What is an Induction Hob and how does it work?

Induction cooktops are the new hype among people who spend lots of time cooking in the kitchen.

It has its pros and cons but the pros seem to be dominant.

If you are thinking about switching your old and conventional cooktop with an induction cooktop, this guide is especially for you as you will get to know about the major benefits and drawbacks.

Also, if you don’t know what an induction cooktop is and why it is called this way, we got you covered again.

What is an Induction Cooktop?

The induction cooktop is not a mainstream cooking surface; it is beyond that mechanism. Though it looks a lot like a glass cooktop, it is not. This cooktop works with the help of a magnetic field. There is a magnetic field beneath the surface of the induction cooktop and with the help of a copper coil, the electromagnetic current is passed to the cookware.

It does not heat the surface, instead, it heats the cookware directly. This method is rather quick because it saves time from the typical process of catching heat on the surface first and then transferring it to the cookware and then to the food.

Pros of an Induction Cooktop:

•    The surface of the induction cooktop does not get hot: This is reliable on part of families with kids who want to experiment their safety on everything.

•    It provides quick heating: When the heat is provided quickly, the food is also cooked shortly. Your hunger is responded to with the treat in minimum time.

•    You can always cook at the required temperature: Induction cooktops allow you to control the temperature while gas and electric cooktop say exceed the required temperature.

•    You would not sweat anymore in the kitchen: Since the induction cooktop’s surface itself does not get hot, it will also not even heat the kitchen environment. You can cook in a comfortable and cool environment to stand in.

•    It adds an element of innovation in the kitchen: For sure, if you have well decorated your kitchen with a stylish interior, cabinets, drawers, and attached dining; the induction cooktop will suit more to that frame.

Cons of an Induction Cooktop:

•    It is quite expensive: The best of technology always is.

•    You would not easily know if it is ON: Since there is no presentation of flames, even the slightest of it, you would not know if it is still ON or not. If you leave it ON accidentally, lots of energy is going to get wasted.

•    You need a special induction compatible cookware to make it work: This is another investment but you would not regret it. Because all cookware may not work on induction cooktop but all induction cookware can work on other cooktops.

How to know if your Cookware is Induction-compatible

The cookware with Iron as the main ingredient and also in greater quantity can stand well on the induction cooktop. Therefore, cast iron is the best choice for this cooktop and its name suggests the presence of loads of iron in its manufacturing. Other than that, there are also some aluminum and stainless steel cookware that involves a special magnetic layer on the bottom that makes them perfect to be used for induction. But you will have to search hard to find such cookware. Again, copper and glass cookware is not induction compatible until and unless they are also composed of a magnetic layer on the bottom.

This is how you can check the compatibility of the cookware for the induction top.

  • Take a piece of magnet.
  • Hold it near the bottom of the pan. 
  • If the magnet piece sticks to it quickly, it is good to go with your induction top.
  • If it takes a little time or is not too quick to stick, it is a near close but it will not work.
  • If it does not stick at all, you know already that this is never the right cookware.

Are Induction Cooktops durable?

The way of determining the longevity of an induction cooktop is different from those of other cooktops. The lifespan of an induction cooktop is presented in the form of hours. To be precise, a good commercial use induction cooktop may work for 10,000 hours before it expires or ceases to perform properly like it used to. Now you can’t divide 10,000 with 24 to calculate how many days it is going to last because you are not going to use it for a complete day, 24 hours. You will only add the number of hours you use the cooktop per day. For instance, you use it for 7 hours a day. So 7 hours every day for 4 years (365) days would make up 10,000 hours. Approximately, it can last between 4 and 5 years. However, the quality-charged induction cooktops may last even longer. You can have a look at the 10 best induction cooktops available in the market by Clicking here.

Conclusion

The use of induction cooktop, after going through this thread, may sound so easy-going but it is not.

If you don’t take care of its maintenance and handle it with great attention and care, it will die soon. This means you yet have to learn how to make anything last a good time and save your money from going into rubbish.