While there are many great appliances in our most loved room in the home, my favorite kitchen appliance has to be the induction cooktop. It has immediate heat control (unlike electric) and is faster and more energy efficient than either electric or gas.

But perhaps one of the coolest things about induction is that it heats the pot or pan, not the cooktop, so its safety factor is extremely high. Without getting really technical, the main idea is that a copper coil acts as an electromagnet. There is then an oscillating current that induces a current in the electrically conductive pot. This means that the pot heats up when charged by the current and, as soon as you take the pot off the stove, the spot where it was sitting is warm but not hot. Furthermore, the area around the pot is cool to the touch. Why? Because the only heat generated on the stove top is from the warmth of the pot itself, not from a heat source as is the case with gas and electric stove tops. As far as brands and styles, Bosch, Thermador, Wolf and Kitchenaid all perform similarly – only Thermador has a completely stainless model.

Both styles are great looking but just depend on the look that is most appealing for your style of kitchen. Now for an experiment. I recently put the induction cooktop to the test. I placed two quarts of regular tap water into a pot and brought it to a hard boil in 2 1/2 minutes. Within ten seconds, I was able to go to a steady rolling boil and then another two seconds for a simmer. I turned the “burner” off and removed the pot, and I was immediately able to touch the place where the pot had been. It was warm but definitely could not burn even the sensitive skin of a child. And the area around where the pot had been was cool. So, the next time you are in the market for a stove, you should really check out the induction cooktop. It is great for all of us and especially for those with small children and older adults. Check back for future posts where the other folks on our team tell about their favorite kitchen appliances. For now, enjoy cooking and cheers!