IH Induction Cookers
from Induction Direct
Saving energy means keeping your money in your own pocket where it belongs
IH GTA 12 Induction Cooker with touch controls
How Induction Cookers
Operate
An induction cooker uses
induction heating for cooking. Unlike other forms of cooking, heat is generated
directly in the pot or pan (cooking vessel), as opposed to being generated in
the stove top by electrical coils or burning gas.
To be used on an induction
cooker, a cooking vessel must be made of a ferrous metal.
In an induction cooker, a
coil of copper wire is placed underneath the cooking pot made of a material
which must be electrically conductive and ferromagnetic.
An alternating electric current flows through the coil, which produces an
oscillating magnetic field. This field induces an electric current in the pot.
Current flowing in the metal pot produces resistive heating which heats the
food. While the current is large, it is produced by a low voltage. Induced
current can heat any type of metal, but the magnetic properties of a steel
vessel concentrate the current in a thin layer near the surface, which makes
the heating effect stronger. Practical induction cookers are designed for
ferromagnetic pots; users are advised to use only pots on which a magnet will
stick. Non-ferrous metals have a skin depth that is too thick, lowering the
resistance seen by the induced current and so making these metals unusable on
an induction cooker. Since heat is being generated by an induced electric
current, the unit can detect whether cookware is present (or whether its
contents have boiled dry) by monitoring how much power is being absorbed that
allows such functions as keeping a pot at minimal boil or automatically turning
an element off when the pot runs out water or the cookware is removed from
it.
The pancake pancake inductor coil used in our IH GTA 12 and GTB 2 Induction Cookers
A strong magnetic field is
produced by the pancake inductor coil which is clearly seen in this photograph
above, ferrite rods beneath the copper coil repel the magnetic field,
concentrating the field onto the cookware above.
This process pushes the electrons in the cookware above in and out of alignment, generating heat through intermolecular friction.
The circuit board with CPU used in our IH GTA 12 and GTB 2 Induction Cookers
The Central Processing Unit
or computer on the circuit board above sends current to the Insulated Gate
Bipolar Transistor or IGBT which chops up the electric current’s wavelengths,
rapidly turning the power on and off, the electric current is then sent
to the pancake inductor coil, which produces a strong magnetic field. A Sensor
in the middle of the coil detects and maintains the temperature of the cookware
above.
IH GTB 2 Induction Cooker with press button controls
This form of cooking has
certain advantages over conventional gas flame and electric cookers, as it
provides rapid heating, improved thermal efficiency, and greater heat
consistency, greater safety yet with precise control similar to gas. In
situations in which a hot plate would typically be dangerous or illegal, an
induction plate is ideal, as it creates no heat itself.
The time to boil a certain
amount of water depends upon the amount of water but it is typically a few
minutes. Heating is much faster without water, e.g., for stir frying, a thin
pan containing three tablespoons of oil may heat up to stir fry temperature in
as little as ten seconds.
Induction cookers are safer
to use than conventional cookers because there are no open flames and the
element itself reaches only the temperature of the cooking vessel; only the pan
generates heat. Induction cookers are easy to clean because the cooking surface
is flat and smooth, even though it may have several heating zones.
The cooking surface is made
of a material which is a poor heat conductor, so only minimal heat is
transferred from the pot to the cooking surface. In normal operation the
cooking surface stays cool enough to touch without injury after the cooking
vessel is removed. Since the cooking surface is not directly heated, spilled
food can not burn on the surface.
Efficiency
Induction cook top technology gives a far more efficient transfer of energy
than a gas flame or heated electrical element and so boiling a pan of water,
for example, is much quicker. If you are using electricity, induction cooking
is the hands down winner in terms of cost.
The smart way to boil water on our IH GTA 12 Induction Cooker
Limitations
Cookware must be compatible with induction heating; glass and ceramics are
unusable, as are solid copper or solid aluminium cookware. Manufacturers advise
consumers that the glass ceramic top can be damaged by impact. Aluminium foil
can melt onto the top and cause permanent damage or cracking of the top.
The market for induction
stoves is dominated by German manufacturers, such as Bosch, Miele and Siemens.
Taiwanese and Japanese electronics companies are the dominant players in
induction cooking for East Asia
Please note do not be
misled by false sales claims many are simply not true
Induction cookers do save a
lot of energy compared with gas and conventional electric stoves but not as
much as often claimed
Induction cookers do boil
water considerably quicker than gas and conventional stoves
Induction cookers are unable
to cook food 64% faster as is often fraudulently claimed
