Induction cooktops are becoming increasingly popular in kitchens around the world. Induction heating is a cooking method involving heat passing through the cooking material by way of electromagnetic induction.
As a result, you need to use special pots and pans made of steel or iron that tend to be more expensive than regular ones.
There are a number of benefits to using induction cooking but you also need to be aware of some considerations too.
Common issues with induction cooktops include the following:
- Use of the wrong cookware
- Finicky nature of the magnetic field
- Cooktop damage
- Cookware damage
- Higher initial cost
I first started using an induction cooktop in 2021 and have noticed a number of things that may go wrong. Knowing about them and how to address them is what we’ll discuss below.
We’ll also do a quick overview of some of the main benefits I’ve noticed for completeness.
Common Induction Cooktop Problems
Use of the wrong cookware
If you try to use pots and pans that are not specifically meant for induction use, nothing will happen. The cooktop will not heat up, fullstop.
Induction heating involves electromagnetic induction so the cookware you use must have enough ferrous metal content for the cooktop to pass on the energy.
uer, brass and aluminum cookware typically won’t work on an induction stove as a result.
Once you put a pot on the cooktop and turn it on, you’ll hear a clicking sound as the cooktop recognizes the pot and turns the heat on. If you lift the pot off the cooktop, the heat will immediately stop but will resume once you put the pot down again.
Solution: Only use cookware with the distinctive induction icon on it. Otherwise the cookware isn’t suitable.
Finicky nature of the magnetic field
One issue with induction cooking is due to the unique nature of it, namely the magnetic field. The cooktop needs to recognize that there is a pot on the surface before heat is turned on. If you have a suitable induction-specific pot on the cooktop but for some reason the unit doesn’t acknowledge it, the heat won’t turn on.
If you have pots that are somewhat warped, the electromagnetic connection may be intermittent to the point where you can hear the heat clicking on and off as the connection comes and goes.
Solution: There may be a technical problem with your cooktop if this is a regular occurrence so consider getting it serviced professionally especially if it’s still under warranty.
Cooktop damage
If you drop anything on the ceramic induction cooktop, it can crack or break to the point where you need to replace the entire unit. Chips can also occur to the edges if you aren’t careful or have accidents.
When a cooktop is broken or cracked badly enough, replacement is the only option.
Solution: Be careful when lifting cookware and other heavy objects over top of and around the cooktop as damage can easily occur.
Cookware damage
Induction heating is known for heating very quickly which can occasionally be a problem for some pots and pans particularly cheap ones. Warping can occur although in most cases, this isn’t a problem.
The sudden and drastic change in heat (i.e. increase) may be difficult for some pots or pans to handle and thus lead to warping or other damage.
Solution: Try to stay away from cheap cookware that may warp and damage easily. Also be careful with quickly heating cookware or wildly changing temperature if possible. Don’t heat empty cookware.
Higher initial cost
This may not be a problem per se but it’s a consideration: Induction cooktops tend to be more expensive to buy than conventional products.
If you don’t have induction-specific cookware, you’ll need to buy them too, further adding to the total cost.
Solution: This is more an FYI rather than something you can fix. There can be a higher up front cost and if your current pots and pans aren’t induction-specific, you can’t use them.
Benefits of induction cooktops
It isn’t all negative though, right? There must be some benefits offered by induction cooktops otherwise people wouldn’t embrace them.
Here are the main positives you’ll notice with an induction cooktop.
Induction cooktops heat very quickly
Rather than heating the element and then transferring heat to the pot like conventional stovetops, induction heats the pot directly, skipping that extra step.
You will find that water will boil several minutes quicker and contents of pots will heat up quicker than with regular cooktops.
Cooking is quicker and more even with induction heating
We mentioned above that the cookware heats up quicker than with a regular cooktop but the heat provided by induction technology also provides a more even cooking experience.
Another thing I’ve personally noticed is how much quicker food in the pot will react when you change the heat level. I’ve seen pots start to simmer on the one hand, or stop simmering on the other, within seconds of adjusting the heat up or down. It reacts very quickly.
Very clever induction zones
The elements don’t heat up even if the oven is turned on unless a pot or pan is on the surface. The magnetic surface detects the presence of a pot and then the heating starts. So you can’t accidentally leave the heat on unlike a regular stovetop.
On some models you can put one pot on and when you add a second pot on the same side, the cooktop detects it and turns the heat on automatically for that second pot. You can then keep the same temperature for both pots or have different ones depending on your needs.
Induction heating offers multiple side benefits
Not only do induction cooktops only turn on the heat when you have a pot on the stove, they stop heating immediately when the pot is removed as mentioned above.
But there is also no open flame and no gas source either.
Induction heating is also more efficient with around 90% of heat transferred to the food, no CO2 is produced (unlike a gas stove) and no fumes are produced either.