If you’ve gone shopping for new stoves recently, you’ve probably seen something about induction stoves. If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve probably questioned “what’s an induction stove and why the heck would I buy one?” This week we’re answering your major questions about induction stoves: How do they work, and why don’t my pans work with them?
If you’re not really interested in the technical aspects of an induction stove, this is for you. Start off by thinking about a typical gas or electric stove. You turn on the burner, and it heats that specific spot. But there are uneven areas, due to the way the heat has to spread through it. Induction stoves are an entirely different beast. A copper coil within the ‘burner’ has electricity sent through it. That electricity is transmitted through the glass top to the pan that you put on top of the burner. That pan heats up, only where it comes into contact with the electricity. So, in theory, yes, you could heat only one-half of your pan. If however, you have all of your pan on the coil, you are going to get a very even heat, since the heat is actually coming from the pan itself instead of from the stove.
If that didn’t answer all of your questions, that’s ok. We can take a slightly more in-depth look at things now. If it did answer everything you wanted to know, feel free to skip this paragraph. Picture a coil of copper wire. Now apply an alternating current to the coil, making it oscillate, or move back and forth at high regular speeds. This oscillating creates a magnetic ‘flux’ or a field around that singular burner. Now put your pan on top of that burner, and the two interact, so long as the pan is made of either iron or steel, both magnetic materials. The magnetic flux from the stove creates a current in the pan, the pan has a natural resistance to that current, and so it begins to heat up. Since all of this is based on magnets and electricity, you don’t have to have the pan and the coil directly touching, which means that the stove can have a heat-resistant ceramic layer between the two. Although the surface will still become hot, it’s considerably less hot than either a gas or electric stove will get.
So why then don’t copper and aluminum pans work? Or ceramic ones? The reason is the magnetic current. None of these things are magnetic, so they can’t interact with the current. While it is less than ideal, it is one cost of using this type of stove. On the upside though, if you have to purchase all new pots and pans, at least you can choose specifically which ones you’ll need instead of just getting a set?
And now we get to the real crux of the matter. Do you really want one? Well, to be honest, we can’t tell you if you do or don’t. Since we fix all sorts of stoves, we see, perhaps better than most, that all stoves have their pros and cons. On one hand, you’ve got a stove that is noticeably cooler to the touch. It also creates perfectly even heating, no need to worry about hot spots. Since there isn’t a flame or a hot surface element, you can worry less about accidentally starting a fire. In terms of how quickly they work, gas stoves are faster than electric stoves. However, an induction stove is even faster than a gas stove, heating water twice as fast as most gas stoves. They’re also supremely easy to clean, a fact we love.
However, just like with any purchase, there are cons to an induction stove as well. An induction stove is a very complicated system. They’re typically more expensive to purchase and to install. They’re also more expensive to repair, if and when they do suffer a malfunction. As mentioned above, you will have to purchase a new set of pots and pans, as anything without an iron or steel bottom won’t work. Since they heat up faster than other types of stoves, your cooking style will have to adjust to match it. That can take time, and mean a lot of burnt food at first, if you’re not prepared for it. A final, if odd, con, is that they do make more noise than other options.
Important warning: THEY CAN BE RISKY IF YOU HAVE A PACEMAKER, DO TAKE NOTE. The electromagnetic system does pose a certain risk to disrupting pacemakers, however, most pacemakers are safe around these. Still, check with your doctor before purchasing to make sure it won’t compromise your health if you have a pacemaker.
So, do you think you’ll be getting an induction stove any time soon? Why or why not? Let us know over on our Facebook page, we’d love to hear from you!
If you’re here because you have an induction stove and it’s broken or otherwise acting ‘odd’ we can help. Give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or set up an appointment via our page and we’d be more than happy help get your stove back in perfect condition.