5 Tips for Cooking on Induction Cook Surfaces

5 Tips for Cooking on Induction Cook Surfaces

Okay consider me nuts, but I never gave a thought to not being able to use my decades old but well loved cookware when we replaced our stove. For several months I have fought with and complained about my new stove. I know.. really Sherryl? But yes I actually missed our old stove with the 4 ring burners and oven that didn’t heat evenly..well maybe not the oven but I struggled to cook on the new stove.

So one day I am complaining while waiting on water to boil (yes I know you should never watch water boil) and made a comment about this wasn’t the “instant boil” that I understood it would be when we bought the unit. From the other room I hear, “Did you read the instruction manual”? Huh? Who reads the instruction manual on a stove?

Apparently not me.

Had I read the instruction manual I would have learned several things about cooking on induction cook surfaces!

#1 – The bottom of the pan must be flat – not rounded, not ridged..flat. This means my loved revere ware would not work until you stand there and hold the handle so the bottom of the pans stay in contact with the cooking surface. Yeah, that isn’t going to happen!

#2 – Your cookware needs the induction disc on the bottom in order for the cook surface to recognize it and heat up. Yay for these discs because you can purchase them on Amazon and they will allow you to use your other cookware by tricking your cook top. Probably not a good thing for a long time because that disc..baby it gets hot! AND it stays hot for a long time. So in a pinch or for a short time, it does save on your sanity.

#3 – Instant hot and Instant boil mean just that when you have the correct cookware on the cook surface so make sure you are ready to go when you turn it on!

#4 – Higher sided or sloped pans keep the mess down and allow for different cooking temperatures by sliding the disk partially off the burner while maintaining contact with the other side. I love my 12 inch Wok style pan by TeChef. It really is a multi purpose pan. It is non stick and has stay cool handles which I have also learned is super important when using an induction cook top. I made Iced Tea Barbecue sauce in my TeChef pan and it contained all the splatters and splashes from the barbecue sauce cooking down. YAY! There was no clean up of the stove needed and the pan basically rinsed clean. Nothing sticks to this badboy. Commercial plug here: TeChef  (aff link) has a full line of cookware on Amazon and on my wish list!

#5- If you have the correct cookware, cooking on an induction cook top is wonderful! I have learned that you can cook at lower temperatures which is better for maintaining the nutrients in your food and when cooking at lower temperatures, your cookware lasts longer, is easier to clean and your stove top will last longer too.

So, if you are considering upgrading to an induction stove..do it! But consider the cost of new cookware into your budget too. Induction capable cookware is a little more expense than regular pans but not any more than high quality pans on the market. Most of the higher quality brands are converting their bottoms to include the induction disc.