If you are looking for a cooktop and are still confused about which one to buy, we have some options for you. You can easily find various cooktops in the market, including gas, electricity, and induction cooktops. Let’s talk about the induction cooktop at first, shall we? If you haven’t heard of an induction cooktop, it’s a cooktop that uses an electromagnetic field to release thermal energy when you place your pan on it. The induction cooktop has a gained popularity because it can keep the surface cool to touch, and therefore you can’t get burnt by the heat. If you are interested to learn more about the induction cooktop, keep on reading the article where we have made a comparison of induction vs. electric cooktop.
Induction cooktops
Induction cooktops look quite similar to the electric cooktops. Like electric cooktops, they run on electricity and don’t use gas or another flame to heat. Indeed, they both look and function similarly; something makes an induction cooktop different from the traditional gas or electric cooktop. Electric and induction cooktops provide heat through coils underneath the shiny surface, but induction stoves use electromagnetic induction to produce and distribute heat; hence it’s dubbed as the induction cooktop. In simple terms, the stove uses magnets to generate heat for cooking. A current of electricity is passed through the copper coil and directly to the cookware. This creates a magnetic field between the cooktop and the cookware. The magnetic field then induces an electrical current that helps to heat the pot. The surface rarely gets hot, so you don’t need a warning light for indicating the heat residual.
Advantages of induction cooktops
The advantages of induction cooktops are plenty. It isn’t famous without reason. Let’s take a look at the benefits it offers.
- When you place your pot on the cooktop and switch it on, only the pot will get heated up. This means that the cooktop surface will remain cold. So, there’s very little chance of getting yourself burned.
- Cleaning is easy-peasy! Unlike the electric cooktop, the spilled food won’t get baked and crusty on the surface of the stove. This is also because the cooktop surface remains cold.
- Lack of residual heat means keeps your kitchen pleasantly cooler.
- Induction cooktops are fast to heat up, and hence they can cook food much faster than the electrical ones.
Disadvantages of induction cooktops
With all the positives on one side, there are some disadvantages on the other side. It’s sometimes useful to explore the negative aspect before you make your mind up.
- Induction cooktops are expensive than their electric or gas counterparts.
- Another problem is that with this type of cooktops, you need particular pots and pans to work. You can’t use just any cookwares with the stove. If you do so, the heat wouldn’t get transferred and will fail to heat your pan or pot.
Electric cooktops
The electric cooktop also similarly offers heat as the induction cooktops. This is how it works - the surface of the cooktop is built with glass or ceramic. When an electric current passes through a metal coil, the coil gets hot and red and conducts heat. The heat produced is then transferred through the glass or ceramic surface via infrared energy. When your pan gets enough heat transferred, it starts cooking food.
Think of electric flat irons; it has ceramic plates, right? When you turn on the electricity, the plates get heated up. You use that heated plates to iron your hair, and then when you turn the plug off, it eventually gets cooled. The electric cooktops work similarly like that. Once you turn off the burner, the cooktop will still hold the heat before cooling down. Nowadays, electric cooktops come with an indicator light which lets you know when your burner has completely cooled down. So, that’s pretty much the concept of an electric-based cooktop.
Advantages of electric cooktops
Induction stoves might be modern, but electric cooktops are still efficient and useful. Here are some reasons why people still use and love the old model of cooktops.
- Electric cooktops are relatively easy to use. Unlike induction cooktops, they don’t need certain utensils or cookware to get the job (cooking) done!
- Electric cooktops offer residual heat to keep food a little warmer.
- Because the heat that radiates is controlled and managed, it can help you cut down the energy costs.
Disadvantages of electric cooktops
Now, the drawbacks. Induction cooktops supporters, you were waiting for this, weren’t you? As I said earlier, amid everything good, there is always something bad.
It can be risky. While residual heat is good to keep your food hot, there is a higher chance of getting burned because the surface can hold heat for longer.
It might take too long to heat up, and that means looker cooking time for you.
Which one to choose?
In this comparison of the induction cooktop vs. electric cooktop, the winner is both! The reason we consider both winners is because they are unique individuals and efficient in their own ways. For a more safe, fast, and efficient approach, choose an induction cooktop. However, if you want an affordable cooktop goes with any utensils, an electric cooktop is the best choice.
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