You’ve just moved into a new home, you’re building a cottage on your property to rent out for an extra income, your teen is moving into student accommodation for the first time, or you’re giving your kitchen new life. Either way, you’re going to require a new stove. From fire to electric to gas, there are many options to choose from. Yet nothing beats the tenacity of an induction cooker.
First invented in the early 1950s, induction cookers are a steadily growing trend, with benefits that far outweigh traditional methods. Essentially, an induction stove is a digitally programmable flat, thin cooking top made from glass. Below the top surface is an electromagnetic field that transfers electric currents directly to magnetic cookware, which sits on the glass top, causing the bottom of the pot or pan to heat instantly.
Induction only works with electromagnetic cookware. You would therefore need to invest in a cast iron or magnetic stainless steel alloy pot and pan. This revolutionary method of frying, boiling, steaming and blanching is making waves in the hospitality industry, making it the preferred choice of cooking for many. Here’s why you should too:
• Fast and Controllable Performance: Because induction requires digital programming, it will take a bit of practice to understand the settings. Once you get the knack, you can control the temperatures instantly, ensuring food never overcooks or burns. The cooking time is also faster, as magnetic elements transfer instant heat directly to the cookware, allowing water to boil and food to heat up to 50% faster than electric and gas.
• It’s Safe Unlike Gas and Electric: Induction cookers are the safest cooking option for families with young kids, pensioners with Alzheimer’s, retirees, modern developments with built-in appliances, restaurants and catering companies, and student accommodation. Unlike gas and electric, induction cooktops and cookware do not warm up enough to inflict injury or cause a fire. An induction stove-top will not heat unless a magnetic pot is placed onto it, and its sensors will automatically shut down the stove once you remove the pot.
• Energy Efficient: Apart from its many great benefits such as enhancing flavour, easy to clean, safety, convenience, and speed, this revolutionary cooking method is energy efficient. As South Africans are exploring their options in sustainable living and reducing their monthly overheads, many invest in induction to save money. Induction uses 90% of energy for cooking, whereas electric uses around 70% and gas around 50%. This means zero heat escapes as it heats the pot only. The technology is more efficient and energy-savvy and is ideal for a struggling economy.
You do not have to be a scientist to appreciate the many benefits of this revolutionary cooking method. As more families, students, retirees, schools, campuses, developers, and the hospitality industry discover the advantages of cooking with magnets, the more fans this 50s technology gains. Induction is sophisticated, efficient, compact, and healthy—and the savings are evident.
Need more convincing? Be sure to visit Snappy Chef’s online store where you will find portable, household and outdoor induction stoves, and cast iron and magnetic stainless steel cookware.