What Is An Induction Cooktop? All The Things You Need To Know

Tim Parry

Published: September 21, 2022

The development of society gradually moves to the 4.0 technology era, and intelligent products are created to serve human life, from wood stoves, gas stoves, and Induction cooktops. It is both safe for users and cooks food quickly, without taking up too much space. So do you understand what is an induction cooktop? And how to use it to make the most of the features while still being effective and safe for you.

Then you will not be able to miss the article below:

What Is An Induction Cooktop?

As you know, the traditional gas stove uses liquefied petroleum gas as a fuel source to generate energy. From there cook the food. In contrast, an Induction Cooker is a type of stove that uses electricity to cook food. Electric current flows through a copper coil placed under the stove’s glass, creating a magnetic field of several millimeters on the surface and heating the pot with a magnetic base to cook the food inside.

When And Where Was The Induction Cooktop Born?

In the late 1859s, the story goes that an American inventor called George B Simpson invented a stove that uses an electric current to cook food without firewood or fire. Since then, it has created an enormous turning point for the birth of the induction cooker later.

Where was the first induction cooker exhibited? In the early 1893s, in a fair in Chicago, America, people saw the appearance of an induction cooker, but a gas stove replaced it due to insufficient electricity. It was not until 1930 that induction cookers were widely used all around the world.

After many years of research, formation, and development, induction cookers have gradually been used in daily life. But do you wonder: Who is the father of the induction cooker? Until the early 1970s, researchers from the R&D Center of Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the United States researched, fabricated, and applied to create the first induction cooker.

A little suggestion for those who want to learn more about the history of the induction cooker can refer to the link below:

https://www.appliancesconnection.com/blog/cooktop-history

How Does The Induction Cooker Work?

Have you ever wondered how an induction cooker works? The introduction of the induction cooker brings convenience in cooking time as well as safety in cooking. Let’s take a look at how the induction cooktop works:

If charcoal and wood stoves must use fire, high heat sources directly to cook food, or infrared stoves use heat conduction bulbs to apply heat to the pot. In contrast, a straightforward induction cooker uses a coil made of copper wire materials arranged in a tight circle.

The induction cooker works on an elementary principal, an electromagnetic induction source of electric current called Fuco. When power is connected, energy flows through copper coils beneath the hob surface, generating an electric current in a magnetic field a few millimeters from the cooktop. When it comes into direct contact with kitchen utensils such as pots and pans with magnetic bases, the magnetic field acts on the molecules, causing them to vibrate, move, and collide with each other, thereby generating heat.

They are born but are not lost or affected by the external environment such as wind and water, but only affect the base of pots and pans. Because the temperature at the bottom of the pot is always higher than the stove’s temperature, the amount of heat consumed to cook the food accounts for 96% of the heat loss. Therefore, this is one of the main reasons why induction cookers are more energy-efficient than any other type of stove.

As a result, Induction cooktops can only be used with their own set of kitchen utensils, but only with a magnetic base. If cooking on a gas stove causes us to avoid wind and water overflowing into the kitchen, the induction cooker only generates heat at the bottom of the pot. Therefore, it does not lose heat to the outside, wasting fuel, and Cooking time is also faster and more convenient.

Some Things To Note When Using An Induction Cooktop

1. Place pots and pans too hard on the kitchen surface

Remember: Take it easy. The fact that you place pots and pans too hard on the glass surface of the induction cooker will cause the glass surface to be at risk of cracking or cracking. Because even though they are high-grade and heat-resistant glass, they are also quite sensitive to substantial impacts. Whether it is high-end Schott or EuroKera glass, it will also break the glass surface when you drop it with great force.

2. Cook food continuously with high heat frequency

Whatever you are a person or a machine, it is necessary to take a break after a period of high productivity. Put, if you use an induction cooker for cooking for a long time, with tall, continuous heat, it will gradually reduce the stove’s life and may cause cracking. Therefore, use a moderate heat source, depending on the food you prepare, to ensure that your induction cooker will always be beautiful.

3. Do not unplug the power supply immediately after use.

We often have the habit of unplugging the stove right after cooking. It is a bad habit. After a period of cooking at a high temperature, the cooling elements of the induction cooker will be activated. They have the effect of cooling the internal components even when the stove is turn off. The purpose is to reduce the heat effect and increase the life of the induction cooker.

Remember: You should only unplug the power cord after about 15 minutes of turning off the stove.

4. Use a unique pot for induction cookers

There is a famous proverb that is: “The pot is upside down.” That’s right if you use a gas cooker to use on the induction cooker. Then this is a wrong choice. Because the induction cooker cooks food according to the principle of heating the base of the magnetic pot, it is imperative to use pot sets made from cast iron, steel, or other magnetic materials. Only then can the induction cooker make its full use.

5. Unusual symptoms of induction cooker

Induction cooktops have extremely modern functions and are easy to use, but sometimes during the cooking process, you will encounter some of the following unusual signs:

Cook for a while, but the pot is still not hot: If this is the case, then maybe the right thing to do right now is to check your outlet, because it may be loose, and power is not coming in, or perhaps you have used a cooking pot. Suitable for an induction cooker.
While cooking, the cooker turns off automatically: Encountered in this case, the first thing you have to do is check the temperature you are choosing, whether it is too high or not? Since the voltage to the induction cooker may be exceeding the safe level, it automatically activates the auto-shutoff mode to ensure the safety of the device and the user.
The cooktop gives off high heat while cooking: Ensure that you are setting the cooking temperature too high with constant frequency, so you have to adjust the temperature to medium. Or check your family’s voltage because it suddenly increased, the heat sensor of the induction cooker overheated, radiating onto the glass. If not handled in time, it is easy to cause burns or electric shock.

6. Pregnant women should limit the use of induction cookers

There is an opinion that the induction cooker is a safe and easy-to-use kitchen appliance for everyone. But that is not necessarily true because the magnetic field waves generated by the induction cooker directly affect some groups of people, such as pregnant women or people with cerebral palsy. Because when the induction cooker is in operation, the general invisible will create a wavelength of the magnetic field around its operating range. Therefore, it directly affects the brain of the fetus and people with a history of brain disease. Therefore, these two groups of people should limit the use of the induction cooker or stand far away when it is in operation.

FAQ

1. Can I use a regular cast iron pot or pan for cooking on an induction hob?

The answer is no. Because the principle of the induction cooker is to use electric current to act on pots and pans with a magnetic base, thereby applying heat to cook your food. Therefore, your pots and pans must be made from steel, cast iron, stainless steel, iron enamel, or stainless steel. More importantly, the bottom surface must be flat and have a diameter of 10 cm. Only when using the unique right pot for the induction cooker can it transfer heat well and not cause damage to the life of the stove.

2. What materials are not safe when cooking with an induction cooker?

One of the causes of short circuits or explosions in induction cookers is the use of unsuitable pots and pans made of glass, copper, aluminum, or pots with a bent or concave base and a diameter of less than 10 cm. Because when cooking on an induction hob, these types of pools will not heat up and produce not high enough heat. A note for you is that when buying pots and pans specifically for induction cookers, you can see the word Induction on the bottom of the bank, or a magnetic symbol can be used.

3. Where should the induction cooker be placed to be safe and save space?

Do not place the induction hob too close to the wall or near objects susceptible to magnetism, such as tape recorders, video recorders, knives, plates, and jar lids on the stovetop while cooking. Because the induction cooker has a cooling fan, keeping the kitchen well-ventilated, away from heat and steam is necessary.

Conclusion

There is an excellent saying: “If you want to do something, you will find a way.” We believe that you love to cook or prepare dishes that meet the following criteria: delicious, fast, and nutritious. Then the Induction Cooker is the perfect choice for your cooking in today’s digital age. Understanding what is an induction cooktop? or the construction and operation of the induction cooker and its features will help you keep safe and prepare hearty meals for your beloved family.

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