster than the regular electric cooktops.
Induction cooktops can get hot, but the heat is transferring from the cooking pot to the glass through conduction, much as a hot pan would transfer some heat to a countertop if you set it down to rest. As soon as you remove the pot, that heating stops. And because the heat is going from the pan to the cooktop, the glass surface never gets as hot as it does on a traditional radiant electric range. And if you turn on an induction burner with no pot on it by mistake, it won’t get hot—a nice safety feature.
You Need the Right Cookware If you make the change you will need new cookware, look for pots and pans marked “induction-compatible.” If you want to know whether your existing arsenal of cookware will work with an induction range, use a magnet to see whether it strongly sticks to the bottom of your pots. If it does, it will work on an induction burner.
Dig Out Your Dial Thermometer The magnetic field of an induction cooktop can interfere with a digital meat thermometer, so you may need an analog thermometer—an old-fashioned solution to a modern problem.
In our most recent kitchen projects, clients have purchased induction cooktops. Some because is new technology, others because is safer or faster.
Major appliances manufacturers are adding this technology to their portfolio, so we are in luck when planning and budgeting.
*Excerpt from the Consumer report Website - Article written by By Paul Hope
Images from www.subzero-wolf.com, www.geappliances.com, and www.sanjoseca.gov
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