What kind of cookware should you choose for an induction cooker?

Induction cookers have many advantages over conventional ones. The main ones are high efficiency, instant heating of dishes on the burner, safety (only the bottom of the pot or pan heats up, while the hob itself remains cold), and high efficiency. At the same time, buyers of such a stove must be informed that special saucepans and frying pans are suitable for it. What kind of cookware will be needed for an induction cooker and why?

How does an induction cooker work?

In conventional stoves, after turning on the burner, first the heating element begins to heat up, then the burner and hob, then the pan, starting from the bottom. This process takes a lot of time. In addition, they cool quite slowly, causing large losses of electricity.

In an induction cooker, heating occurs directly in the layer of material from which the cookware is made. The process is based on the absorption of electromagnetic energy generated in the induction unit. And this happens almost at lightning speed. But here you just need dishes, the bottom of which has a high resistivity and has magnetic permeability (made of ferromagnetic material). And by the way, that's not all.

All utensils in which food will be cooked on an induction hob (and for the most part, its bottom) are subject to a number of well-founded requirements.

• The bottom of such dishes should be perfectly smooth and even.Curves or roughness will prevent the formation of an induction field, and the stove simply will not turn on. Or it will turn on, but will work with noise, rattling and crackling, and this is no longer safe.
• The bottom should be very thick (at least 2 mm, but the thicker the better), this will ensure a long service life of the cookware (it will not deform under high temperature), and also protect food from burning.
• The bottom of the cookware should not occupy less than 70% of the burner area, otherwise the induction process will not start.
• It is desirable that the bottom consists of several layers (the outer one - ferromagnetic - directs the generated heat inside the pan, the middle one has high thermal conductivity and retains heat for a long time, the inner one consists of the same material as the entire pan). Sometimes there are more layers - anti-deformation plates are added to them.

Advice

The cookware that is used for induction cookers is also suitable for conventional ones (but vice versa - not always). Therefore, if you are planning to purchase an induction cooker in the future, start gradually collecting a set of cookware for it now and use it. Such a stove itself costs a lot of money, and together with kitchen utensils it can turn out to be an unbearable financial burden.

How to choose the right cookware?

Such dishes are quite expensive, so when purchasing you need to be very careful in your choice and pay attention to a number of nuances.

• The bottom, as already mentioned, must have ferromagnetic properties. Simply put, a magnet must be attracted to it. Therefore, when going for such a purchase, it would be a good idea to take a magnet with you (one of those hanging on the refrigerator will do) so that you can easily check the dishes.
• Such utensils have special markings. The induction cooker icon on the cookware looks like several loops or zigzags, often the product has the inscription “Induction” on it.
• The bottom should be very thick (ideally 5-6 mm).
• Standard induction cookers will not turn on if the diameter of the pan is less than 12 cm, otherwise, at a height of 12-20 cm from the cooking surface, electromagnetic radiation occurs, which is several times higher than the maximum permissible norm and can harm human health or surrounding electrical appliances. Therefore, it is also important to pay attention to the size.
• Utensils made entirely of glass, aluminum or copper definitely cannot be suitable for such a stove (metals are too soft and quickly deform, glass does not transmit electromagnetic waves) and will not be marked.
• It doesn’t matter what material the main part of the pan or kettle is made of, or what kind of coating they have inside. After all, only the bottom participates in the process of formation of the induction field. This is where the basic quality requirements apply.

Advice

If you like to prepare, for example, coffee in a Turkish coffee pot, the diameter of which is obviously smaller than required, purchase a special adapter disk of a suitable size for the burner. It looks like a metal pancake with a handle and can successfully compensate for the missing diameter. In addition, with such an adapter you can use saucepans, casserole dishes or stewpans that are not suitable for induction cookers due to the quality of the bottom or materials.

Is an alternative possible?

When buying an induction cooker, many people wonder: is it possible to somehow replace expensive cookware with more affordable ones? Perhaps there are other suitable utensils? In principle, this option is possible (although it is not ideal).You can try choosing pots and pans made of ferromagnetic stainless steel, cast iron or enameled iron.

But at the same time, you will have to take into account all the features of these materials, because when working with an induction hob, incorrectly selected cookware can ruin not only the dish, but also the stove itself, as well as surrounding household appliances.

• Cast iron frying pans, cauldrons, and duck pots are quite heavy, and rarely have a perfectly smooth and even bottom. You will have to choose them especially carefully. In addition, cast iron is quite fragile and can easily crack from impact. Cast iron deteriorates in an acidic environment, which imposes restrictions on the choice of dishes for cooking in such dishes. This material quickly absorbs the odors of the dish, which means that food cannot be stored in such containers in the refrigerator. But cast iron heats food evenly and keeps it warm for a long time, and during cooking the food practically does not burn. Another advantage of cast iron cookware is that it does not interact with food during cooking and does not transmit any harmful substances to them.
• Enameled cookware made from different steel alloys can also be used. But it is worth paying attention to its bottom. It often has a concave shape, which acts as a wave amplifier. And this leads to the formation of noise effects.
• It makes the most sense to use stainless steel for such a stove. It does not oxidize, retains more of the beneficial properties of products, and does not react with them. This means that such dishes can also become a container for storing ready-made dishes. However, you will have to make sure that the food does not burn during the cooking process. Unfortunately, this is a significant disadvantage. In addition, sometimes nickel alloys cause allergic reactions in humans.Then your favorite saucepan will have to be replaced.

Advice

Do not stir food that is being cooked on an induction hob with a metal spoon or spatula. It gets very hot instantly and you can get burned.

Purchasing an induction cooker will allow owners to significantly save on electricity over many years of use. But the very fact of such a purchase can hit your wallet hard. Therefore, owners of induction cookers are often no longer able to afford the purchase of a set of cookware that costs a couple of tens of thousands. In this case, existing kitchen utensils can certainly save the day, provided they meet the requirements. But if financial possibilities allow, it is better to acquire cookware specifically designed for such stoves. It is of higher quality, more durable, and safer.