Cooktop is a cooking appliance similar to a stove; it is very safe and easy to use. The other kinds of stoves produce flame or a hot exterior below the cooking utensils whereas cooktops heat up the utensil itself using electromagnetism. The food is thus consistently heated. Induction cooktops are a better choice compared to ceramic or glass top stoves.
Solid Surface Cook Top
How it works
In Induction cooktops, only the bottom of the cookware is heated. The food gets cooked directly because of the rising temperature of pan. The cooktop itself is not heated. However, the cooktop will get warm because of the heat of the pan. The kitchen also doesn’t get heated too much since there is no evading heat around the cookware.
For those of you who are wondering about how the pan gets heated without any heat generated on the cooktop, here is the information. Let us consider the concept used in the familiar electric stoves wherein the coils turn from grey color to orange when switched on. This is because of the resistance generated to the current flow through it; this resistance heats up the coil. In the case of cooktops, the cooking utensil is the resistor. A circulating current is induced at the bottom of the utensil by the electromagnet used in the cooktop. This resistance to the circulating current thus heats up the cookware.
Benefits
Induction cooking has many advantages compared to other forms of cooking like gas or electric stoves. This kind of cooking heats up the food quickly and evenly. The absence of flames and heat generation on the surface of cooktop makes it very safe to use. The maintenance of these cooktops is very easy as the surfaces are even and smooth to clean. The food also doesn’t smolder on to the cooktop since the surface is not as hot as the cookware.
Stainless Steel Cook Top
Drawbacks
Induction cooktops also have some drawbacks. The utensils used on top of these cooktops should be only ferrous cookwares and other utensils like ceramics, copper or glass do not work on induction cooktops. But the multilayered cookwares coated with ferrous materials and linked to the inner layers of copper or alluminium can be suitable for cooktops. Cookwares with a flat bottom are ideal for use on cooktops but those with curved bottoms do not work well on the normal cooktops with the exception of suitably designed cooktops.
Induction cooktops have to be fixed very carefully. The specifications given by the manufacturer must be considered thoroughly since significant quantities of heat within a few electronic parts during functioning, should be avoided.
These cooktops are costlier when compared to electric cooktops.
Buying an Induction Cooktop
Given below are a few important points to be considered before purchasing an induction cooktop.
The wiring amperage and voltage are the most important things to be checked before buying an induction cooktop. It should be able to handle the load in the limits of 208/240 volts. Old wirings are hazardous since there will be frequent power fluctuations. Improper fixing of the appliance may disturb the functioning of other electrical gadgets like television or radio. Installation is very easy during the construction of the house since the wirings can be made accordingly. It is very important to see that you purchase a model manufactured for domestic use since these most of these cooktops are intended for commercial use in restaurants and industry kitchens.
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