But what is induction cooking, exactly? In simple terms, it is the heating of cooking vessels using electromagnetic energy. No heating elements or burners are used to transfer heat to the cookware. Rather, copper coils are placed just below the surface of the cooktop, and the copper interacts with the ferrous cookware placed on top. The current created by magnetic reaction between the coil and the cookware is converted into heat—inside the pot.

Because all the energy goes directly into the metal cooking vessel, none is wasted by heating the area around the pot. Gas stoves, according to the US Department of Energy, are approximately 40% efficient heaters, whereas induction ranges run upwards of 80% efficiency. No wasted heat equates into a cooler stovetop and therefore a cooler kitchen, a huge benefit when the ambient temperature in traditional commercial kitchens with gas burners can often soar well above 100° and often even hotter dependent on how busy the restaurant is, how the kitchen is ventilated, and other environmental factors.

And because the heat is not generated from the stovetop itself, the surface of the unit does not get hot. The benefit of this is two-fold: one, the risk of burns is drastically reduced. In fact, you can set an induction element to the hottest setting and then place your palm directly over it with no consequence—without the induction-ready pot or pan to cause a reaction, there is no heat from which to cause a burn, making safety an appealing feature. And two, cleanup of an induction range is immensely easier since there will be no baked-on food from surface spills. The cooktop simply does not get hot enough to cause this to happen.

It’s not hard to find advantages to induction cooking. Because the heat occurs in the pot itself, boiling water, for example, is very quick. Heating oils in pans for sautéing is more rapid than over gas flames. And once a user learns to control heat levels, its precision is remarkable. Induction ranges also boast the lowest low cooking temperatures, making it a perfect option for cooking sauces and sugars.

With all these benefits, then, how is it that induction cooktops haven’t overtaken the market? The answer may seem surprisingly simple: not everyone is sold. For busy chefs who have mastered the art of cooking over a gas range, induction units, though precise, are difficult to learn to control. Basics must be relearned in order to accommodate their rapid heating, and understanding the settings is not as easy as it may sound. It takes time and practice, and as the saying goes, you can’t teach old dogs new tricks. Some chefs shy away because cooking on gas burners has always worked for them, others because the task of learning a new method seems daunting. Either way, moving induction ranges into the commercial kitchen could take some convincing.

Another factor is that induction cooktops require ferrous cookware, and not all kitchens are equipped to make the transition. Above and beyond the cost of the stove—and though the price has fallen in recent years, the units are still typically priced higher than gas units of comparable value—one must take into consideration the investment of all new cookware meant to be used on an induction range. While there are converters on the market to handle the transition period, cooking on an induction converter disk offers up its own set of challenges.

Vollrath is standing at the ready, though, with some portable options to either allow you to try out induction cooking in general or to take advantage of the low, steady, precise temperatures for cooking sauces and sugars alongside your gas unit. Their Mirage® Cadet (with 20 power levels and a temperature range from 100-400°) and Mirage® Pro (with 100 power levels and a temperature range from 80-400°) single eye induction ranges are compact and mobile, allowing you to move them as needed in your kitchen. The Vollrath Intrigue® and Optio™ fry pans come to you induction-ready, with the Vollrath quality guarantee, to optimize your induction-cooking experience.

While induction cooking may take practice, and some relearning of the basics, there are many advantages to using this method of food preparation. Less wasted heat, cooler kitchens, less burnt-on food product, less risk of burns in the kitchen are just a few of the benefits. With Vollrath’s single induction ranges available, it couldn’t hurt to test the waters. You may love it, but you will certainly never know unless you try.

The post Induction Cooking: Hot or Not? appeared first on Houston's Blog.