You might feel anxious while wondering if the heavy-duty, beautiful cast-iron pans you’ve had forever are going to work with your induction hob.
The thought of throwing away “heirloom” pieces that deliver intense heat and flavour when you’re cooking everything from scrambled eggs to casseroles can be devastating.
Does cast-iron cookware work on induction hobs? Let’s explore the relationship between timeless cast iron and cutting-edge induction cooking.
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Does Cast-Iron Work on Induction Hobs?
The reason why cast iron works so well with induction cooking is that cast iron is a ferrous metal. Ferrous metal essentially means a metal that has iron in its composition.
Induction cookers actually require ferrous metal to activate! Your cooker would not be able to generate heat if you tried to use a pan that didn’t contain ferrous metal.
Why Does an Induction Need Special Cookware?
The reason why induction hobs need special pans is that induction cooking relies on electrical currents that heat pots and pans using induction. This is different from the thermal heat used by other types of cookers with burners.
The good news is that you won’t ruin cookware that’s not compatible with induction cooking if you place it on your hob. You simply won’t get any result at all because the pot or pan is incapable of connecting to the hob.
Cooking With Cast Iron on an Induction Hob
Cast iron is the preferred cookware option among many chefs because of the beautiful heat that is produced with this option.
However, new chefs may need to deal with a bit of a learning curve when using cast-iron cookware on an induction hob for the first time.
Be warned that cast iron captures heat extremely fast when placed on an induction hob. Be prepared for some sizzle! However, you’re sure to discover that this is truly an optimal way to cook quickly and efficiently.
Testing Your Cookware for Compatibility with an Induction Hob
Are you unsure when it comes to how your current cookware will perform once you bring home a new induction hob?
While you may be pretty confident that your cookware contains enough metal to work with induction cooking, there are some important things to know.
Some cookware manufacturers market their products as being made of high-quality metal when they are really made of inferior materials.
The easiest way to test your cookware’s ability to work with an induction cooker is simply to use a magnet!
If a magnet sticks to a pot or pan, you can be confident that your cookware will work with an induction hob.
If the magnet just slides off without sticking, that means that your cookware won’t work with an induction hob.
Be sure to test the magnet on the bottom of the pan where the metal will make contact with your hob to get an accurate answer.
Will Cast Iron Scratch Induction Cooktop?
Cast iron pans can scratch the surface of an induction cooktop if you are not careful. If you are concerned about this happening, you can use an induction hob protector mat.
This will sit on your induction cooktop’s surface and it will prevent scratches, it can even be used while cooking, just check the maximum heat tolerance when choosing one.
Should I Buy Cast-Iron Cookware for My Induction Hob?
It’s important to note that you don’t need to exclusively use cast iron with induction hobs. Plenty of other pots and pans will work as long as they contain ferrous metal.
In fact, you will notice that most manufacturers actually add the induction hob symbol to their pots and pans to let you know that these products can be used with induction cookers.
