Though induction cooking has been popular in Europe for decades, it's finally gaining traction stateside. Gas stoves, which hurt the environment, are being phased out in countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, and Australia, and some U.S. cities, like Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C., have adopted rules to ban or restrict the use of natural gas in new homes and support all-electric construction. The move away from gas means that many homeowners are transitioning to more efficient appliances, including induction cooking.
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What Is Induction Cooking?
Induction cooking uses electromagnetic energy to create heat right inside your pots and pans. When cookware is placed on the glass cooktop surface, the magnet below the glass is triggered, resulting in friction and heat generation. Pans essentially become burners. Induction cooking is available in a single "burner" or heating zone, a cooktop with multiple heating zones, or via a range.
"Induction cooktops revolutionize your cooking experience compared to traditional electric ones by directly heating cookware through electromagnetic induction, ensuring lightning-fast and super-efficient cooking," says Mike Williams, vice president of sales and marketing at Kenyon, which manufactures a specialty line of induction cooktops.
Cookware Compatibility
Because electromagnetic waves are used to cook and produce heat, induction cooking requires magnetic cookware. "If your pan boasts a magnetic stainless steel, cast iron, enameled iron, or nickel base, it's induction cooktop compatible," says Williams. Fully clad cookware brands like All Clad and Le Creuset have suitable pans. Some appliance manufacturers, like Kenyon, also sell cookware that's custom-designed to work seamlessly with induction cooktops.
Pros of Induction Cooking
From easy clean-up to faster cooking, there are ample reasons to consider induction cooking.
Air Quality
Put simply, induction cooking is better for the environment. "Natural gas creates unacceptable amounts of pollution with methane and particulate matter in the air," says Rachelle Boucher, executive chef, cooking appliance trainer, and founder of Kitchens to Life. "With induction, there's less need for air conditioning and ventilation."
Safety First
Induction cooking is flameless, so it's safer than gas. With no open flame, there is no fire, so you're decreasing the likelihood of burning a potholder'or more dangerous conflagrations.
Energy Efficiency
Induction stoves and cooktops are more powerful, but also more energy efficient than electric or gas, since heat isn't lost in the transferring process. With gas and electric ranges, a lot of energy is expended in the air around the pots and pans. With induction, only the cookware heats.
Quick and Consistent
Boucher prefers cooking with induction because it's faster and more precise. Not only does it heat two to three times more quickly than gas, with induction, you don't have to wait for the heating element to transfer to the pan because the pan heats up directly. "You can [also] choose a specific temperature and it's more consistent," she says. When you turn the burner off, the heat transfer stops immediately, which means there's less of a chance of foods boiling over or overcooking.
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Easier to Clean
Clean-up is a cinch, with no pesky dials, burners, or knobs to scrub around, and the smooth glass top stays cool, so drips and splatters won't stick and burn. Because the unused surface doesn't heat up, the cooktop effectively becomes additional counter space for cooking utensils, cookbooks, and other items you wouldn't place on a hot stove.
Financial Perks
Another incentive to make the switch is government rebates. The Inflation Reduction Act, which went into effect in , provides funding for rebates to households that install new electric appliances, including modern induction stoves.
Cons of Induction Cooking
There may be a few hurdles, including a learning curve and the price tag.
Purchase Price
Though it can cost a pretty penny, your appliance may be eligible for a rebate (see above!), and there are other compensations. "While it's true that some may consider the initial cost of induction cooktops a drawback, once you experience their benefits, you might find it hard to go back to other types," says Williams.
Appliance aside, you may need to invest on new pots and pans if your non-magnetic copper, glass, aluminum, and ceramic cookware is not induction-compatible. And if your favorite wok has a round bottom, you can't just add a ring to your cooktop'you'll need either a flat-bottom wok or a special induction wok.
Learning Curve
While induction's speed is an advantage, it requires a rhythm and pace of cooking that differs from gas or electric, and may take time to adjust to. A home cook may initially be confused by the appliance's disappearing touchscreens'or the fact that when pans are removed from the cooktop, it turns off. This is a disadvantage initially, but some appliance companies provide loaners and the opportunity to "try before you buy" in a showroom kitchen.
Scratches on Surface
Because induction cooktops are glass, there is a possibility they can scratch or break. Look for silicone mats to safeguard the glass top and prevent pans from slipping.
Several different methods can be used to harden metals. Let's discuss three major hardening approaches besides induction hardening, flame, furnace, and vacuum hardening.
The Furnace hardening process involves heating of workpiece into a heat treatment furnace in a controlled environment. The workpiece is heated until austenite transforms, after which a quick quenching occurs.
The furnace hardening cannot heat the workpiece as uniformly as induction hardening does. It heats all workpiece portions, while induction hardening can heat specific workpiece sections. Induction is a go-to option if you need to harden a particular portion.
Vacuum hardening involves heating the workpiece by controlling the partial pressure, followed by a quick cooling process. It is often used for high-precision parts, as it can produce tough and consistent surfaces with minimal distortion.
Like the furnace hardening, it is also incapable of heating the workpiece at a specific region. The vacuum prevents the workpiece from reacting with atmospheric gases in the air, so the result is unaffected.
Flame hardening also involves the hardening of the outer surface using a flame while maintaining the ductility of the core section. The depth capability of flame hardening ranges up to 10 mm. This process is typically used to harden small or thin parts or to harden specific areas of a more significant piece.
Since induction hardening does not use an open heating approach like flame hardening, it is more precise and does not create overheating, scaling, or decarburization damage.
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