With induction cooking, the heat is induced directly into the cooking vessel, keeping the surface of the cooktop cool. Besides being a safety feature, it is also a more efficient use of energy.

It may be lack of understanding, or limited availability that has kept induction cooking technology out of U.S. kitchens. Or, it could be the price. Induction cooking units certainly aren’t cheap, with a cooktop easily costing a few thousand dollars, but for those who cook with this method, it’s worth every penny.

Eric Walker, who cooks with a discontinued Kenmore induction unit and runs TheInductionSite.com, an induction cooking Web site based in Ritzville, Wash., says that few units are available to the North American market. “Buyers in other countries have their choice of many established brand names and many models,” Walker says. “While one can buy a good unit in the U.S. at a reasonable price…one has to seek quite hard to find the information.”

Walker adds that the biggest obstacle to widespread adoption of induction cooking is a lack of understanding of what it is and how it differs from other methods. “Sellers do not distinguish it adequately,” Walker says. “It is a cooking method that uses a completely different method. It does not generate heat that is applied to a cooking vessel, as do all other stove-type cookers, but rather generates heat directly in the cooking vessel. All of its many advantages – its instant adjustability, its efficiency, its safety – flow from that huge basic difference.”

Induction cooking starts with the cooking element (like a burner), which is a powerful electromagnet. When a magnetic material, like a steel or iron pan, is placed in the magnetic field of the cooking element, the field transfers, or induces, energy into the metal vessel, converting the energy into heat. The result is a more efficient use of energy with a cool cooking surface.

Induction cooking took a downturn in the U.S. in the mid-'90s, when both Kenmore and GE stopped selling their induction units. (Jenn-Air also stopped selling its induction cooktops around this time.) Only having to maintain their inventories for seven years, by 2002, there were no spare parts available for repairs. It was at this time that Diva de Provence, Toronto, launched its first induction cooking unit.

Diva de Provence

The cooktop stays cool to the touch.

Amir Girgis, managing director for Diva de Provence, likens induction cooking in the mid-'90s to the early days of the microwave. “The microwave was a little used product when it first came out. Once the cost came down, everybody was making it. Induction cooking is the same principle. It still costs twice as much as a competitive product, so it’s a niche market.” Girgis adds that other problems that set back induction cooking were virtually no marketing, minimal selection and lack of the correct pots and pans. “They didn’t have the selection that we have now,” he says.

The center burner on the DDP-5 by Diva de Provence is actually two burners in one, accommodating pans from 4 in. to 14 in.

Diva de Provence’s foremost product is the DDP-5. The cooktop was built as a 36-in. unit so consumers who had previously purchased the Kenmore or GE units could easily replace them with this new product. The DDP-5 has five burners: An 11-in. placed in the middle, with two 9-in. burners on opposite corners and two 6-in. burners also in opposite corners. Girgis says the working surface became much larger by the positioning of the burners.

Control placement – a flat control pad built into the glass – also figured into making a larger working surface. “We designed the control elements so they would take the minimum amount of space we could give them and put them right along the front, with only about 2 in. to 3 in. of unusable space in the front of the cooktop,” Girgis says. The control pad has 12 power settings and three presets for medium, high and maximum outputs.

The 11-in. center burner also has a 6-in. burner inside of it. Sensors under the glass can determine the size of the pan and adjust to it, accommodating pans ranging in size from 4 in. to 14 in. Girgis says this is an industry first.

The cooktop has an overheat safety that will turn down power on the element if the sensor determines that the pan is getting too hot too fast. There is also an overflow safety – the unit will automatically shut itself off in the event of a spillover. Sensors also turn off a burner as soon as a pot or pan is removed. And, typical to an induction cooktop, the surface of the DDP-5 remains cool, whether on or off.

Inside the DDP-5 are three 2.8 KW generators, creating more than 70,000 BTUs of power, which are managed by an electronic nerve center. Cooktop temperatures, interior temperatures and fluctuating power flowing through the induction coils are all monitored by this never center.

CookTek

The Induction Griddle from CookTek is the first of its kind. The griddle heats evenly and recovers quickly, which is not typical for traditional griddles.

Headquartered in Chicago, CookTek, which was founded in 1996 as an induction cooking and holding company is currently working on the development of an induction griddle – the first on the market. This key item for the commercial market provides even heat – a long-time issue for traditional griddles. Traditional griddles use burners under the flat sheet of metal, creating hot spots where the burners are, and cold spots in the corners. With an induction griddle, you get even heat across the entire cooking surface, allowing the whole surface area to be used for cooking and ensuring all items cook at the same rate. The recovery time (the time for something to heat up or cool down) is twice as fast as a steam or traditional electric griddle.

The first footprint for the griddle will be 24 in. x 20 in., a typical size, but a 12 in. x 20 in. will also be manufactured for consumers with limited space. The griddle is stainless steel, with pushbutton controls, LED display and two heating zones, allowing the cook to fry eggs on one side of the griddle, and then keep them warm on the other. SmarTemp™ Temperature allows for 54 precise temperature settings and a microprocessor monitors the temperature and determines whether or not more energy is needed. An automatic shut-off feature prohibits overheating and in case of minor problems, and the griddle will shut off and display an error code for diagnostics and repair.

Because food is cooked directly on the griddle, making it the cooking vessel, the cool surface safety benefit usually part of induction cooking units is not present with the griddle.

The tabletop griddle is targeted to the commercial market, as most of CookTek’s products are, but it can also be purchased for the home. It will be ready for market in early 2005.

Patricia Cleary, director of marketing for CookTek, says that the next level of the company’s product line will include RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, making induction cooking products smarter. “The first product will be called Hotel Flashback,” says Cleary. “It can keep soup at a certain temperature or heat something automatically without having to watch it.” Not able to divulge any more information, Cleary could only say that the product will be targeted to caterers and hotels and is expected to be available first quarter 2005.

Electrolux Dito

Electrolux Dito’s Induction Wok accommodates wok induction pans and can be used for stirring, frying and steaming.

The Libero Line from Electrolux Dito, launched in September 2004, is a collection of commercial food service appliances, which includes the Induction Wok.

“The wok gives you the possibility to increment your menu items,” says Frank Schmidt, product manager for Electrolux Dito. “The wok is used in most Oriental cooking techniques, so we developed the induction technology into the wok so consumers can cook this type of cuisine very efficiently. Quick heat is important in wok cooking.”

The freestanding tabletop unit is a one-piece seamless 304 stainless steel construction with a heavy duty Ceran® Glass wok bowl, shaped to accommodate wok induction pans. The unit has a 2,800 W power output and measures 12-13/16 in. x 23-5/8 in. with a cooking area of 12.2 in. The touch button control panel has an on/off button as well as buttons that control increments of power from 1-9. And a sensor automatically detects the pan for power transfer when pan is present to maximize energy efficiency.

The company decided not to include a temperature display, explains Schmidt, because based on the quality of the pan, the temperature at a certain power lever can differ. “We don’t want to fool anybody,” Schmidt says. “When you’re talking about induction, you do not determine the temperature because you are not heating the surface. With a normal heating element, the surface of the stove gets hot regardless if there is a pot or not. So you can set a temperature and heat until it reaches that temperature. With induction cooking, you are generating a magnetic field, so you can power up to 9 (100 percent power) but the surface is still cool. Once the proper pan is placed on the surface, it will heat to the specific power. Based on the pan, the temperature at that given power will be different.”

The company recommends using a 12-in. wok pan with the correct induction properties. Larger pans will work as long as it is magnetic material. For steam cooking, a generic steaming basket can be used, adding water to the wok and placing the basket in the wok. The flat space in front of the wok area has no induction elements and can be used for prep.