How To Choose Induction Cooktop? Everything You Need To Know.

If you are looking for a simple yet complete guide on how to choose induction cooktop then this is the correct place to be.

Purchasing a new appliance for your home always gives you inner happiness, but it can become a complete nightmare if you didn’t research it well before clicking the “Buy Now” button.

You might have regretted sometime in the past for purchasing a wrong product. Not just you, everyone including me.

In order to prevent such mistakes in future, I always recommend you to read a proper buying guide before making any purchase.

If you are super busy and don’t have time to read a full guide, at least skim through the content to have a basic knowledge about an Induction Cooktop.

How does an Induction Cooktop work?
What are the different types of Induction Cooktop available in India?
On what basis you should choose the best Induction Cooktop?.

Now let’s dive deeper into each of these questions.

How does an Induction Cooktop work?

For cooking, we all know that the production of heat is very important.

In a normal gas stove, we use a process called thermal induction where heat is produced by lighting the cooking gas and creating a flame.

Instead of creating a flame, we use electricity to generate heat in the induction cooktops. That’s why these are commonly called as electrical induction cooktops in western countries.

There is a coil (mostly copper) inside the base of induction cooktops.

Based on electromagnetic theory when we give a power supply, the coil creates a magnetic field around it.

But the circuit is incomplete until we place a ferromagnetic metal in the base.

Once metal is placed, the magnetic field induces eddy current in the coil and circuit gets completed and current starts flowing and as a result heat is generated.

This heat is used to cook our food.

The cooking vessel must be made of or contain a ferromagnetic metal such as cast iron or stainless steel.

Since heat is coming directly to the pan, it is more efficient than gas top cooking.

I think you don’t need to know all the physics behind this process because you are here to purchase a model, not conducting any study.

If you wish to know more, there’s a great article written by the CDA team on how induction cooktops work.

Types of Induction Cooktop

In the beginning, only in Europe people were using Induction cooktops, but because of its high efficiency and faster cooking, it gained popularity across the world in quite a few years.

Since different types of people started using induction cooktops, companies started making different types aiming at different people.

There are 3 different types of Induction Cooktops available.

Portable Induction Cooktops

As its name says they are portable models.
These are the most popular types of Induction cooktops in India. Our list contains only portable models.
If there is one heating element, then those are called single element Induction cooktops, whereas models with multiple heating elements are called multi-element cooktops. Our lists contain only the single element cooktops.

Built-in Induction Cooktops

These are integral multi-element built-in units coming in different dimensions depending on the number of elements or cooking zones.
Majority of these are custom made and I was not able to find anything online.

Freestanding Countertop Induction Cooktops

These are generally placed above a freestanding microwave oven to give users both the functionalities of a microwave oven and induction cooktop.
These are mostly used in restaurants or cafes.
They are used majorly in western countries.

If you want to know more about this you can read an article from InductionTop on types of induction cooktops.

How To Choose Induction Cooktop?

Choosing an Induction cooktop is very easy if you can answer the following questions genuinely.

How many people are there in your home?
What is your budget?
Do you need extra features?

If you have the answer to questions, then continue reading how those questions relate to each other.

Size

This is the first parameter you need to think about before buying an Induction cooktop.

It’s very simple to relate, if you have more members buy a cooktop with a larger base so that larger vessels can be used or vice versa.

Another point to consider in size is the space availability.

But it’s not a big deal because most of the induction cooktops available in India are physically small and can be fitted in any kitchen.

Budget

Induction cooktops are available in different price ranges. The few factors deciding the price on induction cooktops are,

Output Power: If output power wattage is more, the price will be more. If you want to cook faster you need high output power, so cost will be apparently high.
Brand and Build: Usually established brands have higher build quality and thus high price. But brands like Wonderchef are doing a great job with the build quality for cheaper prices.
Extra Features: Expensive models have many more features than cheaper models. But the point here is whether you need all those fancy technologies? If you need, you can purchase the expensive models.

Common Features

Have a look at all commonly found features in Induction Cooktops.

Preset Modes: These are pre-programmed cook modes which make it easy for you to cook with just a press of a button. If you want to cook something which is not available as a preset, you have to use manual mode.

Auto Shut Off: The Induction Cooktop will automatically switch off, once the cooking is complete to protect the food from the burn.

Pan Sensor Technology: This technology is found only in high-end models as of now. The cooktop will turn off or go to power saving mode if there is no pan above the base for the last 1 minute.

Keep Warm Mode: This mode keeps the food at a constant temperature for a longer period of time. This can help you to keep the food at an optimal temperature till you serve.

Overflow Protection: If there is any spillage while you are boiling liquid foods like milk or broths, the cooktop either makes a beeping sound to caution you or switches itself off.

Overheat Protection: It ensures that the cooktop is running at an optimal temperature under the liit.

Child Lock: This helps us from accidental button presses which can mess up the settings when the cooktop is cooking something.

These are the commonly found features in an Induction cooktop. If you come across any other features which need attention, feel free to mention it in the comments section.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes, Induction cooktops are very safe to use. Most of the modern-day Induction cooktops are safe to touch during cooking.

No, Induction cooktops use electromagnetic induction to generate heat, which is very efficient.

If you use a normal pan without a magnetic base, the Induction cooktops won’t heat. If the cooktop has a pan detect system, it won’t detect such pans.

Yes, non-stick pans have a magnetic base. So it is compatible with Induction cooktops.

Induction cooktops start heating only after placing a compatible pan on the base. If the machine is on and no pan is placed there is no harm in touching. In most of the modern cooktops, the base won’t get hot even during the cooking process, only the pan will be hot.

Conclusion

With that being said we’ve covered everything you need to know before choosing the perfect induction cooktop for your kitchen.

If that’s the case, the next step is to actually choose a model from the hundreds of models out there.

In order to do that, check out our dedicated articles on induction cooktops of different types and price ranges.

If you have any question, feel free to leave a comment below and someone from our team of experts will answer as fast as possible.

For now, thanks for reading.

Have a great day and a happy shopping experience.