Whether you love or hate cooking you will always need a good cooktop. Today, induction cooktops are the most popular and most efficient type of cooking appliances.
Here, we are going to look at how do induction hobs work and what are their advantages.
Induction cooking
Unlike regular cooktops that heat the vessel by flame (aka – thermal conduction) or electrical heating, induction cooktops heat the cooking vessel by induction. Now, the cooking container must be made of ferromagnetic metals like stainless steel or cast iron, or at least contain them in some amount.
This interesting way of cooking actually provides the heat from within the pan, which makes the cooking process much faster and efficient. Speaking of, induction cooktops are on average 15% more energy efficient than regular cooktops.
And this is why you need to make sure that your pots and pans will be compatible with this way of heating.
Now, how would you know what your pan is made of and if it will be suitable? Well, simply try to stick a magnet to it!
Under the ceramic plate of the cooktop is the coil of copper wire through which an alternate electric current is passed through once the suitable cooktop is placed on it. This magnetic field produces an eddy current in the pot that heats the substance inside of it while the current passes through the pot.
The energy transfer you can get with induction cooktops is amazing 84 percent, compared to about 70 percent that you get with regular heating. Besides, no open flames can occur, so this way of heating is not only faster and more efficient, but much safer too!
Advantages of Using Induction Hobs
1. Speed
Heat is transferred directly to your cookware and not on the surface of the cooktop like in other cases. Both gas and electric cooktops use a “middleman” to transfer heat to the pan, unlike induction cooktop where the heat is generated directly in the pan. Because of the electromagnetic activity, the pan itself heats up. Now, when you are making spaghetti, with induction hobs water boils almost 50% faster. It’s a time saving device!
2. Energy efficiency
Gas flames release a lot of heat around the pan and electrical cooktops emit radiant heat, which is even worse. On the other hand, an induction cooktop doesn’t have to heat up an element to transfer heat, but it heats the pan directly. It is estimated that they are 84% energy efficient, which is a huge improvement over a smooth top electric unit, which usually offers only around 70% transfer efficiency. Also, you can control the temperature more precisely than with gas or electric cooktops. This way the risk of over or under cooking is reduced.
3. Safety
Induction hobs are made of eco-friendly glass-ceramic material. Being a poor heat conductor, the heat is generated in the pan itself, and the cooking surface is not hot at all. This means it would be far less likely for the cooktop to cause a burn. In addition, the pan’s immediately responds to the change of heat. Parents can now let their little children play and help with the cooking without worrying if they’ll get burns.
In comparison to gas and electric cook top, there are no flames, no fire, nor the gas leaks.
The best part is that some include a child lock. It disables all cooking zones, the cooking surface, and the control panel. Most models offer a button that, when held for about 3 seconds, locks the cooktop. When you press any button it will show you that it is locked, and won’t react unless you unlock it. Usually, unlocking can be achieved the same way you locked it in the first place.
4. Cleaning
Cleaning the kitchen might be the worst part of cleaning in your home. Baked food on the surface of a cooktop is a nightmare, and traditional gas cooktops have lots of places where food can hide. Now, you can sleep peacefully. With the induction cooktop, when you spill food or it falls out of the pan it will not stick to the surface and you can easily clean it up with a damp cloth. Just wipe the surface and it is clean. No more dried, burnt food, or melted pots.
5. Smart
Some induction cookers have smart technology. One of the many features is sensors that detect if there is a pan or not. When there is no pan detected, you can’t even start the cooktop (heat is off). Some also have a “Boil Alert”, a feature which detects vibration from hot liquid so it automatically reduces heat and prevents boil-over accidents and the waste of energy. It can also detect boiling points of different liquids such as oils, milk or soup. With a beep, it alerts the chef.
In comparison to gas and electrical cooktop, the induction cooktop is much more user-friendly. You can say goodbye to over or undercooked meals because you have better control of the pan’s temperature and you can prepare your meals faster because it heats the pan quicker than the traditional cooktop. They are safe, easier, fancier (modern), and a must have!
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