The Basics of Induction Cooktops
Launch library · evergreen read
An induction cooktop heats cookware directly using a magnetic field generated beneath a ceramic glass surface, rather than heating the cooktop surface itself and relying on that heat to transfer into the pot or pan sitting above it, as gas and standard electric cooktops both do in their own way, using rather different means to reach the same end.
Because the cooktop surface itself stays relatively cool, with heat generated directly within the base of the cookware, induction cooking tends to be faster and more responsive to temperature changes than traditional electric cooktops, closer in feel to gas cooking for many home cooks used to that responsiveness.
Induction cooktops do require cookware made from magnetic material, typically cast iron or certain stainless steel, since the technology relies specifically on that magnetic interaction to generate heat, which means some existing cookware may need replacing when a household switches to this particular cooking technology for the first time.