subject: Are Induction Cooktops Right For Your Newly Remodeled Kitchen? [print this page] If youve been waiting for prices to drop or technology to improve on induction cooktops, youre in luck. Add a new induction cooktop to your list of upgrades when you start remodeling your kitchen.
If you havent seen them in action, induction cooktops use burners that create magnetic fields to warm up steel pots and pans. The stove itself doesnt get hot; it is the heating of the cooking vessel which cooks the food. With its unique technology, induction heating offers significant advantages over other cooking methods.
Induction Offers More Control Over Cooking: A big disadvantage of electric cooktops is that it can take a while for a burner to adapt after you adjust the controls. Although induction stoves use electricity, they offer the precision and instant adjustability that most homeowners associate with gas cooktops. They also heat food more quickly.
Less Wasted Heat: Because induction cooktops only heat the cooking vessel, they waste less energy than other sources. Gas stoves only use 40% of their energy to actually cook; the rest is wasted. Induction, on the other hand, uses 84% of its energy. This, combined with a faster cooking time, means that induction cooktops are very energy efficient, an important consideration in any kitchen remodeling job. Induction also results in cooler kitchens and cooler cooktops.
Cleanup Is a Breeze: Induction cooktops are flat, meaning that they lack the nooks and crannies that make conventional cooktops hard to clean. Because they dont heat the food directly, you also wont have to scrub food off of the burner. Burning gas also creates byproducts that condense on nearby surfaces; electrical cooking eliminates this problem.
A Safe Choice for Little Hands: Induction cooktops only heat magnetic pots and pans, so you dont have to worry that small children will burn their hands if they touch the stovetop or that a misplaced object will catch on fire. The cooktops also offer many of the advantages of gas without the risk of leaks.
Will My Current Pots and Pans Work? To discover which of your pots and pans will work after you convert to an induction cooktop, use a magnet. If a magnet sticks, it will heat on an induction cooktop.
