What Are Induction Hobs & How Do They Work?

Last Updated on May 25, 2021 by Daewoo Electricals

While the popularity of induction hobs may have increased in the recent years, they are by no means a new invention. In fact, the first ever patent for an induction top stove dates right back to the early 1900s. It wasn’t until the 1970s though that the first induction top stove was brought to market by Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the US.

It’s easy to see why induction hobs are becoming more and more popular, they come with a number of benefits which we will look at later in this article, but for now let’s look at how induction hobs actually work.

What is induction?

To understand how an induction hob actually works, it’s probably a good idea to understand the concept of induction (or electromagnetic induction) first.

Electromagnetic induction is the process of generating an electric current in a conductor through the use of a magnetic field. This is known as Faraday’s Law.

This electric current is created by causing a movement or change to a magnetic field. A change in magnetic field can be achieved simply by moving the magnet around.

When this change/movement occurs in a coil of wire (for example, if you pass a magnet through a coil of wire), an electric current is passed through (or induced in) the coil.

How do induction hobs work?

So how does the principle of induction work in the case of induction hobs?

It is important to note that the converse of Faraday’s Law is also true. Rather than creating an electric current via a magnetic field, you can create a magnetic field through the use of an electric current. This is how induction hobs work.

Induction hobs usually consist of a ceramic plate (which is the hob top that you see) and an electromagnetic coil beneath.

When you turn the power on, an electric current runs through the coil. This generates a magnetic field in the coil.

This magnetic field on it’s own does not create heat, but when you place a pan (of suitable material) on the hob, the electro-magnetic energy from the coil’s magnetic field is passed into the the pan.

This creates smaller electric currents in the pan, known as eddy currents. The eddy currents cause the molecules in the pan to vibrate and it’s the friction between these molecules that creates energy in the form of heat.

So, as you can see, rather than the hob being the source of heat and passing heat to the pan (like in a gas stove), the hob does not generate any heat.

Instead, the hob generates electro-magnetic energy which is passed the pan. Once this energy is induced in the pan and it’s molecules vibrate, the pan heats up. This means the pan is heated directly.

Benefits of using induction hobs

There are many benefits of using an induction hob over an electric or gas one. The most notable is probably speed. Let’s run through some of the benefits of using an induction hob.

1. Speed

As we have already mentioned, with induction hobs, the pan is heated directly (rather than the hob generating and passing heat to the pan). Because the pan is heated directly, as opposed to indirectly like with gas or electric hobs, it takes much less time to heat up. In fact, it’s so much quicker that induction hobs can usually boil a pint of water twice as fast as an electric or gas hob.

2. Safety

Because the hob itself does not generate heat when turned on, your hob surface will not reach the scalding temperatures of that of an electric or gas hob. This means you’re less likely to burn yourself on the hob, which is great if you have children around the house who like to touch hot things to “see if it’s hot”!

(It’s important to note that the pan will pass heat to the hob surface, causing it to warm up, but the hob itself does not generate heat)

Because there is no open flame, it’s also less of a fire hazard compared to a gas hob. In fact, when using induction hobs you may have even seen some people place a sheet of paper between the hob and the pan to keep the hob surface clean. When doing this, the pan will still heat up but the paper will not heat or burn.

3. Responsiveness

Because the pan is heated directly, this also means that induction hobs are much more responsive when you come to change the temperature of the pan. Whereas in electric hobs, there can be some delay between turning down the hob and the temperature coming down, this is not a problem with induction hobs and changes occur almost straight away. This gives you much more immediate control over the temperature of the hob.

4. Energy Efficiency

You may have heard the phrase “If you can’t handle the heat, get out of the kitchen”. Electric and gas hobs emit a lot of heat (and therefore energy) to their surrounding environment. This is no doubt where the above phrase comes from! If you cook with a gas hob you will notice that your kitchen gets much hotter when cooking.

With induction hobs, this is not the case. Because there is no transfer of heat from the hob to the pan, no heat is passed or lost to the surrounding environment. This is not only more energy efficient but is great if you often get hot and flustered in the kitchen!

5. Space Saving

Rather than a full induction cooker top, if you have a portable induction hob (like our Daewoo Single Induction Hob), you get all the speed and power of an induction top cooker but it also comes with an added benefit of being incredibly space saving. If perhaps you don’t have ample space in the kitchen, or could do with another hob every so often, these portable induction hob are perfect. As above, it will be able to reach high temperatures much faster than your main gas or electric hob, and all you need is a plug socket! Once you’re finished with it, you can easily wipe it down and store it away. In this respect, induction hob are great if your kitchen isn’t all that large or if you need an extra hob every now and again.

Other Benefits of Induction Hobs

Other benefits of using induction hobs also include the more even distribution of heat you will get compared to an electric of gas burner. If you use a gas or electric hob, you may get hot spots in your pan where the pan is in contact with the heat source more than other parts. With induction hobs, heat is distributed evenly throughout the pan so you wont need to worry about this. 

On top of this, induction hobs are easy to clean due to their flat surface and the fact that the hob itself doesn’t heat up (which won’t scorch or burn food to the hob).

Drawback of using induction hobs

As with anything, there are benefits and drawbacks and induction hobs are no exception. Here are some of the main limitations of using induction hobs.

1. Compatibility

Due to the process involved, induction hobs will only work with certain pans. That being said, you may find that many if not most pans will still work. The key is that must be some iron content in the pan.

So cast iron pans will work, as will most stainless steel pans. However, induction hobs will not work with aluminium pans . Many pans now have a magnetic stainless steel base built into them.

The trick to know whether your pan will work on an induction hob is to see whether the bottom of the pan is magnetic or not. Simply get yourself a magnet and if it sticks to the pan, it can work on your induction hob.

2. Cost

Because of the technology used (both in the process of induction as well as technical features such as touch-screen controls, built in timers etc) – induction hobs are usually more expensive than a gas or electric alternative. That being said, single and double portable induction hobs are a great option as they will do exactly the same job at just a fraction of the price, usually under £50.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, induction hobs are a great alternative to using a gas or electric hob. They use a magnetic field to create electro-magnetic energy which is passed directly to the pans base and creates heat. They can heat up much quicker than gas and electric hobs, and are safer and more energy efficient. That being said, there are some drawbacks such as the fact that only certain types of pans will work on induction hobs, and they can be expensive if you’re looking for a full-induction cooker top. All-in-all, it appears that the benefits of using induction outweigh the drawbacks, and I think that is why we are seeing an increase in popularity of these high-tech hobs.

You can check out our induction hob here.