Cookware Considerations

In the last post I was talking about Induction cooktops and ranges. Related to that is the kind of cookware that you will need in order to be able to use an induction system effectively. If you don’t already own a decent set of pots and pans, then you should keep in mind that when you decide on a brand, or model, it should be induction compatible. You might think that doesn’t matter because you have a gas range, or you’re quite satisfied with your electric stove, but down the road things change and you don’t want to have to buy another set of cookware when you discover just how good your neighbor’s induction range is.

When I bought my first set of cookware I chose enamel coated cast iron. They were a great set of pots and stood up to a lot of abuse. I mean, who hasn’t created a few burnt offerings over the years, I am my father’s son after all. Eventually the enamel started to break down and we looked around for a suitable replacement. At the time induction cooking wasn’t an option and so my wife and I went to the other extreme and bought a set of Teflon coated aluminum. You know, light weight, easy to clean, good heat distribution, plus we got a heck of a deal. This particular brand had received some negative feedback about delamination of the Teflon coating and the store we purchased from were discontinuing the model. So we ended up with a pricey set of cookware at 50% off and we’ve had no trouble with them, in fact they have performed beautifully.

Now induction cook tops have entered the market and aluminum pots won’t work with this new technology, because as mentioned in my earlier post, they require a vessel made of a ferromagnetic material.  This is a metal that is attracted by a magnet, so an easy test to see if a piece of cookware is induction compatible is to see if a small magnet will stick to it or not.

Not all stainless steel is ideal in this regard and this is dependent on the alloys that make up the particular series. A 300 series stainless steel is an alloy that includes nickel as well as chromium and sometimes molybdenum along with carbon steel. The different alloy ingredients give stainless steel certain properties, such as resistance  to corrosion, or by making it easier to form or weld, but for the 300 series, magnetic properties isn’t one of them. For that you need a 400 series stainless steel without the additional nickel alloy which deprives it of its magnetic capabilities. The point is, that what you should be looking for is good quality ferromagnetic cookware. It may be stainless steel or cast iron but aluminum or copper on its own will not work.

   

As I said, aluminum or copper alone is non-magnetic and therefore not a suitable choice for induction cooktops, but these materials are great conductors of heat, which stainless steel is not. Manufacturers have made use of these qualities in their higher end cookware, by combining them in layers, so that you might get a layer of aluminum or copper sandwiched between two skins of stainless steel. Or you could also get an outside layer of copper, a center layer of aluminum and an inner layer of stainless steel.  Normally this technique is applied to the base of the cooking vessel only, where a disc of aluminum is the center of the sandwich, but in premium cookware the sides of the pot are also treated in this way, with the center layer being one continuous wrap up the sides.

Stainless Steel is a material that is non-reactive to acidic or alkaline food. Copper and aluminum have the ability to conduct heat readily, so when both qualities are applied in this manner, you get a first class cooking vessel. Heat is distributed quickly and evenly so that hot spots are eliminated. The stainless steel skin seals the food from any tainting effect from the copper or aluminum core which might otherwise leach into the food.

Enameled steel and Cast iron cookware will also work with induction units in most cases. Cast iron takes longer to heat than most cooking materials, but retains heat longer and distributes it more evenly. It is also able to tolerate very high temperatures making it ideal for searing food.Care should be taken that the ceramic or glass surface of the cook top is not scratched or damaged from usage, which might easily happen when using heavier vessels.

Bare cast iron is reactive to acidic foods such as tomatoes and should be “seasoned” to prevent sticking and seal the surface from corrosion. Seasoning is a process of coating clean cast iron with a thin layer of oil or fat and heating it to a temperature sufficient to polymerize the layer to its surface.  Cast iron cookware can also come with an enamel coating which eliminates the need for seasoning but renders it less able to withstand higher temperatures without damage to the enameling.

Whatever model cooking set you choose, having the ability to see the food being cooked is an added advantage. Whilst stainless steel is a good choice, consider those that come with glazed lids, that way you can see if something is reaching the boil, or about to burn and avoid any mishaps.

If your existing cookware is unsuitable to use with induction you can buy an interface plate. I don’t recommend doing this because it’s like turning your induction unit back into a conventional stove, plus you would need to buy one for each pot being used at the same time. It is a work around system at best. My recommendation would be induction compatible, tri-ply stainless steel, which will give decades of good use and would be suitable for any cooking medium.

Induction Cooking

For some reason induction cooking has not yet taken off in North America, which is surprising considering how willing we are to embrace new technology. I mean take microwave ovens for example, like TV’s there is barely a home in the country that doesn’t have one.

Maybe there is an element of suspicion that exists about their safety that some corporate plot is afoot and something nasty is being induced into the food being cooked. But more likely it is because these cook tops still command a fairly high price tag and will not work with all cookware.

I started by saying how willing we are to embrace new technology, but strictly speaking induction cooking is not a new idea, an early element was first patented in 1909, but it didn’t catch on then either. Today it’s a different story, induction cooking technology has come a long way since those early days and perhaps it is worth taking a serious look at how these cook tops stack up against the competition.

Early Induction Element

These units come in several sizes depending on your needs, so you can get a single portable element that sits on top of your counter all the way up to a 5 element built-in and even an induction slide-in range. The range normally has a cook top with 4 or 5 induction elements and a convection oven and warming drawer below.

The real advantages of induction cooking are all about safety and efficiency. An induction element creates heat by inducing an electro-magnetic field in the cooking vessel. The vessels resistance to this electro-magnetic energy induces heat in the pot rather than the surface it sits on. This direct transfer of energy from the element to the vessel makes the system far more efficient than either gas or conventional electric cooking units. It’s like cutting out the middle man, (the cooking surface) and going directly to the things being cooked.

Right away you can see the safety aspect of this method. No scorching hot plate to burn yourself on, no spillage that gets baked onto the cooking surface, so clean up is easy and no risk of fire from hot oil igniting on an open flame or hot element. There is less risk to children getting severely burnt from a hot surface too, which puts many parents’ minds at rest.

I remember those early advertisements where you would see a pot of water boiling on the stove top and alongside the pot would be a solid cube of ice with barely any melt water, thus demonstrating its efficiency.

For those of us who live in a hot climate it is especially nice to know that cooking our meals is not going to contribute very much to our discomfort. Because heat is induced in the cooking pot, the cooking surface heats up from being in contact with it. Very little heat is dispersed to the surrounding area.

Precise control, that is integral to the induction system, means that when there is no pot on the stove the unit senses that and automatically shuts off. If a pot boils dry the unit shuts off. You can set the control to deliver just the right amount of energy to maintain an even and constant temperature rather than my father’s settings, on a conventional electric range of either “off” or “high” where a fried breakfast could look like colorful volcanic debris.

Now we come to the issue of cooking pots. One of the things you’ll need to keep in mind is that induction units will not work effectively with every type of cookware. It needs to be made of a ferromagnetic material, a material such as iron that is attracted to magnets. This is because of the “nature of the beast”. An electro-magnetic field in order to work properly, in this case heat a pot, must meet resistance in the skin of the vessel being heated. Aluminum and copper are too good of a conductor to create sufficient resistance and are therefore not suited to this type of cookware. Certain grades of stainless steel are also less suited than others so when choosing the right cookware either look for a label verifying compatibility, or take along a small magnet to test whether the pot material is attracted to it or not.

Induction Compatible symbol

I should add that there are also certain interface plates that can be used with pots made of the wrong material. The idea being that the interface material would heat the pot instead, but then this rather defeats the purpose of an induction cooker.

All things considered an induction cooker is a wise choice despite the higher cost. Prices have come down and will probably continue to do so. If you consider the higher efficiency and the safety features then the extra cost is well justified and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.