Despite the technological boom that has covered all spheres of our life today, induction plates in the eyes of the average resident remain the same curiosity as dozens of years ago. All the blame for the solid price of these devices, which does not want to go down to affordable limits.
As a result of low demand, as often happens, there was a lack of objective information about these household appliances and the possibilities of modern models.
Therefore, those who still decided to make a purchase, do not always know exactly how to choose the induction cooker, and can often buy at an exorbitant price, for which it would be possible to get a solid discount. This article will equip you with the necessary theoretical knowledge and thus help to avoid such mistakes.
How the induction cooker
works The godfather of the induction cooker can be considered Michael Faraday himself, who discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. The great scientist established that an electric current appears in a conductor placed in an alternating magnetic field.
The inventive minds did not fail to take advantage of this discovery and created on its basis a number of useful mechanisms and devices that to some extent belong to the induction cooker by relatives: an electric motor, a power station, and a transformer in a suspiciously buzzing in the middle of your yard booth.
Once one of the engineers of the company AEG mentally introduced in the place of the secondary winding of the transformer an ordinary pan. If the conductor, through which the electric current flows is heated, then the pan should also be warmed up in that case. And at the same time and what is contained in it. So the idea of creating a cooker working on the principles of electromagnetic induction was born. Its main advantage is a surprisingly high efficiency, exceeding 90%.
Choose the induction cooker
The following plate selection guide will help you to spend money most effectively. So, before buying the model you like, specify:
Number of power modes
In the induction plate there is no possibility of smooth power adjustment. The switch can be installed in one of several fixed positions in the interval between the minimum and maximum intensity of heating.
The number of these positions depends on the accuracy with which you can withstand the temperature regime required for cooking a particular dish. In models cheaper( to call them "budgetary" does not turn the language), producers provide from 12 to 15 modes of heating. The possibilities of expensive boards can be used more flexibly: the power regulator in them has from 17 to 20 positions.
The presence of intensive heating
We all know the situation when the cooking process is very, well, just very much, so to speak, to force. For those who live at a fast pace and need this especially often, we recommend choosing an induction cooker with an intensive heating function. This is something like a nitro accelerator in a car: for a short time you get a significant increase in power due to the hidden reserves of the plate.
Do you need spherical hobs
To properly prepare certain dishes( especially in the eastern kitchen), you might need a dish with a semicircular bottom and a very high temperature. Traditionally, such food should be cooked on a living fire and the owner of a gas or electric stove would have to be satisfied with only a pitiful forgery. But the induction cooker, in which there is a ring with a concave spherical surface, will make it possible to cook the dish exactly as it is done on a real fire.
Presence of temperature control system
Manufacturers of modern models of induction cookers have done everything to make food preparation for you a pure pleasure. You no longer need, as before, to stand over the frying pan, fearing overheating and trying in vain to determine the temperature of the dishes "by eye".Infrared sensors will independently track how hot the container is with the product, and if its temperature exceeds the set value, it will automatically reduce the power of the burner.
Availability of the
hold mode Another "advanced" option that owners of electric and gas stoves can only dream of. It allows you to stop the work of the plate at the touch of a button, but so that all settings and settings( the power of the burners, the set temperature, the time on the timer) are preserved.
This function is very convenient when you need to go out for a while from the kitchen, and there is nobody to look after the dishes being prepared. On return, press the button again and the cooker miraculously continues to prepare food, as if there was no stop.
Safety issues
Burning on an induction furnace is much more difficult than about its electric or gas rival. During operation, the hob is heated somewhat from hot dishes and becomes warm, but it can be safely touched without fear of getting burned.
It is much easier to accidentally hit the sharp corner of the plate. If an energetic and mobile child lives with you or you yourself often cook in a hurry, buy a plate with rounded corners.
Size
Before you explore all the features and capabilities of the model you like, please specify how suitable its dimensions are. After all, it depends on whether the new purchase in the kitchen interior fits well.
Please note that special requirements are imposed on the installation site of the induction cooker: it should not be located near devices containing metal parts( refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, etc.).
Possibility to prepare several dishes at the same time
Be sure to ask the seller: if the cooker can cook several dishes at the same time with different heating capacities. For some models this function is not available and often the newly-minted induction plate owner learns with unpleasant surprise about this during the first test of the equipment.
Ease of maintenance
It is easy to keep the cooking surface of the induction cooker clean, because the fat splashes and the food pieces that fall on it do not burn and can easily be removed from the work surface with a damp sponge. In order for the care of the oven to be just as tireless, its inner surface is often covered with special material. In addition, we recommend choosing a model with a removable oven door.
Popular models of
In our country, users of induction cookers are relatively few, but they quite actively share their feedback. Here, which models have received general approval.
Electrolux EKD 513502 X
The only complete cooker( cooking surface + oven) of induction type, represented on the Russian market. The width of the device is 50 cm. In addition to the functions listed in our instruction, the Electrolux plate is equipped with indicators that show the heating temperature of the burners. This function makes the plate safer. After all, after you took off the prepared dish "from the fire", the burner, heated from the dishes, remains hot for a while and you risk burning yourself inadvertently. The induction cooker Electrolux EKD 513502 X will warn you about the danger.
Bosch PIN675N14E
One of the four models of cooking surfaces developed by the German manufacturer and supplied to our country. It has four hotplates, two of which can work together( FlexInduction technology).This option is very useful in cases where you have to cook in large-sized dishes. There is also a function of intensive heating( PowerBoost), which allows you to get up to 50% extra power on one burner.
The Bosch cooktop automatically tracks the presence of cookware on the burner and adjusts the heating power according to its size. When the container is removed from the burner, the appliance switches off the power itself.
Control is carried out via the touch panel. The number of heating modes is 17. The price is about 33 thousand rubles.
Hansa BHI64383030
This is a more affordable option, for which you will have to pay "only" 13 thousand rubles. There are 4 burners with a total capacity of 4.5 kW, but the power consumed by the whole plate is forcibly limited to 3.5 kW.This allows you to install the hob in the houses with old electrical wiring. Provided protection from overheating, the function of intense heating, a timer, as well as a system that determines the presence of dishes and its size.
Zanussi ZXE 66 X
This is a combined version of the hob, which includes two induction cooking plates and two electric( such burners are called HiLight).One of the HiLight burners is divided into two zones. They can work together, and individually. If the food is cooked in a small-diameter dish, it is enough to include a smaller zone of the burner, without wasting energy for nothing.
Another unusual feature from the developers is the boiling control. After the cooking parameters of the dish are set and the plate is turned on, it quickly brings the contents of the dishes to a boil, using the maximum intensity. Once the soup or stew has boiled, the cooker will automatically return to the preset settings. The cost of cooking surface from Zanussi - about 13 thousand rubles.
Remember that an induction cooker is an electrical appliance of high power. Before going to the store, check with the appropriate services, what kind of workload the wiring in your house is designed for. Probably, before connecting the plate it will be necessary to lay a separate cable from the switchboard.
