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You’ve made the plunge to get an induction stovetop – congratulations! However, now you’re faced with the age-old question: how should you make the most of it? Of course, you’ll want to ensure that you stock up on the best induction cookware to begin your cooking journey correctly, but when it comes to using your stovetop, you’ve barely scratched the tip of the iceberg lettuce. Cooking puns aside, there are plenty of tips and tricks you should know to take advantage of your new stovetop. Here are a handful of the most important ones:
1. Keep an Eye on Cleanliness
On the surface, an induction stovetop might not look like it needs much by way of maintenance. After all, it is a far cry from the raised grates of gas or electric ovens that are so often caked in grease, stains, and crumbs. However, its sleek, flat top can still accumulate stains despite its glistening appearance.
Thankfully, it isn’t challenging to wet a washcloth and wipe down the surface after each time you use it; and due to the nature of induction, you don’t even have to wait for it to cool down. Ultimately, ensure that cleanliness becomes a habit, so your stovetop is always in the best condition.
2. Watch Your Temperature
Unlike other stovetops that build heat gradually, induction heating is instant. Don’t be deceived by the apparent coolness in your kitchen with induction cooking – these stoves might not create heat like traditional ovens, but with electromagnetic radiation, they can directly heat your cookware at blazing fast speeds. That means you should be sure to monitor your temperature closely. It’s easy to overheat or even burn your food with an induction stovetop if you aren’t careful.
3. Use the Right Cookware
Induction stovetops require compatible cookware to function. Remember that induction stoves operate using electromagnetism, which means that cookware made of magnetic materials like stainless steel or cast iron will conduct the most heat and cook your food more efficiently.
If you’re wondering whether your current cookware will work with induction heating, take a small magnet and place it on the bottom of your pot or pan. If it magnetizes, then it will be an excellent fit for your stovetop. If not, it’s time to shop for something new.
4. Rethink the Way You Cook
If you grew up cooking on conventional gas or electric stoves, then you’ve likely developed countless ingrained habits when it comes to cooking. You’re used to giving the stovetop time to heat up, shifting your pan around to get it positioned perfectly over the flame, and delicately raising and lowering the heat to get just the right temperature in your food.
You won’t need to worry about these activities thanks to the precision offered by induction cooking. Since induction stoves operate evenly and precisely, you’ll have to rethink the way you cook to accommodate it.
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
There might be a learning curve as you’re getting used to induction cooking, but as soon as you get the hang of it, you’ll have endless options at your fingertips for culinary experimentation. Dishes that would have taken ages to cook with a gas oven can be completed in a fraction of the time with induction. Take advantage of the unique capabilities of induction cooking to create meals that would not have been possible before.
Induction cooking might sound overwhelming at first, but keep these tips in mind, and you’ll be on your way to making the most of this amazing kitchen innovation.