Rating of the best pans for induction cookers for 2021

Material

Determining whether a saucepan is suitable for a new stove is quite simple. Since modern products have the inscription Induction on the bottom or in the documentation, as well as the induction icon in the form of an elongated spiral.

However, it is not necessary to change the entire set of kitchen utensils if they do not have this mark. Some of the items available will certainly be suitable for the hob.

The main condition is that a magnet be attracted to the bottom. This means that it has ferromagnetic properties.

If the material is not magnetic, then you will not be able to use such cookware: it simply will not heat up. You definitely won’t be able to use the following products:

• glass;
• copper;
• ceramic;
• aluminum;
• brass - although the material is magnetic, there are few ferromagnetic particles in it, so heating will be ineffective.

From the materials of both new and ordinary cookware, the following are suitable for the hob:

• Stainless steel

Durable and lightweight stainless steel utensils are an excellent choice. It is resistant to oxidation, which means you can safely store prepared food in the refrigerator. Stainless steel is beautiful - you can buy both matte and shiny surfaces.

The disadvantages include a high tendency to burn, as well as the inevitable appearance of scratches over time.

Also note that not all stainless steel is suitable for a new induction cooker. The sign we talked about above will help you recognize the right one. If you plan to use existing cookware, simply place it on the stove. Doesn't heat up? This means that the material, unfortunately, is not suitable.

• Cast iron

Cast iron frying pans and cauldrons, beloved by many, are durable, distribute heat evenly, and do not release any chemicals into food. However, porous cast iron easily absorbs odors, which means that storing food in such dishes is not recommended. In addition, without proper care, cast iron will corrode.

The large weight of the product can also create a problem: if you lose it, the glass-ceramic panel may break, and cast iron itself is quite fragile and can crack.

• Alloys and combined materials

It can be an alloy of stainless steel and aluminum. The outside of the devices is coated with a non-stick layer, which provides protection against burning. There are products made of steel, and the top is enameled.

For the manufacture of walls, materials that do not have magnetic properties are often used. Thus, there are hybrid pots and kettles on sale, for example, made of steel and glass.

Best lists

The listed pans for induction cookers are characterized by high quality, reliability and practicality. Most representatives are made of stainless steel. All dishes are equipped with lids that fit tightly to the surface thanks to a metal or rubber rim. Most pans have a thick, encapsulated bottom. Among the representatives of this rating, I chose the three best in different categories.

The best volumetric saucepan - Rondell Flamme 5.7 l

This dish will be an excellent solution for a large family. The large saucepan allows you to cook large quantities of food. The body is made of durable stainless steel, which ensures the practicality and durability of the cookware. Thanks to the unusual design of the lid, you can conveniently and easily drain the water.

The pan is equipped with soft and pleasant-to-touch silicone handles, so you don't need oven mitts. The inner surface has displacement marks, which is very convenient if it is important to maintain the correct proportions when cooking. Thanks to a special three-layer bottom technology, the cookware distributes heat evenly, retains it for a long time, and has non-stick properties. It is extremely easy to care for and can be washed in the dishwasher.

The best budget cookware - Appetite Dream 1MC181P 3 l

The pan has an enamel coating. The surface is resistant to food acids, does not interact with food, does not absorb odors, and does not distort the taste of food. The base does not deform, which significantly extends the life of the cookware. Thanks to energy-saving technology, food heats up quickly and evenly, and the heat is retained on the surface for a long time. The steel lid has a metal rim for a tight fit.

The best pan for the oven - Nadoba Maruska 2.6 l

The cookware is made of high quality stainless steel. The lid is made of heat-resistant glass and has a metal rim for a tighter fit. In addition, the lid has a built-in colander, so it is convenient to drain water through it.

Convenient metal handles have a folding design, which allows you to save space when necessary. The inner surface is equipped with marks indicating the volume. Dishwasher safe.

What should the bottom be like?

The bottom is the most important part, so we need to talk more about its characteristics.

Firstly, it must be thick - at least 0.5 cm, and preferably 1 cm. If the thickness is less, then the heat redistribution will occur unevenly, and noise and crackling will be heard during operation. Deformation of the bottom is also possible.

Secondly, the bottom must be smooth and even in order to fit as tightly as possible to the surface. If there are any grooves, irregularities or indentations on the frying pan, then immediately put it aside - this is definitely not our option.

The above requirements apply to both old and new dishes.

Modern manufacturers produce products with special bottom parameters, so when you choose a set in a store, you may encounter the following options:

• Fused - two or three heat-conducting layers are soldered into one another by stamping.
• Capsule is a more complex technology, when the bottom consists of several layers: the outer one is always stainless steel, then there is cast or forged aluminum. In more expensive products, in the central part there is also a copper or iron disk, as well as an air gap. Such items usually have a prominent lower part.

Important cookware characteristics

The peculiarity of a stove operating on the principle of electromagnetic induction is that it does not accept all dishes, but only those with several key properties.

What cookware is suitable for induction cookers and hobs?

Ferromagnetism

The material from which the bottom of the cookware is made must respond to the magnetic waves emitted by the coil.
That is, it must be made of ferromagnetic alloys.

Suitable cookware for induction hobs must have a spiral marking. Only this symbol allows you to determine whether the product is suitable for use with induction.

It is pointless to check the bottom of the pan with a magnet, since many models of induction cookers often remain “indifferent” even to surfaces that have magnetic properties.

The most suitable utensils are made of cast iron alloys and stainless steel. But there are also utensils made of aluminum, ceramics, and copper utensils, which contain special metals that give them the necessary properties.

Bottom thickness and structure

The thicker and smoother the bottom of the pan, the more evenly it will heat up, and the smaller the temperature changes will be when changing the heating mode.

Pots or pans with a bottom thickness of less than 2 mm can be used on an induction hob, but they may become deformed and make unpleasant noise during heating.

A bottom thickness of at least 5 mm is considered suitable.

The bottom of the pan can be all metal or consist of several different materials. The outer layer must be made of metal with ferromagnetic properties.

The inner layer and walls of the cookware can be made of any other suitable material, and a non-stick coating is applied to the bottom from the inside.

Ideally, a cast disk will be built into the bottom, which will prevent the dishes from deforming and ensure a tight fit to the surface of the stove.

Diameter of cookware

When choosing a pot or frying pan, you should pay close attention to the size of not the entire bottom, but precisely the part that will be in contact with the electromagnetic coil.

Many manufacturers insert a much smaller magnetic material into a frying pan with a large bottom diameter. As a result, some stove models do not respond to such cookware.

If the cookware is made entirely of a ferromagnetic alloy, then the diameter of its bottom should not be less than 12 cm. This is necessary for the induction cooker coil to work.

However, there are models of stoves that turn on even if you place dishes with a diameter of 8 cm on a small burner with a diameter of 15 cm.

This indicator can only be verified experimentally.

For those who are used to cooking in cookware with a smaller diameter or in cookware not made of a ferromagnetic material, manufacturers offer a special adapter - an induction disk.

It is placed on the surface of the stove, and the dishes themselves are placed on it. In this case, you can use regular dishes, but they will take much longer to heat up.

Diameter

It is important that the dishes occupy at least 70% of the burner area. Otherwise, heating will not occur, and electric currents will be directed not to the cooking process, but to the environment. This is not very useful for humans and other equipment.

Therefore, for most stoves, the standard requirement for the diameter of the cookware is at least 12 cm. For some appliances, this figure is reduced to 8 cm.

Please note that the larger the contact area between the bottom and the surface, the more effective the heating. Therefore, in a wide, low pan, the dish will cook faster than in a narrow, high pan.

Although today there are a number of panels that independently adjust to the size of the utensils used. Then there are no restrictions on the use of devices of any diameter.

Adapter

For those who do not want to part with their favorite copper or glass saucepan, a special adapter was invented.

It is a flat disk with a handle and is an adapter between the stove and the cookware. Because it is made of magnetic material, the adapter heats up and transfers heat to the object. In fact, it is the very bottom to which the magnetic requirements are imposed.

The stand is also suitable for products that have a smaller diameter than necessary, for example, a coffee pot or a small saucepan.

However, keep in mind that the cooking speed in this case is slightly reduced, since the adapter becomes a heat conductor and inevitably some of it is lost. This means that the operating time and the amount of energy consumed increases.

Pancake pans

The best pancake pans have low sides, making it easy to flip pancakes. The bottom is thickened so that the pancakes turn out golden brown and baked on all sides.

Pancake pan NEVA METAL TABLEWARE Ferra induction 59222 22 cm

The material of this frying pan is cast aluminum, strong and yet lightweight. The model is specially designed for induction cookers. Its surface is made using modern Full Induction technology, i.e. the whole thing has magnetic properties. The frying pan is well recognized by induction cookers, and this also helps it heat up to the desired temperature in just a minute. The model is suitable for use on other stoves, but it cannot be placed in the oven.

Due to the non-stick TITANIUM coating, the operating time of the frying pan increases. At the same time, it does not require special care; the coating can be easily washed by hand or in the dishwasher. The heat is distributed over the entire surface, baking the pancakes evenly. The low sides make them easy to turn over. The products do not burn and acquire the desired taste.

Advantages:

• warms up well;
• reliable coating;
• food does not burn;
• convenient size.

Flaws:

• heavy;
• Spots may appear on the bottom.

Customer Reviews

Yana L. Does an excellent job. The pancakes bounce back, cook evenly, great size for spring rolls. A heavy frying pan, but I was specifically looking for one like this. The bottom is thick, it heats up great and the pancake is fried right away while you are still pouring it into the pan!

Shmidt Marina An excellent frying pan, you can fry almost without oil, the pancakes turn out thinner and more delicate than in other frying pans. The handle is comfortable, but the pan is quite heavy. I wash it by hand to make it last longer.

Manufacturers and cost

Thanks to the growing popularity of induction hobs, most cookware manufacturers have already launched the production of suitable products. Therefore, the range of kitchen utensils is very diverse to suit every taste and budget. Below is a ranking of manufacturers, from the most expensive to budget brands.

Expensive and high-quality goods are produced by the following companies:

• Montreux,
• Le Creuset,
• Kuhn Rikon,
• Beka,
• Risoli.

The cost of one pan reaches 25,000 rubles.

More affordable products from companies:

• BergHOFF,
• Tescoma,
• Zwilling.

One item will cost around 10,000 rubles.

Budget, but quite decent quality products can be purchased from brands:

• Zanussi,
• Tefal,
• Polaris,
• Rondell.

One device will cost about 5,000 rubles.

Domestic brands also produce cookware for induction cookers:

• Biol,
• SteelEnamel,
• Lysva enamels,
• Marusya.

The price for such utensils is approximately 1,000 – 1,500 rubles.

Of course, there are many more manufacturers of kitchen items; it is very difficult to list them all. The main thing is to focus on quality characteristics.

Features of induction cookers

An induction oven is an electric cooktop whose heating elements are inductive coils. The principle of operation is quite simple: when placing a container on a burner, a strong magnetic field is created between the touching planes, resulting in induced eddy currents, and accordingly the cookware is heated.

By external signs, it is difficult to distinguish an induction cooker from a conventional electric model. The surface is protected by heat-resistant glass ceramics with oval markings and is equipped with a sensor. You can use it to prepare a variety of culinary masterpieces, following certain operating rules.

To determine whether the stove is induction or electric, just turn on the appliance and place your palm on the hob: the first will not heat up, but heat will emanate from the second.

Distinctive features of an induction cooker:

1. Safe to use. Due to the special mechanism of operation, the burner does not heat up, the heat spreads only to the dishes, so the possibility of accidental hand burns is eliminated. The stove automatically turns off when you move the pan, which allows you to safely use it in families with small children.
2. Economical. When compared with other cookers, induction cookers consume 2 times less energy, and their efficiency is higher.
3. Cooking speed. Food cooks faster thanks to instant heating and cooling. For example, it will take only 6 minutes to bring 2 liters of water to a boil on a 3 kW induction furnace; a conventional electric stove will cope with this task in 15 minutes.

The advantages of the induction model will be more clear if we compare different types of stoves.

One of the most advantageous and useful features of an induction cooker is the speed of cooking; this feature can easily be considered a competitive advantage in comparison with analogues.

With the modern pace of life, buyers are increasingly choosing household appliances that provide maximum comfort of use. However, in the case of induction hobs, misconceptions and prejudices often arise based on unreliable information. The most common myths:

1. Induction is harmful. When used correctly, the magnetic field disappears immediately when the pan is removed. And the voltage level generated is tens of times less than that of a conventional hair dryer, and has virtually no effect on human health.
2. You need special utensils, which entails additional costs. For induction hobs, it is acceptable to use regular cookware that you already have in the house, you just need to purchase an adapter.

Whether a cast iron frying pan is suitable for such a hob depends on its “age”. Grandma's old one - most likely not, due to the deposits that have formed and the uneven surface. But any modern cast iron model is fully compatible with an induction cooker. If your family cooks a lot, using all the burners at the same time, it makes more sense to replace some of the kitchen utensils. To find out what kind of cookware will be needed for an induction cooker, it is recommended to refer to the operating instructions for the equipment.

Working principle of an induction cooker

Which store to buy from?

You can purchase special cookware for induction hobs at the store where you bought the appliances, at outlets selling kitchen utensils, or at large hypermarkets for the home.

Among the most famous Internet platforms, I recommend you only M.Video.

Pay special attention to these 5 sets:

1. Rondell Flamme RDS-040 (8 pcs.) for RUB 12,490.
2. Tefal E874S574 (3 pcs.) for RUB 9,190.
3. Cook&Cool (5 items) for RUB 5,990.
4. Tefal Illico (8 items) for RUB 13,990.
5. Rondell Bojole (2 pieces) for RUB 6,490.