Induction cooking is changing the way chefs and waiters prepare and serve food. Food service professionals are constantly on their toes, whether they are working in a busy commercial kitchen cooking gourmet meals for hungry patrons, or they are serving food quickly and piping hot at the front of the house. Durable, efficient and advanced cooking technology allows cooks and servers to improve the foodservice industry, providing precisely cooked meals faster and keeping food warmer and fresher longer. Induction cooking is a superior method of cooking that cooks food faster and more efficiently than traditional gas and electric cooktop ranges. Read on to learn about the basics of induction cooking.
What Is Induction Cooking?:
Induction cooking is a method of cooking that heats pans differently than traditional electric or gas stoves. Electric and gas cooktops heat the pan indirectly, often delivering uneven heat that can affect the doneness of the food and result in poor quality meals. Induction cooktop ranges generate a high-frequency electromagnetic field that penetrates the cooking vessel’s metal directly, exciting the pan’s iron molecules and releasing heat to the pan’s contents. This process is similar to the heat generated when rubbing one’s hands together.
Types of Induction Cooking Equipment:
Induction cooking products include back-of-house and front-of-house equipment, designed to cook and serve food accurately and efficiently. The back of the house includes busy commercial kitchens and workspaces, where chefs require quality equipment in order to produce quality food. Induction cooktop ranges and induction woks, including countertop equipment and high-power commercial products, are durable, easy to clean, and can boil or blacken food in an instant. Front-of-house induction products include buffet warmers, with such innovative designs that heating systems can be installed underneath countertops for attractive, unobtrusive displays.
The Benefits of Induction Cooking:
Induction cooking improves power, efficiency, speed and control in the kitchen, with advanced designs that fit seamlessly into any existing workspace. Because the pan is heated directly, induction cooking ranges cook food more evenly and precisely than traditional gas and electric stoves. In addition, some induction cooktops can deliver 90 to 95 percent of energy they draw to the pan, in contrast to 30 to 40 percent of gas energy or 50 percent of electric, so that induction cooking becomes a more energy-efficient way to prepare food.
The saved energy also contributes to cooler kitchens and lower energy bills. Induction cooktops remain relatively cool to the touch, so that spilled food will not burn on the surface and cleanup is quick and easy. A more efficient kitchen leads to quality cooking and food, keeping diners satisfied and food service professionals getting the job done right every time.
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