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Induction cooktop's efficiency and speed make it a new favorite

For the Minnesota Star Tribune
January 25, 2008 at 8:58PM
The Electrolux Icon induction cooktop is about 84 percent efficient, whereas the typical gas cooktop is only about 40 percent efficient.
The Electrolux Icon induction cooktop is about 84 percent efficient, whereas the typical gas cooktop is only about 40 percent efficient. (Special to the Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Editor's note: Follow the progress as the Hammonds' house takes shape by going to www.startribune.com/newhouse to visit their blog, and watch Homes for periodic updates.

Our Electrolux Icon Series induction cooktop is hands-down my favorite new kitchen appliance. The dishwasher is whisper quiet, the full-size side-by-side refrigerator and freezer are a dream, the wall oven heats quickly and cooks evenly, and the microwave doubles as a second oven with its ability to work as a convection oven. However, the induction cooktop is remarkable in many ways.

Induction cooking is something relatively new to the United States but common in Europe and Japan. It uses an electromagnet charge to create heat in the cooking vessel itself, rather than transferring heat from an element of flame to the vessel. This results in an incredibly efficient and fast method of cooking. The U.S. Department of Energy has come up with some standardized calculations that show induction is 84 percent efficient as a cooking method while gas is about 40 percent efficient. Induction also is safer because although the surface initially gets hot, no more heat is generated after you remove the cooking vessel from the surface, breaking the electromagnetic field. Induction has been growing rapidly in popularity over the last few years among professional chefs who love the convenience and heat control.

Our Electrolux cooktop doesn't look different from any other high-end, clean-lined solid-surface electric cooktop, but it performs better. I boiled 3 cups of water on the cooktop in only two minutes.

For some people, a drawback to induction cooktops is that they require cookware made of ferrous material, such as iron or steel, to sustain the magnetic field. We need to buy a new set that will work with the cooktop. However the cooktop did come with one very nice pan that we have been using along with some inexpensive pieces from IKEA. This seems like a small price to pay for the energy savings and convenience of induction cooking.

Jason Hammond is at hammond@mojosolo.com

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JASON HAMMOND

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