Induction stovetop technology was introduced at Chicago’s World Fair in 1933, however despite the fact that it has been around for a long time, many American home cooks have never seen or used one. The European market has adopted this technology into the home at a quicker pace and it seems American families are now starting to take notice. This guide will help answer some of the most commonly asked questions like, "how does induction cooking work," for example.

What is Induction technology and how does it work?
Instead of a flame or electric cooktops, an induction cooktop uses a magnetic field to heat your cookware. When an induction-ready pan is placed on the cooking surface, the electromagnetic coil below the cooking surface creates electric currents in the pan. The iron in your cookware (whether stainless steel cookware or cast iron cookware) does not conduct electricity well, so the magnetic energy is converted into heat. Thus, the heat is actually coming from the pan itself, not from the “burner.”

What cookware works with induction stovetops?

Because heat is generated from the frying pan or stock pot’s inability to conduct electricity efficiently, cookware made from copper and aluminum do not work on induction stovetops. These materials conduct electricity too well (the same reason why a lot of wiring is made from copper). Cast iron and stainless steel cookware will both work. To learn more about copper cookware, read our blog post answering the question, "is copper safe?"

If you want to test if your current cookware will work on an induction stove, simply see if a magnet will stick to it. If it does, it is induction ready. If it doesn’t, shop our full collection of induction compatible 5-ply stainless steel cookware.

Why do people love it?

There are many reasons consumers love induction burners:

Energy saver - Induction burners claim much higher energy efficiency than an electric cooktop or gas burner. Gas stove burners claim about 40 percent efficiency and electric cooking stovetops around 50 percent. The induction burner boasts 90 percent efficiency.
Time saver - Cookware heats more quickly via induction than a gas or electric stove. In side-by-side tests, induction has shown to boil water in an induction cookware stock pot 40% quicker than the equivalent gas range
Easy to clean - Since the stovetop is not actually hot, inevitable cooking spills will not burn to the surface. A quick wipe down after dinner will leave the stovetop looking new.
Responsiveness - When the temperature is adjusted, your cookware will respond almost instantly to this cooking method. This is similar to gas ranges.
Safety - If no cooking pan is on the stovetop, no heat is generated and the surface is cool to the touch. This makes induction stovetops much safer, especially with little children or pets around.
Comfort - because induction heating is so much more efficient, there isn’t the same ambient heat introduced into the environment. It makes it more comfortable around the stove and reduces your cooling costs. These are two reasons restaurants love a good induction range.

Some consumers complain about the initial expense or the slight buzz noise that may occur when the cookware is on the stove top, however most people that get the opportunity to cook with induction love it.

If you’re upgrading your stove to an induction surface, why not upgrade your cookware as well. Shop our induction-ready 5-ply stainless clad oven safe cookware now.