Because Oklahomans are proud of our oil and gas heritage, gas cooktops are widely thought to be the best cooktops money can buy. No disrespect to the oil industry, but this is one of the most common misconceptions we run into. 
There are certainly a few advantages to a gas burning cooktop, but when you compare induction to gas, induction gets the W in every column. An induction cooktop is more energy efficient, it heats faster, it’s a tad bit safer, and it keeps the heat out of the kitchen.
How Induction Cooking Works
Induction cooktops came straight out of a science fiction book and straight into your kitchen. Instead of creating radiant heat like gas or electric cooktops, induction cooktops creates magnetic flux. Without cracking open a physics book, here’s what that means.
Under every cooking area there is a coil of copper wire, which produces an alternating electric current. This alternating current rapidly and repeatedly magnetizes the pot or pan, which creates resistance in the pot, which creates heat.
In order for induction to work, your cookware has to have ferromagnetic metal like stainless steel or cast iron.
Energy
Don’t worry, the magnetic field around the pan won’t electrocute you or start attracting other metal objects in the kitchen. Because the actual cooking surface never heats up, all the heat is directed to the pan. This cuts your energy bill down to size because all the heat goes exactly where it needs to be.
Speed
Some tests have shown that induction cooktops can boil a pot of water in as little as 90 seconds. With speed like that, you can make a pot of spaghetti in no time flat.
Safety
Induction cooktops never produce heat, they just make the pan hot. This means the actual cooktop never really gets that hot, they just retain whatever heat the pan gives off. After you take off the pan the cooktop will cool down much faster than an electric or gas range.
It might sound inconsequential, but the faster cool down might just save you from accidentally burning your hand on cooktop you think is cool.
Heat
With induction cooking everyone can take the heat in the kitchen. Unlike gas or traditional electric, induction cooktops don’t throw heat all around kitchen. The heat is concentrated on the pan or pot, so the kitchen will stay nice and cool.
Recommending induction cooktops is just one of the many ways the designers at Kitchen Ideas promote functional and beautiful kitchens for all our clients. But for the chef who wants the best of both worlds, KI has also been known to design in a gas range accompanied with professional ventilation and a 15″ double induction cooktop next to the Galley Workstation. If you need more information on induction cooking or tips to improve your kitchen give us a call.
