What cookware is suitable for cooking zones with induction heating?

Issue

• What cookware is suitable for cooking zones with induction heating?
• What is the best cookware for induction cooking?
• Causes of poor induction performance

Applies to

• induction hobs

Resolution

An induction hob heats pots and pans using magnetic fields. It only works with cookware that has a magnetic base, and it heats the pan directly—not the hob surface—making it fast and energy-efficient.

1. Cookware is suitable for an induction hob if:

• Some water boils very quickly on a zone set to the highest heat setting.
• A magnet pulls onto the bottom of the cookware.

Important: the bottom of the cookware must be as thick and flat as possible.

Picture1: Induction-suitable cookware symbol

2. Cookware material:

• Correct: cast iron, steel, enamelled steel, stainless steel, the bottom made of multi-layer (with correct mark from a manufacturer).
• Not correct: aluminium, copper, brass, glass, ceramic, porcelain.

3. Cookware dimensions:

• Induction cooking zones adapt automatically to the dimension of the bottom of the cookware.
• The cooking zone efficiency is related to the diameter of the cookware. The cookware with a diameter smaller than the minimum receives only a part of the power generated by the cooking zone, thus reducing the cooking efficiency
• Refer to the full description in the user manual, as the cookware's minimum and maximum diameters depend on the model of the appliance.
• For both safety reasons and optimal cooking results, do not use cookware larger than indicated in the "Cooking zones specification". Avoid keeping cookware close to the control panel during the cooking session. This might impact the functioning of the control panel or accidentally activate hob functions
• Especially non-cylindrical pots or pots with a much larger top diameter than the bottom diameter can cause interference with the control panel

4. We recommend suitable cookware available on our Webshop

Cause

• Pans for use on induction hobs come in a variety of types and designs. To work effectively on induction though, at least the base must be made of an iron-based magnetic material. Cast iron is by far the best induction performer but is heavy and expensive, so often, induction pans are made of lighter metal, such as aluminium. These lighter metal pans wouldn’t ordinarily work on induction, so to ensure they can work, are constructed with composite iron bases.
• There are many types of these “sandwich” type bases, unfortunately not all perform equally or transfer energy (heat) to the main pan material effectively. Sometimes these bases can prove noisy too, as they heat up due to unequal expansion. Noises can vary from squeals to clicking and tapping sounds