Going Green In Your Kitchen With Induction Cooktops

With the expanded media attention on ‘Going Green,’ I found some interesting ideas for being more friendly to the environment using cutting-edge technologies.

My wife and I are avid cooks. The first thing we look at when we are looking for a home is if it has a gas line to the kitchen. If it doesn’t we most likely won’t even consider it. Other aspiring chefs know – you can’t cook on an electric cooktop with the accuracy and intense heat that’s needed for fantastic meals like you can on a gas cooktop.

The newest trend in kitchens cooktops is Induction Heat Cooktops Unlike traditional electric or gas cooktops, the coils of an induction cooktop release their energy directly to the pot or pan and its contents. That means less energy is diffused in the cooking processes. It also means that the cooktop surface remains cool to the touch, making it less likely that cooks or kids will burn themselves.

Based on reviews by leading consumer companies, induction cooktops offer the best of both worlds. You get the precision and heat of a gas cooktop and the look and ease of an electric cooktop:

Induction cooktops require relatively specific cookware. The rule of thumb for cookware is if a magnet will stick to the bottom of your cookware then it will work on the induction cooktop. The heat is directly transferred to your cookware and the heating surface remains cool. This is major for homes with children to prevent burns, it’s major for energy savings considering the rising costs at SRP and it’s just plain cool in my book.

So, if you are considering a cooktop replacement soon or are building a new home in Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe or anywhere in the Phoenix Valley, consider this cutting-edge technology in your kitchen! If you have an Induction Cooktop, let us know how you like/dislike it by leaving a comment.

Here’s what one reviewer at Sears had to say about her new Kenmore Induction Cooktop:

“We installed this cooktop in the last few months and the performance has exceeded my expectations significantly. I’ve dawdled alone with a (high-end) electric range for many years, tho I always suspected I was missing “something” as a cook. Whammo, the induction cooktop arrived and I discovered not just responsive but startlingly-responsive, and not just fast but instant adjustments. Pans heat so quickly that I am having to relearn my “watched pot” behavior — and the culinary concept of recovery time (which I understand as the time between food hitting the pan surface and the time actual cooking begins) is now my friend; browning/braising takes place instantly and should my pot of pasta come close to boiling over, it takes only a fingertip correction to lower the temp and therefore the water level. I am fairly confident in my skills as a cook, but this excellent new tool is allowing me to master dishes and cooking methods that hadn’t worked for me. I am ecstatic. [Not to mention, getting 90% efficiency!] Yippee!”