How to choose a cauldron for an induction cooker

Induction cookers are more and more popular today - they save electricity, heat up quickly and instantly cool down, are safe for children and pets who like to walk on the touch surface. However, the choice of suitable utensils sometimes makes it necessary to spend time searching, because both the material and the form are important. And when it is not a simple pan or frying pan, but about such special utensils as, for example, a cauldron for an induction cooker, the search may even end without success.

Features of dishes for induction cookers

The main difference between an induction cooker and other plates is that it does not heat the hotplate or cooking surface, but the bottom of the dishes standing on it. This is achieved through a special design - under the glass-ceramic coating is a copper coil, conductive current. This current penetrates into the bottom of the dishes and goes there not linearly, but in circles, and these twisting current vortices heat the dishes and everything that is in it. Therefore it is logical that the dishes should have special ferromagnetic properties, that is, a magnet absorbing the current. These properties are made from the following materials:

• Cast iron;
• Aluminum;
• Enameled;
• Metal with a magnetic bottom.

This means that even old Soviet utensils can go to the induction cooker, it is important only that its bottom is smooth and smooth. Check the compatibility of the grandmother's griddle with a new stove simply - any magnet (even a souvenir from the refrigerator) will stick to a suitable bottom. Modern plates also know how to determine a suitable dish - a glass pan or a ceramic frying pan, the stove simply does not see and does not start working, moreover it will emit a special signal or turn on the indicator.

Also modern dishes, suitable for induction cookers, have a special icon, symbolizing the windings of the electromagnet winding, often it also has the word induction. Such an icon is placed on the bottom of any dishes, including cast iron for an induction cooker. A photo of the symbol is shown below.

Difference from other pottery

So, having decided on the materials, among which is worth choosing, let's talk about the Kazan itself. Why it is desirable to have this kind of dishes in the kitchen?

Kazan is a traditional dish, widespread in Central Asia. The classical form of the cauldron is hemispherical, rounded. This is done to immerse all dishes in the fire, and not just its bottom. This ensures fast and uniform heating of the entire contents, as well as long heat retention.

This is a traditional form, which is often used on open fire, but for home use and for plates the shape of the cassette is different. It is rather a saucepan with high sides, which has a bottom of the same size as the throat. In the case of household plates, the heat is distributed evenly on the dishes, so the shape is not so important for obtaining a delicious dish. In addition, the induction cooker warms up the bottom of the dishes, so the cauldron with a narrow bottom will be ineffective.

Choose a cauldron for an induction cooker: materials

Today, many different kinds of kazans suitable for induction cookers can be found on the market. They make them from different materials, in different shapes and sizes. What kind of preference?

If we talk about materials, then the cast-iron cauldron for an induction cooker will be ideal. The testimonials of experienced culinary experts say that only this option will help to prepare a real pilaf, because it is from cast iron that traditional cassava is made. Such a product due to thick walls and the bottom can keep the temperature for a long time, which makes it possible to quickly fry meat or vegetables, and long to wear the dish, which is important, for example, for pilaf. In addition, nothing burns to the surface and does not stick. The downside of such products is that they are very heavy. Also some cauldrons have a coating of enamel, however it worsens the non-stick properties of the pan, so choose the most common cast-iron pot.

Aluminum cauldron for an induction cooker is also quite suitable for the preparation of traditional dishes, although the languor in it is not as active as in cast iron. The main thing is to choose a model with non-stick coating and thick walls (at least 1 cm). Even a large aluminum cauldron is much lighter than cast iron, and even cheaper by about half, but it requires more thorough care. From aggressive detergents and abrasives, the surface deteriorates. It is also better not to store ready-made food in aluminum cookware - it is quickly oxidized.

Often there is a variant of kazan from a three-layered material, in which between two layers of stainless steel one layer of aluminum. Such a cauldron will evenly warm up for a long time, keeping heat inside itself, but the downside is that the food will necessarily stick to the bottom, and there is a risk that the dish will burn. Also often there are pots, in shape resembling a cauldron, however they have very thin walls. This is more like a WOK pan where quick, almost instant roasting is required, but not the preservation of heat and the longing that provides a full-value cauldron for an induction cooker for pilaf.

Selecting the shape and size

Today, you can find on sale kazany from very small to giants, suitable only for open fire. For household use, take medium-sized cauldron (from 3 to 8 liters). The golden mean is a 5-liter cast-iron cauldron.

The most common form on sale is round spherical or elongated oval. Round with high sides of the cauldron often have two lateral tabs, or, if the sides are not very high, the cauldron for the induction plate can be equipped with one long handle. Also, the lid is with side handles.

Which cauldron to choose. Brands and Manufacturers

Since Kazan is in principle unknown in Europe or America (there is a kind of similarity called the French brazier), most of those sold in our market are manufactured in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. So, cast-iron cauldrons produced by the Ukrainian company "Siton", in its range of models with a capacity of 3.5 to 8 liters with titanium or enamel inner coating and without it. Depending on the size it can cost from 2.5 to 4 thousand rubles of cauldron for an induction cooker.

Reviews about Belarusian producers are often positive, they are represented on the market by the Slutsk plant and the enterprise Tenolit Polotsk, which produce dishes from Soviet times and offer traditional quality at reasonable prices - the largest 20-liter pot can be bought for 7,000, and the smallest at 4 liters - for 3 thousand rubles.

Russian producers are represented by Kukmara brands (aluminum cassava produced by Tatarstan), TimA (enamelled and cast-iron dishes) and Balezinsky plant (traditional cast-iron products in the best traditions of the Ural foundry).

How to care for kazanom

Cast iron must be roasted with vegetable oil before the first use. After cooking, wash Kazan with a soft sponge and water, always dry with a towel so that it does not rust, and rub it with a soft cloth soaked in oil - so the fat will penetrate into the pores and create a film that improves the characteristics of this dish.

Aluminum cauldrons are also better to wash with a soft sponge with a dishwashing detergent, but do not use hard abrasives to avoid damaging the coating.

A stainless steel pan can be washed with any detergent, even in a dishwasher - it is not afraid of corrosion or mechanical damage.