Over the years, cooking techniques have gotten more sophisticated and efficient. Appliances required for cooking have also become more compact and portable. One of these most innovative solutions is induction cooking. Induction cooking is a method of generating heat that utilizes electromagnetism.
An electromagnetic reaction is triggered between the pan and the burner, so you need a magnetic pot to generate the response for cooking the food. There are both benefits and downsides of using induction cooktops to prepare your food. Here are some of the highlights of both pros and cons of this technology.
Pros of Induction Cooktops
You will get five main advantages when you cook with an induction cooktop, including:
- Speed
An induction cooktop can cook your food in an instant. Induction cooktops heat the pan directly. It allows the food inside to get hotter faster.
- Efficiency
Gas and electric cooktops waste energy because they heat the air around the pan. However, it is not the case with an induction cooktop because the heat is released into the pan and so the food is heated directly. This process equates to energy efficiency.
- Convenience
It’s easier to clean induction cooktops because there are no moving parts. Also, the cooktop itself is low-maintenance.
- A Safer Way to Cook
If you have kids, you will find induction cooking ideal because it uses an electromagnetic reaction for heating. The burner remains cool in this process. About two seconds after switching it off, the pan becomes cool instantly. In this way, it minimizes the likelihood of burns.
- Control
You can adjust the settings of your induction cooktop the same way you do with a gas stove. This adjustment allows you to increment heating gradually to cook your food the way you like.
Cons of Induction Cooktops
There are also downsides to using induction cookware you should note before getting one.
- High Initial Cost
Acquiring an induction cooktop is not cheap since it is a relatively new technology. Therefore, it costs more than a traditional cooktop of the same size.
- Specialized Cookware Needed
Induction cooktops need specialized cookware as compared to a regular gas stove. You need magnetic cookware, or else the induction process will not work. This may mean investing in cookware as well.
- You Cannot Cook if Power Goes Out
During a power outage, an induction cooktop will not help you because it requires electric power to run.
Now with both the cons and pros, is induction cooking worth it in your opinion? It is a new technology, and as you can see some improvements are yet to come, but one can say it is a promising idea that could be termed as the future of cooking.
Induction cooking is a technology that comes with many benefits that you will not get from your electric or gas cooker. It employs electromagnetic waves to generate heat. With an induction cooktop, you can accelerate cooking and also enhance safety in the kitchen. However, this comes at a cost because these cooktops are slightly costlier.