Induction Cookware 101: All You Wanted To Know But Didn’ Know Who To Ask
If you are thinking of buying cookware to use with an induction cooker, look out for two features. First, the induction cookware must heat up to a reasonable temperature on your induction cooker, and second, it has to fit the bill for an all-around cookware. This means that the utensil must not only be good at induction cooking. It should be suitable for other types of cooking too.
So, before you buy an induction cookware, you should know something about cookware in general.
The Basics of Cookware Sets
One thing you need to understand about cookware, in general, is that cookware sets are rated good or bad on a certain cooking task. As a result, you can get a cookware set that’s horrid at cooking something but excels in other cooking activities. Make sure you know the cooking task before hand while shopping for cooking utensils.
Secondly, cookware come in various sizes, shapes and heating temperaments. You may get a set that is fast to heat up and slow to cool down. On the other hand, some sets are slow to heat up and fast to cool down. Depending on the particular task you have in mind, select a cookware with the desired qualities. That’s why you find well-equipped kitchens with cookware of various sizes and shapes.
Thirdly, the material of the cookware defines its abilities and limits. It’s the material that determines how readily, or reluctantly, a cookware conducts heat. Most cookware is made of metal, a ready and even distributor of heat. You want to steer clear off enamored cookware which is prone to hot spots. The hot spots can easily cause portions of the food to burn while others become undercooked. However, the qualities that make enamored cookware unsuitable for stovetops become immaterial while oven baking because heat floods from all sides.
Nature of Induction Cookware Sets
Moving on to induction cookware sets, the choice in cookware mostly revolves around the utensil’s ability to interact with a magnetic field. Therefore, the material of choice, now and in the future must be ferrous. But this should not lead you to think that stainless steel cookware is the best choice for induction cooking. Remember, not all stainless steel materials are easily magnetically.
Today, what works best in induction cookers are straight iron items such as the classic cast-iron cookware and the modern pepped-up iron coated with brightly colored enamel. However, that doesn’t mean that these two materials are good choices for induction cooking. There are other things to consider such as whether the particular utensil is a nonstick induction cookware.
Nonstick Induction cookware is utensils that don’t let food get stuck onto their sides while cooking. These induction cookware sets are fantastic because they require little cleaning after preparing a meal.
Summary
When considering a choice on induction utensils, make sure that the material is ferrous, and secondly, make sure it is a nonstick induction cookware for the best results. Where it’s possible to interact with the cookware, use a magnet to see if it's ferrous or not.
