Induction Cooktops Are Hot

Sackett said serious cooks also are getting into magnetic induction cooktops ($125 to $500 or more). The portable units are less expensive than buying an entire stovetop with induction burners (about $1,500 to $4,000 or more), she said.

"These things are amazing," she said, pulling out a pan to demonstrate. "It heats the pan, not the surface. You can't start a fire because there's no flame. They're so much safer if you have children around."

She put some water in the skillet and turned on the burner. Within a couple of seconds, tiny bubbles began forming. "You have to use a pan with magnetic qualities," she said, picking up a refrigerator magnet. "If it sticks, you can use magnetic induction. If it falls to the floor, wrong pan."

Most top-end multi-clad and carbon steel cookware, as well as cast iron products, will work on magnetic induction burners.

"Stainless steel — forget it," she said. "It has to have carbon in it."

As for that magnet used to test the pan, "Don't put it on the burner. It'll blow up the 'works.'"

Source: CourierPress