Are you absolutely thrilled with your new induction hob? Well, then I still have to warn you. Because not all pans are suitable for cooking on induction, did you know that? Let me tell you a way to find out if your pans are suitable for use on your new hob.
What pans are suitable for induction?
An induction pan works by means of electric coils that use magnetic attraction. Eventually it causes the iron particles in the pan to move so that the pan becomes hot. The bottom of the pan becomes the heat source, so to speak, and the glass plate remains cool. If you have a kettle or frying pan that is not magnetic, it will not heat up and the hob will automatically shut itself off. So then you still have no use for your new high-tech induction cooktop. And that would be a shame.
Two ways to test your pans
There are two ways to test if your pans are suitable for cooking on induction. The first is to use a magnet to test if the skillet or soup pan is magnetic. The second test is to see if the bottom is straight.
Get a refrigerator magnet
The first test you will need to do is to test the skillet or soup pan to see whether or not it is magnetic. Take a simple refrigerator magnet and hold it against the pan. If it lets go, then the pan is unsuitable. If it “sticks,” then you can put the pan on the stove and use it. However, it does not apply to all types of metal – sometimes the instructions specifically state that a particular pan can be used on induction.
Look at curvature
A pan on induction should actually have no curves at the bottom. So hold the pan at eye level and see if it is straight at the bottom. Often it is especially skillets and grill pans that have warped due to extensive use on gas stoves because of the heat. These pans are best discarded if you have purchased an induction hob, unfortunately.
Why buy a new pan set?
From my own experience, I have found that not all pans that are magnetic are even good for induction cooking. Many pans do a little bit, but you just feel that something is not quite running right. So I really recommend that you try it out a bit first, and if it doesn’t run quite right, then you’re better off buying a new set.
Looking for new pan sets for induction
Buying new pans for an induction cooktop is still quite an investment. You can spend sometimes tens, sometimes hundreds of euros on it. So it is really something to think about when calculating whether it is lucrative to buy an induction hob. By the way, there are also plenty of manufacturers who supply a nice set of pans along with the cooktop.
All pans in the Netherlands are suitable
I took a look on the Internet and nowadays almost all soup, grill, stew and frying pans in online stores are suitable for induction. So you almost don’t have to think about it at all in the future. Induction is the future and so we recommend that you do make the switch, even if it requires you to make a small investment.