You may not have heard of induction cooktops before even though the technology has been around for decades. Advances in technology and an increased awareness in the product has made induction cooking a more feasible reality.
If you haven’t heard of the technology, after reading this article you might wonder why it isn’t common knowledge. It seems very radical and cutting edge. The major difference in induction style cooking is the fact that the cookware itself heats up with out having to have heat transferred from a hot element to the cookware.
How can this be possible you might ask? Instead of a heat source, a magnetic energy source is used. Generators create an electro magnetic field which reacts with the ferrous (iron) material in the pot making it hot. So the pot itself cooks the food without the cook top getting hot.
Benefits of an Induction Stove top
Fast Changes in Heat Levels
One of the benefits of induction heating stove tops vs conventional electric is the quickness to respond to changes in heat levels. When you lower or raise the level of ‘heat’, the change is almost instantaneous. Conventional electric ranges are relatively slow to respond. You must wait for the element to heat up or cool down over several seconds or minutes to reach the desired temperature level. Induction heating is more along the lines of responsiveness of what you get with a gas stove top. However unlike gas ranges, you don’t need to run a gas line to your kitchen. It runs on electricity.
Efficiency
The efficiency of induction cooking is considerably greater than either gas or electric. With gas and electric cook tops, a large amount of heat energy is lost between the transfer from the element to the cookware. Because there is no physical transfer of heat per se, relatively small amounts of heat are lost in the process.
Residential induction cooktops are slowly growing in popularity, more so in Europe than North America. In Europe the tops are called ‘hobs’. Commercial versions are also available for businesses wanting to implement them into their kitchens.
Safety
You might be wondering about the safety factors. If the element causes metal to heat up when placed in the electromagnetic field, then what happens if you put your hand on the element area and you have jewelry on? Does your jewelry heat up? Can this be dangerous? There are safety measures taken to prevent accidents. The range is able to tell the difference between a small amount of metal and a large enough amount of metal to be considered a pot or pan.
So if you put your hand on the element, nothing would happen. There isn’t enough metal for the appliance to turn on. The same is true with small metal items such as spoons and forks or metal tongs. Some care has to be taken. Larger items will heat up if accidentally placed in the area. Also handles may get hot and need to be taken into consideration.
Special induction cookware has been specially designed specifically for use with induction ranges. Not all conventional cook ware will work with induction heating. There needs to be enough ferrous material to react to the field in order to heat up. Many stainless steel items should work as well cast iron. Generally if a magnet will stick to the pan, it should work to heat up.
It is a very different way of cooking from what most people are used to. You may want to research more into the technology before you are sold on it. Contact sellers of induction equipment to find out more about the products available in your area