There’s a different kind of cooktop that’s neither gas nor traditional electric—it’s called induction. With its smooth, sleek appearance, an induction cooktop looks a lot like an electric smoothtop, yet it works quite differently.

它是如何工作的？

通过感应，是锅而不是炉灶，而是实际的热源。这听起来有点像Voodoo，但是很简单。通常由240伏连接供电，感应作品类似：当电流穿过感应灶具表面以下的元件时，会产生一个磁场。当金属锅与该磁场接触时，锅的分子会激活并产生热量。但是炉灶本身不会产生热量。

感应燃烧器是否像气体或电气一样强大？

“Burner” is a bit of a misnomer, as the element isn’t producing heat. The short answer is yes, induction is just as powerful (see the box at right), but it’s not easy to make a straight comparison. While there is a formula for comparing the watts of an induction cooktop to the Btu of a gas burner, it gets complicated because this formula doesn’t account for the amount of heat that’s lost to the kitchen with gas (or traditional electric) cooktops. Since with induction it’s the pan that provides the heat, very little heat is radiated out and thus lost, making induction cooking more efficient.

燃烧器反应灵敏吗？

使用感应灶具上的控件，您可以通过增加或减少传输到锅的磁能量来调节热量。我们的经验是，反应与用汽油烹饪一样直接。

Is it safe?

There’s no open flame to catch fire. The glass surface of an induction cooktop will get hot from contact with a hot pan, but the model we tested (see the box at right) cools down quickly enough so that no warning light is needed on the surface.

Speaking of a cooler cooktop, another benefit is cleanup: Spills don’t get cooked onto an induction cooktop’s quick-cooling surface, so they won’t adhere as stubbornly as they would on an electric or gas stove.

Do I need special pans?

盘需要用磁性金属制成。感应灶具将与铸铁，搪瓷铸铁和一些不锈钢盘式一起使用，包括全克拉德，维京人和Le Creuset等高质量品牌。铜和阳极氧化铝盘将行不通。您可以使用简单的测试来查看锅是否对感应友好：如果冰箱磁铁粘附到锅底，锅将在感应灶具上工作。

What are the downsides?

Induction cooktops aren’t as widely available as gas or electric, and they don’t come cheap: most four- and five-burner cooktops ring in between $3,000 and $4,000 (though prices are coming down), and two-burner cooktops range from about $1,400 to $3,000.

Induction road test reveals fast, responsive technology

我们用Diva de Provence感应灶具煮熟，以了解其处理方式。热设置为触摸板形式，而不是拨号，强度从0到12。我们用一个宽阔的浅锅将番茄酱炒，甚至起泡，慢火煮。我们能够迅速，均匀地加热炒锅，在饱满的鸡胸肉上烧焦。

为了检查响应时间，我们将一锅牛奶带到几乎沸腾的地步，将热量放下，然后将锅放在炉灶上。锅冷却得如此之快，以至于牛奶没有沸腾 - 感应灶具的响应时间很容易与燃气燃烧器的响应时间相匹配。

最后，我们使用相同的库存，电动和感应炉灶上的相同的库存煮沸了8夸脱的凉水，这均在最高的环境下。水花了24分钟才能在12,500 BTU燃气燃烧器上滚动沸腾，电动花费了18-1/2分钟，而诱导仅需14-1/2分钟。