Induction Cooking? What are the Advantages and Disadvantages?

While induction cooking has been popular in Europeat about $1,500.  If you cooked with gas prior to
and Australia for a number of years, this technologyswitching to induction, you may need to rewire your
is just beginning to become popular in the Unitedkitchen to accommodate the 240 volts required for
States.  What is induction cooking?  It is oftenmost induction cooktops.
referred to as heatless cooking because it does notSpecial cookware.  For your pan to conduct energy,
require an open gas flame or red-hot electric coils. it must be magnetic.  Induction can heat food only
Instead, heat is generated by electromagneticthrough pans made of steel or iron. You can test
currents in the burners that respond to metal cookingyour cookware to see if it is compatible by passing a
pots and pans.  magnet across the pan.  If the magnet sticks to the
When you cook on an induction cooktop, only thepan, the pan will work.  Not all stainless steel
pan and food contained within it become hot.  Ascookware is compatible with induction cooking.
soon as the pot or pan is removed from the burner,Availability.  Induction cooking in the United States is
the cooktop surface becomes almost cool to thestill a relatively new concept.  Therefore, induction
touch. ranges are not as widely available as their gas and
Advantages of Induction Cookingelectric counterparts.  As the demand for induction
Efficiency.  The biggest difference betweencooktops increases, prices should begin to fall.
induction cooking and other methods is where theWaterless Induction Cookware
heat is actually generated.  Gas and electricWorld's Finest 7-Ply Steam Control KT17ULTRA
stovetops produce heat on a burner.  This heat isWaterless Stainless Steel Cookware Set by Maxam
then transferred to a cooking pan and then itsoffers inexperienced cooks and novices alike the
contents.  In contrast, induction stove tops generatebest of all worlds.  The waterless aspect makes it
heat in the vessel.  There is no transfer from thepossible to cook healthy, nutritional meals for your
burner to the pan.  Thus there is virtually no wastedfamily.  Secondly, this set also allows you to
heat.  According to studies, induction cooking isexperience the convenience of induction cooking. 
about 90% efficient, compared to electric and gasThe KT17ULTRA set is constructed of 304 surgical
cooking that have 47% and 40% energy efficiencystainless steel and carbon steel.  Carbon steel is a
rating respectively. metal manufactured from the elements iron and
Safety.  Safety is a major selling point.  Withcarbon.  Carbon provides hardness and strength. 
induction cooking, the burners stay cool (roomThis heavy-duty set was constructed specifically for
temperature), eliminating the worry of burning yourinduction cooktops and is guaranteed to last a
hands, using hot pads, or dangerous fumes beinglifetime.  Its composition makes it slightly heavier
admitted into the air. than our other waterless sets.  The 7-ply
Time-saving.  Induction cooktops achieve extremelyconstruction (including a layer of carbon steel
high temperatures in a short period of time.  Duringsandwiched between layers of stainless steel)
the cooking process, any adjustments to the heatspreads the heat quickly and evenly.  The steam
are precise and almost instantaneous.  Gas heat iscontrol valve makes "waterless" cooking easy and
fairly precise as well, but it takes longer for thehealthier because it eliminates the need for grease or
burners to heat the pan to the initial temperature.oil in cooking.    This 17 piece set includes several
Comfort.  Induction burners won’t heat up yoursaucepans, and lids, a roaster, skillet, double boiler,
kitchen.  This appeals to chefs, caterers, and evenand even egg poaching cups. 
home cooks.If you are looking for the perfect set to combine the
Convenience.  Food spills and boil-overs aren't burnedbenefits of waterless and induction cooking, this set
on to the stove and are easily wiped off.  Mostis ideal.   Consider the purchase of waterless
stove-tops are either easy-to-clean glass orcookware an investment in your family’s
ceramic.  In addition, you can leave the pot on thehealth.  If you have more questions about
burner after cooking without having to worry aboutwaterless cookware, induction cookware or
excess heat burning your food.waterless cooking or you are just looking for healthy
Drawbacks of Induction Cookingrecipes to prepare for your family, check out our
Cost.  Typically, induction cookware is moresite-- The Gourmets Cookware.
expensive than gas or electric ranges, often starting