The power, control and safety of Induction cooking is in this humble salespersons experience, a true game changer. In my years of offering this technology one issue that many customers have had with Induction cooking is what type of pots and pans are needed to make Induction work. Due to the fact that people get attached to their pots and pans as well as the expense of new pots and pans this is a major sticking point to some people. I am here to tell you that your current pans may work and new cookware may not be that massive expense you think.
First of all let’s go over what doesn’t work…. aluminum, all-copper, or glass cookware will not work unless they have a layer on the bottom with magnetic properties. Many manufacturers are beginning to add a layer to the bottom of these pans, but older, non-magnetic pans simply will not work and would force you to get new pots and pans to make Induction work. Why is that? Aluminum and copper require much higher frequencies to generate the heat needed to cook food. So how do you know if your cookware is compatible or what type of cookware is compatible?
To make sure your current pans work or that the new pans that you are looking to buy work with Induction, there are a few tricks that you can use. Also if the pots don’t work there is even a way to make non-compatible pans work on your
Cast iron, enamel cast iron, and many types of stainless steel cookware are all induction compatible.
There are exceptions, though. For instance, All-Clad's MC2 line, which is made from aluminum and stainless steel, is not induction compatible.
Stainless steel poses the most confusion because it can be made with a great variety of metals. Primarily, it is going to depend on how much nickel is used in the product because nickel will block the magnetic field.
How do you tell if a pot or pan will work on your induction stove? First simply hold a magnet to the bottom and see the results….
· If the magnet clings to the underside, the cookware will work on an induction cooktop.
· If the magnet grabs the pan softly, you may not have good success with it on your cooktop.
· If there is no pull on the magnet, it doesn't contain the right metals and will not generate heat.
If your favorite pan doesn’t work, an Induction disc can be placed on the cooktop under the pan; the heating reaction will then heat the contents of the pan.
So now that you have figured out what cookware you need for your cooktop, you can embrace Induction cooking and enjoy the power, control and safety of this life changing technology.