Flat pans for induction cooktop?

16 years ago

With my GE Profile induction cooktop on order, I have started looking for cookware. Surprisingly I have found that most of the pans I have seen are not flat on the bottom. The Diva site suggests this:

Ruler Test:

Place the edge of a ruler across the bottom of the pan.

Hold up to the light. No light should be visible under the ruler.

Cooking Test:

Put 1 inch of water into the pan. Place the pan on the cooking area. Turn control to the "High" setting. Observe the bubble formation. If the bubbles are uniform across the pan, the pan will perform satisfactorily. If the bubbles are not uniform, the bubbles will indicate the hot spots.

All Clad, Cuisinart Chef's Classic, Emerilware all failed the ruler test. Kitchen Aid Gourmet Essentials and Kenmore Stainless are perfectly flat except for a 2 inch circle in the center where it is embossed with the brand name.

I know those of you on this site have been happy with many brands, so should I be concerned with this? How does your cookware stack up to the ruler test and the bubble test?

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Comments (18)

edlakin
16 years ago
we use lincoln centurion pots and pans in the restaurant i work at. they have an incredibly heavy, completely flat bottom. perfect for induction, built like tanks.

very expensive, but worth it for a couple select pieces, i'd say. look for them at restaurant supply websites or just google the brand name.
solarpowered
16 years ago
I use Demeyere Atlantis pans. They are dead flat on the bottom. (The brochure says that they are actually just a little bit concave, and flatten out when heated. I've never noticed this--they sit flat on a smoothtop cooktop.)
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To amplify on what Kas just said: how big are your "big pots of boiling water for pasta and sauce?" Are we talking tall, skinny stockpots (say 9 or 10 inch diameter) or fatter, 13" or 14" kettles that also can be used for water-bath canning? How many 15" skillets will you need to use at the same time with how many of the large stockpots? Will the sauces made in your big stockpots be needing perfectly even heat across the base of the pan (e.g.,as with a very thick ragu/gravy) or will the consistencies be liquid enough that you would be okay cooking them on, say, an 8" coil burner? Rule of thumb is that induction cooktops are assumed to heat fairly evenly out to about 1" larger in pot-base-diameter than the burner size. (And note that it is the diameter of the pot's base that matters for induction heating, not the usually larger nominal width across the top. If you just want to separate one big stockpot from one big skillet, then you need to avoid having the big burner centered in the cooktop. AFAIK, Wolf's CI365 and Electrolux/Frigidaire models are the only currently available 36" induction cooktops which put a large burner at one end leaving you enough space to put another big pot at the other end, albeit over a 7" or 8" diameter burner which might top out at 2500 watts or might boost up to about 3000 watts. That includes the Elux cited by Kas. A row of single or double-burner drop in Cookteks could be interesting but likely a budget buster and also potentially problematic for evenly heating the bases of those 15" skillets. If cast iron, those skillets will likely have a 13" or 14" base. If steel based, then likely to have a 12" to 13" base. The Cooktek drop-in (and countertop) units have 8.5" induction coils. In terms of the Wolf being able to "handle" a 15" skillet, are you asking about evenness of heating across the base? IIRC, the Wolf CI365 has a 10" burner which potentially would be better than the Cookteks but still would not heat evenly all the way to the edges. The outer ring won't be cold but maybe 150°F less hot than the rest of the pan. Depends on the pan construction. Could be more. That basically means you have to stir your stir-frying and sautes. YMMV on whether that would be a big deal. If you live near a Wolf dealer, I'd suggest you take your 15" skillet to the Wolf showroom for a demo to see how well or not-so-well the heat spreads. The Electrolux Icon has, I believe, an 11" diameter large burner, so theoretically better unless Electrolux has "rounded" up the size of the burner for the spec sheets.. Maybe somebody here will have had experience with very big skillets and the Elux "big" burner? Maybe you could find a demo? Alternatively, I suppose you could get a 30" Bosch 500 (with an 11" big burner) or one the new GE models with the 11" burner on one end, and combine it with a single 3500 watt Cooktek drop-in burner next to it for somewhat higher speed boiling for a large stockpot.
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lightlystarched
16 years ago
My all-clad skillet works fine, as do my less expensive Tramontina 5 qt saute ($29.00 at Costco) and assorted WMF Transtherm pots bought at Marshall's.
piegirltoo
16 years ago
I have a couple of pieces from Vollrath. They are supposedly commercial cookware and made in Wisconsin. Very nice. All my cast iron works beautifully as does a $12 steel crepe pan from France.
amirm
16 years ago
I just saw the Vollrath cookware and boy, they do look nice. The commercial appliance dealer said they were the best company to work with and exceellent with quality of their stuff and customer service. They had more induction cookwares than I have seen anywhere. They also have a nice free catalog. This put my wife at ease relative to availability of anything she needs in induction cookware.
edlakin
16 years ago
vollrath is mid-grade commercial stuff. they have multiple lines, so some will be nice while others will be very low-grade light-as-a-feather aluminum.

it's nothing special, although it's not all that expensive either. go online and look through some restaurant supply websites.
olchik
16 years ago
But the very low-grade light-as-a-feather aluminum won't work on induction anyway ;)
carol_jk
Original Author
16 years ago
Do pans not heat as evenly if they are slightly concave on the bottom?
solarpowered
16 years ago
Since I made the comment about concavity, I feel like I should respond to your question.

However, while I have been accumulating induction-capable cookware for use with a future induction installation, I have so far used this cookware only with gas, and with a smoothtop electric.

On the smoothtop, I have never even observed any concavity with my Demeyere cookware. If it's there (and Demeyere says it is), it's extremely slight. The cooking is extremely even--simmering occurs uniformly across the the entire pan.

I note that Demeyere states that this concavity is present only when cold, and that it flattens as the pan is heated.

Most of Demeyere's Atlantis pans have a 2mm copper disk in the bottom that goes from edge-to-edge of the pan. They are extremely effective in evenly spreading the heat. There are no hot spots or cold spots.

As an engineer, I would expect that concavity, even substantial concavity, would not have any effect on heating on an induction cooktop. The heating comes from a magnetic field that extends a certain distance above the burner; no actual contact with the burner surface is required for it to work. (For example, some folks here have shared how they put paper towels or Silpat pads under their pans to eliminate cleanup; these don't effect the ability of the burner to heat the pan.)
olchik
16 years ago
BTW, I contacted Vollrath for a catalog and they say they don't deal with consumers, only restaurants. How would you be able to buy professional cookware being just a lay person?
carol_jk
Original Author
16 years ago
Solarpowered, thanks for your comments. Now that I know how the magnetic field works, it doesn't look like it will be a problem. Glad to hear that!
edlakin
16 years ago
How would you be able to buy professional cookware being just a lay person?

there are tons of restaurant supply websites that will sell to anyone. just google restaurant supply. i'm a chef, but i've ordered as a consumer from instawares.com with good results.

Here is a link that might be useful: instawares website
gizmonike
16 years ago
Slight concave bottom: All-Clad, Henckels, Chantal.
Totally flat except for logo in the middle: LeCreuset dutch oven, Lodge cast iron skillets.

All work well with our induction cooktop & portable unit.
olchik
16 years ago
Thanks, Ed!
amirm
16 years ago
We have a restaurant supply store that is open to the public. That is where I saw the cookware.
davewg
16 years ago
We're considering Circulon's new line of induction capable cookware called Infinite Circulon.

A 10pc set is $300 at Bed,Bath and Beyond before using a coupon. They've also been running some deals for a free skillet or $50 coupon.
macic
15 years ago
there is a list of pans by manufacturer here. all of these are recommended as induction compatible by the respective manufacturers - http://www.induction-cooktop.com/iccookwarepans.html

Here is a link that might be useful: cookware for induction cooktops
canuck99
15 years ago
All Demeyre cookware is induction compatible. Take a magnetic with you. The stronger the pull the better it is. The flatter is also important

Flat pans for induction cooktop?

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Flat pans for induction cooktop?

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