When you’re remodeling your kitchen, you have to make dozens of choices for new materials, fixtures, and appliances. An important question to ask yourself is how you need your kitchen to function. One of the crucial decisions to make when considering kitchen functionality is the type of stove or cooktop you prefer. What sort of cook are you, and what features do you value in a cooktop? Induction cooking is the latest in cooktop technology. Efficiency, cleanliness, responsiveness, and technical capabilities are some of the features of induction cooktops.
Kitchen remodels are a great time to switch to an induction cooktop. Most induction cooktops are professionally installed in kitchen islands, so if you do not have an island, it’s a perfect excuse to add one to your new kitchen! Of course, your oven will be separate, usually a wall oven. The glass surface of an induction cooktop is easier to clean than a gas stovetop. Induction cooking is responsive in the same way gas stoves are: if you turn the temperature down, the surface of the burner cools quickly, and it heats quickly if you turn it up. In this way, induction cooking resembles gas cooking without the high cost of having a gas line installed.
Magnetized Cooking for Efficiency
- An induction burner heats only where the pan touches the burner’s glass surface, and there is little energy waste due to heat escaping around the pan. A magnetic coil beneath the glass heats the burner up using magnetic induction.
- You’ll need a set of induction compatible pans. Cast iron and stainless steel should work, but check your pans with a magnet, looking for a strong magnetic pull on the bottom.
- Pans should also be as close to matching the burner size as possible. Some induction cooktops are more sensitive than others and require heavy-bottomed pans with a strong magnetic pull.
Increased safety is one feature induction cooktops offer. If you turn an induction cooktop on without a magnetizable pan on the burner, the burner will not heat up. Although the glass does retain some heat after use, the burner begins cooling as soon as you turn it off.
Are You a Beginning Chef? Get a High-Tech Teacher
Some induction cooktops have technical features available to assist home cooks; for example, CAFÉ™ induction cooktops, when used with a smart pan and app, give detailed cooking instructions. The Hestan Cue™ app helps you adjust the cooking temperature in your pan and instructs you when to flip your steak or other protein. These fine-tuned cooking directions are the result of professional chefs conducting extensive research on ideal cooking temperatures and times. High-tech capabilities can help even the most unskilled home cook to prepare restaurant quality meals. So do not just consider what type of cook you are when selecting your new cooktop, consider what type of cook you’d like to become!
Are you ready to get started on your kitchen remodel, or another remodeling project? Contact T.W. Ellis today. We can create anything in your home from an addition, to a gourmet kitchen or spa-like bathroom. Outdoors, we are well known for our exceptional decks, screened porches, and outdoor kitchens. Visit us at www.twellis.com to get started today!
