High End Appliances 

Radiant vs Induction: Which Cooktop is Right for Your Kitchen?

 

Older kitchens used to have one option when it came to stove cooktops: metal coil burners. Today's kitchens feature more alluring high end appliances, and are worked on by well paid technicians, http://www.ehow.com/how_7620668_choose-right-color-kitchen-appliances.html. Manufacturers now produce stoves with ceramic cooking surfaces, which make for easy cleaning and a sleeker appearance.

 

But even ceramic cooktops are getting an upgrade now. These cooktops are now able to heat using either radiant or inductive methods. For now radiant is the more popular heating method, but inductive heating is gaining in popularity, particularly for safety reasons.

 

What Is a Radiant Cooktop?

 

Radiant cooktops release heat by passing electricity through the heating element. This is evident by the way the coils on a raised-burner stove glow when heated. On a ceramic http://www.eliteappliance.com radiant cooktop, the cooking area will still glow. This heat is transferred directly to the cookware resting on the stove burner. This is the traditional cooking process that most people have grown up using.

 

Radiant cooktops are generally less expensive than induction cooktops, but they're less energy efficient. Even after the burner is turned off, a radiant cooktop will continue to put out heat.

 

What Is an Induction Cooktop?

 

Induction cooktops work in two parts. First, the burner coil inside the ceramic surface creates an electromagnetic field. The field itself does not heat up, but it jumpstarts part two of the cooking process: heating the pan atop the burner. The pan sitting on top of the burner heats up much like a dish does in the microwave. Although the surface of an induction cooktop does not become hot, the cookware and food inside will.

 

Induction cooktops offer a precise, energy-efficient cooking method not seen with radiant cooktops. For this reason, induction cooktops are more expensive.

 

Radiant vs Induction Comparison

 

Induction cooktops hold a precise temperature and boil water much more quickly than radiant cooktops. However, this feature comes at a price, often two or three times as much the cost of a radiant cooktop. Radiant cooktops have stood the test of time and may appeal to people who spend little time in the kitchen. Radiant cooktops may also be ideal for those who simply don't want to invest a lot of money in an expensive high end appliance, such as landlords. Because induction cooktops don't have an exposed flame or heated coil, the cooking surface doesn't become as hot as a traditional radiant cooktop. This makes it a little safer than radiant cooktops when it comes to kids and pets accidentally touching an active burner.

 

Choosing a high end appliance like an induction cooktop is certainly an investment, but the benefits may be worth the extra cost.