As technology evolves, it’s important to stay current with the times without getting left behind. Landlines gave way to cell phones which in turn gave way to smartphones. Desktop computers gave way to laptops and tablets. Clunky box TVs gave way to sleek and modern HDTVs. The same can be applied to your kitchen! Refrigerators have gotten smarter, there are a whole slew of fancy cooking gadgets available these days, but perhaps the best kitchen innovation has been around for longer than you think – induction!
Don’t just take our word for it though, we’ll explain what induction is, what makes it better than old stovetop technology and even what induction cooktop model we recommend.
What Is Induction?
Induction technology utilizes electromagnetic energy to generate heat directly in your cookware to cook your food. Induction cooktops have coils underneath the cooking surface that generate a magnetic field which reacts to metal in your cookware, vibrating the molecules and generating heat. This is in stark contrast to your old gas or electric stove generate heat below and around your cookware to indirectly heat up your food, a very outdated and inefficient cooking method. While traditional stoves only use about 30% of their heat for cooking, induction cooktops use as much as 90% of their energy for cooking!
Induction Pros
Induction technology isn’t just a fancy way to cook, it also offers a number of benefits over old gas and electric stoves. Perhaps the biggest advantage is safety! Induction cooks without any open flames or red hot coils, greatly reducing the risk of fire or accidental burns. Even if you “leave the stove on” there won’t be any heat as long as there’s no cookware on the induction surface. This also makes induction incredibly energy efficient. There’s no wasted energy heating the area around your pots and pans, instead nearly 100% of the energy generated by induction cooktops is used to heat your cookware.
Induction Cons
As with any technology, there are some drawbacks to cooking with induction, however these are minor compared to the benefits! Your cookware options are limited when cooking with induction. Your pots and pans must be made from an iron-based metal and must have a flat bottom. Anything made from glass, clay or aluminum won’t work on induction cooktops. It’s not all bad though – just about every cookware set made today is made with induction in mind! Just look for any cookware with a stainless steel base and you’ll be fine. Plus, your old cast iron pan will work on induction cooktops no problem!
So now that we know what induction technology is and what it can do, how do we pick the best induction cooktop for us? We want one that’s versatile, powerful and affordable and there’s one brand that covers all of those bases and more and that brand is Nuwave with their Precision Induction Cooktop, better known as the PIC line of cooktops. Not only does the Nuwave PIC offer advanced induction cooking technology in an affordable package, it’s also portable!
See for yourself why the Nuwave PIC is the best portable induction cooktop around.
What You Get With The Nuwave Precision Induction Cooktop
- Precision
- Other cooktops limit your options to vague temperature settings like low, medium and high. This forces you to guess your actual cooking temperature, leaving you with potentially inaccurate results. The PIC doesn’t have this problem and instead offers the ability to set a cooking temperature in precise 5 or 10-degree increments as low as 100°F or as high as 575°F in some models.
- Power
- The PIC offers advanced induction cooking technology you won’t find in just any ordinary cooktop. The ceramic glass cooking surface is shatter-proof for your safety while sitting closer to the induction heating coils than other cooktops. This brings your cookware closer to the induction coils for faster heating. And the PIC even has more induction coils under its cooking surface than most cooktops to deliver more consistent heating without any hot or cold spots.
- Portability
- You can’t have the best portable induction cooktop without being portable and the PIC has that in spades! As long as you have access to a standard wall outlet, you can take your PIC just about anywhere and cook with precision and power. All PIC models have adjustable wattage settings to help ensure you can cook no matter your electric supply. So whether you’re in an RV or at a campsite, you can enjoy precision induction technology. The PIC is even compact enough to make transport easy, many models offering an optional carrying case to make travel that much easier.
- Versatility
- With its vast temperature range and portability, the PIC can handle just about any cooking task you may have. Sear a steak at high heat or melt chocolate at a low heat and keep it melted without burning. You can even prepare super delicate sauces like hollandaise that require super precise temperatures. You can sear, boil, sauté, simmer, deep fry, slow cook or melt on the PIC and your food will turn out perfect! And since its portable, you can either cook right in your kitchen or bring the PIC to your dinner table or buffet to keep your meals warm and ready to eat.
Conclusion
Induction cooktops are the wave of the future and if you want the best portable induction cooktop available, go with the Precision Induction Cooktop from Nuwave.