Induction plates: pros and cons. How the induction cooker works

Every year, household appliances are becoming more and more "smart" and modern - there are new electronic devices and devices that can cook tasty and healthy food in the shortest possible time. Induction cookers are one such device. Pros and cons of these devices we will consider in our today's article.

Appearance in the world market

This technique is the youngest against the background of its counterparts, since it was invented later than all the others. Several years ago, only two types of plates could be purchased in stores - gas or electric. However, in recent years more and more sellers have been offering induction cookers. Pros and cons of these devices, we'll look at a little later, but for now let's find out what kind of technique this is and how useful it is for a housewife.

Characteristic

To learn more about this plate, we'll talk about the algorithm of its operation. The principle of the induction plate is as follows. The source of heat (as a rule, it's a hot iron burner or an open fire) warms up the dishes, which, in turn, transfers energy to products located on its surface. If this is the smoking of fish or the preparation of a shish kebab (by the way, even an induction cooker can handle this work), the process of heat transfer takes place without such an "intermediary" as dishes, that is, all energy is directly supplied from the source to the product. As for the induction "heating", here the formation of heat is possible only if the work of all mechanisms of the plate and the dishes on it are coordinated. By the way, an induction cooker is made by the hand for a very long time (in connection with a complex design), therefore, in order to save money, it is better not to engage in independent activity in this area.

Burners

Separate attention should be burners. Outwardly, they can only be determined from the outlines on the glass ceramic surface. Unlike gas stoves, these burners do not occupy "extra" space and quite organically fit into the interior of the kitchen. Agree, the design of this hob is very modern:

The main element that conducts heat on the burners is a coil. Without it, the cooker simply will not heat food (and even stop working altogether). This element is located under each burner, which is on the hob. A high-frequency current of 30-60 kHz passes through these coils. By their design, they are more reminiscent of the primary winding of the transformer. But here we should note one point. To generate induction currents, it is not enough to have only the primary winding.

How then does heating occur?

It's very simple - if the primary coil here is a coil, then the secondary is the dishes themselves. Naturally, for use simple ceramics will not work. Here you need to have containers made of special ferromagnetic material - that's what utensils for the induction cooker should be used for. As soon as it is placed on the included hob, induction currents will be induced in the bottom. Thanks to them, the products will be heated enough for their normal heat treatment. It is also worth noting that only the bottom of the dishes can have ferromagnetic properties - all the other parts can be made from simple materials. This is quite enough to heat dishes and heat food. With the technical part of these devices we figured out completely. Below we consider what inductive plates have pluses and minuses.

Benefits

The first plus induction plates is a high efficiency. As practice shows, almost 90 percent of the heat that occurs when heated, passes directly to the food being cooked. All the remaining energy, that is, 10 percent, goes to the heating of the walls, the bottom of the dishes and the glass ceramic hob. At the same time, the efficiency of gas stoves does not exceed 50 percent of the total heat produced by them. Moreover, heat losses are also observed in electrical analogs (about 30 percent more than induction ones). Thanks to this principle of work, the food that is on the induction cooker is prepared 1.5-2 times faster, and energy costs are minimal.

About security

Another interesting fact: the glass ceramic surface of the furnace can not be burned. The whole "focus" is the special material from which the hob is made. Thanks to glass ceramics you will always be safe, even if you accidentally touch the surface of the induction cooker. However, not everything in the world is ideal, so there are risks of burns (for example, when cooking fried potatoes with an oil temperature of 150-200 degrees). And to reduce them almost to zero, manufacturers install special indicators - the device will notify you that the surface has cooled down. Therefore, with an induction cooker, you will always be safe.

It should be noted that the glass-ceramic surface cools quickly enough, so immediately after cooking, you can safely proceed with cleaning the hob. In the case of gas, you have to wait for 30 or more minutes, until the metal grilles and hotplates have cooled to normal temperature. Saving time is obvious.

In addition to the fact that the cooking surface of the induction cooker has the property of rapidly cooling down, it is necessary to note its particularly rapid heating. Instant heating of the hob in most cases is due to the presence of the Power Booster. This means that the plate has its own dependent and independent (main) burners. What does this mean? The main ones "take away" all the heat energy from the dependent ones for a few minutes and, thereby, significantly reduce the time for cooking.

Functionality

In addition, the induction cooker is provided with various useful functions that make the use of the hob more convenient and safe. Among the many "bloat" should be noted such as:

1. Automatic locking of the plate switching modes.
2. The function of heating the plate only when there are dishes on its surface (it saves energy significantly).
3. Forced heating shutdown, as well as an indicator of residual heat.

Induction plate inductance

The disadvantages of this hob are, but there are very few of them. To reveal the whole picture, let's look at each shortcoming separately.

Price - this is perhaps the very first barrier, repelling buyers and encouraging them to buy cheap analogs. Induction devices stand several times more than other plates, so not everyone decides on such an expensive purchase. In particular, such an inflated price is caused by a set of additional functions.

What else do inductors have pluses and minuses? The second disadvantage is the impossibility of heating and cooking on plain glassware. For cooking and cooking food special containers are required. This, as we already noted at the beginning of the article, dishes that have ferromagnetic properties. If you do not have one, you'll have to shell out a good buy. But after all, the plate itself is not cheap, so before you buy, carefully consider and weigh all the pros and cons.