Electric Induction Cooktop How It Works

An induction burner consists of a ceramic plate with an electromagnetic coil beneath it.

Electric induction cooktop how it works.

Until recently cost was the biggest disadvantage. Induction cooktops boast speed surpassing electric temperature response rivaling gas and safety and cleaning ease that beat out glass and ceramic top stoves. The biggest difference you ll notice is that because the electromagnetic field on an induction cooktop doesn t create a glow. When you turn on the burner an electric current runs through the coil generating a fluctuating magnetic field but no heat on the burner itself however once you set an iron or stainless steel pan on the burner the magnetic field induces many smaller electric currents in the pan s metal.

Induction compatible cookware for an induction cooking surface can nearly always be used on other stoves. Drawbacks of induction cooktops. Induction cooktops are very energy efficient in that they transfer most of the energy to the cooking pan with minimal loss of energy which is a great quality to have in any electric appliance. The heating reaction will then heat the contents of the pan.

The processes described at right are a more efficient alternative to heating by a flame or a resistive electric coil. Products like this stainless steel induction hob heat diffuser can be placed on the cooktop under the pan. Whereas other stoves heat food indirectly by applying an open flame or a hot surface to the bottom of cookware induction cooktops use electromagnetism to cut out the middleman and heat. Also induction cooktops heat stuff up very quickly unlike regular stoves which lose a great deal of energy to their surroundings.

Some cookware or packaging is marked with symbols to indicate compatibility with induction gas or electric heat. However i am naturally inquisitive and when i first purchased my own induction cooktop i was so amazed at the results i just had to know how it all worked. Induction ranges look a lot like typical glass top electric ranges. A typical induction cooktop could be two or three times more expensive than an ordinary electric or gas cooktop and even though you d save energy the energy savings weren t usually significant enough to pay back the difference.

If you have an induction cooktop but a favorite piece of cookware doesn t work on it you might still be able to use it.