How Does an Induction Stove Work?

Why the pan heats

When you turn on an induction zone, electricity flows through a coil beneath the glass. Its changing magnetic field creates electric currents in a pan with a magnetic base, and the pan’s resistance turns that energy into heat for your food. Gas heats a pan with a flame; radiant electric heats an element and the glass first. The U.S. Department of Energy’s explanation of induction cooking (opens in a new tab) describes why lifting the pan stops induction heating, though the pan and glass can remain hot.

We’d test the pans you already own before replacing any. Their flat magnetic bases determine whether they work, and a pan that fits its cooking zone makes the first cooking test much easier to judge. An induction range’s cooktop and oven are separate parts: its cooking zones heat the pan, while oven operation and internal electrical repair are separate jobs.

Which of your pans will work

Turn a pan over and press a household magnet against the flat underside, where it will sit on the glass. A firm stick is the useful result. A coil-shaped induction symbol is another clue, but the magnet tests the part that must interact with the cooking zone.

Look at the shape and size of the magnetic area, too. A flat, unwarped base helps the zone detect the pan and helps it heat evenly. Measure that area rather than the pan’s wide rim. As a starting rule, keep the magnetic base no more than about 1/2 inch smaller than the cooking zone and center it; the minimum detectable size for each zone is in your appliance’s instructions. If the base is small, try a smaller zone.

A converter plate can let a nonmagnetic pan heat, but the plate heats first and passes heat to the pan. That costs you much of induction’s speed and direct control. Some cooktops prohibit plates, so confirm that yours allows one before using it. We’d choose a flat magnetic pan for everyday cooking.

How to start cooking

For your first try, put a little water in a flat, magnetic pan that fits a cooking zone. A range and a built-in cooktop have separate zone controls; a portable unit with one zone skips the zone-selection step.

1. Set the filled pan flat and centered on a zone no more than about 1/2 inch wider than its magnetic base.
2. Switch on the cooktop. On a multi-zone unit, select the zone under the pan. A single-zone portable unit goes straight to its heat control.
3. Choose a power level with the knob or touch control. Press a touch key deliberately and watch for the chosen zone to remain active. The water should begin warming.
4. Raise or lower the level as the water heats. The pan should respond to the change while the selected zone stays active.
5. Turn that zone off with its control when you’re done. Heating stops, but leave the pan and glass alone until they cool.

If the display lights but the water stays cool, look for a lit padlock or an active pause control before repeating the test. A padlock usually means the panel is locked; holding its key for about 3 to 5 seconds commonly unlocks it. Remove anything resting on the touch area and dry away water, then select the zone and level again. The controls should accept the setting and the water should warm.

If the pan still will not heat

A flashing power level or pan symbol generally means the selected zone has not detected the pan’s magnetic base. The display may also stay dark because the appliance has no power. Separate those results first: if every control is dark, make sure a portable unit is plugged in, or look for a tripped household breaker or blown fuse on an installed unit. Reset a tripped breaker or replace a blown household fuse once, then repeat the water test. If power returns and the display responds, move through the pan checks below.

1. If the zone flashes or the pan stays cool, hold a household magnet against the pan’s flat underside. If it will not stick firmly, use a magnetic pan. If it sticks and the display still flashes, continue.
2. Put a little water in a pan you know works on induction. Center its flat magnetic base on a zone that fits it, using a smaller zone for a small base. Turn the cooktop on, select that zone and choose a heat level. If the flashing stops and the water warms, the original pan’s base or placement was the problem. If it does not, continue.
3. If the panel ignores your input, clear an active pause setting, hold a lit lock key for about 3 to 5 seconds, remove objects and dry the touch panel with a soft cloth. Select the zone and level again. Warming water means the controls accepted the setting.
4. If the water stays cool on a multi-zone cooktop, try the same filled pan on another zone that fits its base. If it warms there, the first zone has failed. If no zone warms it, review the power and control checks. A portable single-zone unit has no second zone to compare. Record any persistent fault code for service.

If the controls respond but no zone heats a suitable pan, look for a Demo indication on the display. Demo mode disables heating. Find the demo-mode off sequence in the appliance’s instructions, turn it off, and repeat the filled-pan water test. Warming water means demo mode was the cause; if it stays cool, continue to the fault check.

A pan that heats on one zone but not another points to that zone. Failure on every zone points first to shared power or controls. Write down the exact characters on a persistent fault display before continuing.

If a fault remains after the pan, control, power and zone checks, find its exact code in the appliance’s fault list. If that entry permits a reset, switch the unit off, unplug a portable unit or switch off its household breaker for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, then restore power and repeat the filled-pan water test once. A cleared code and warming water mean the reset worked. A voltage-related fault, a breaker that trips again or a returning code ends owner checks.

If the same filled, magnetic pan still fails after the control and power checks, one zone alone fails, a fault returns, or the breaker trips again, contact the maker’s support team or an authorized appliance technician. Report which zones heated the pan, its magnet result, the exact display code, and what changed after the power and control checks; have the model and serial numbers ready. For a breaker that trips again, call a licensed electrician as well.

An in-home diagnostic visit with no approved repair costs $75 to $150; parts and repair labor are extra. For a cooktop using an original-equipment-grade inverter module priced at $390 to $660, replacement costs $460 to $860 at an independent shop with $70 to $200 for service and labor. For a cooktop using an original-equipment-grade control assembly priced at $460 to $470, replacement costs $530 to $670 installed with the same $70 to $200 service and labor charge.

What cooking feels like

The pan heats faster and responds sooner when you change the setting than it does on a radiant electric cooktop. Prepare ingredients before heating it, especially when you’re getting used to induction. Start a little below the setting you would use on radiant electric, watch the food, and raise the power if it needs more heat. You can lower the level as soon as the food starts cooking too hard.

At low power, some units cycle the field on and off, so you may hear regular light taps while the pan keeps heating. Lifting the pan stops induction heating, but turning the zone off with its control is still the way to finish cooking. A cooling fan can run during cooking and continue briefly afterward as the electronics cool.

Use kitchen ventilation while you cook. Induction has no gas flame, but cooking still produces steam, smoke and grease particles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s cooking ventilation advice (opens in a new tab) explains why clearing that air matters with any cooking heat source.

When the glass is safe to touch

The glass does not generate the cooking heat, but a hot pan sends heat back into the area beneath and around it. That area can burn you after the zone is off or the pan has been lifted. A residual-heat light or symbol warns that a zone remains hot; wait for it to go out, and let the surface cool completely before touching or routinely wiping it.

Once intact glass is completely cool, wipe ordinary spills with a soft, damp cloth. Lift a heavy cast-iron pan when moving it across the cooktop, since sliding its rough base can scratch the glass. Keeping the surface dry and the pan’s base flat also makes the next heating test easier to read.

A few more induction questions