Pans for induction hobs

[cliveb]

Anyone here an expert in induction hob pans?
Fundamentally looking for info about why some are faster than others.

The wife bought some nice pans from Lakeland. They claim to be induction compatible, but they are very slow.
Just did a test comparing a Lakeland pan to another we have of a similar size (Thomas from Tesco, bought several years ago).
The Thomas pan brought a cup of water to the boil in 55 secs, while the Lakeland pan took 2:45 - about 3 times as long.
Interestingly, when the Thomas pan came to the boil, the bubbling was over the whole of the base, while the Lakeland seemed to only start boiling in the centre.
That made me wonder if only the centre of the base was magnetic, but I checked with a magnet, and both pans are magnetic over the whole base area.
Also, both bases seem perfectly flat.
I've tried Googling for info about why some pans are quicker than others, but without any luck.

So what factors do I need to look out for when picking pans for induction that mean they will be fast?
Does a thicker base help?

 

[Blue in Munich]

Anyone here an expert in induction hob pans?
Fundamentally looking for info about why some are faster than others.

The wife bought some nice pans from Lakeland. They claim to be induction compatible, but they are very slow.
Just did a test comparing a Lakeland pan to another we have of a similar size (Thomas from Tesco, bought several years ago).
The Thomas pan brought a cup of water to the boil in 55 secs, while the Lakeland pan took 2:45 - about 3 times as long.
Interestingly, when the Thomas pan came to the boil, the bubbling was over the whole of the base, while the Lakeland seemed to only start boiling in the centre.
That made me wonder if only the centre of the base was magnetic, but I checked with a magnet, and both pans are magnetic over the whole base area.
Also, both bases seem perfectly flat.
I've tried Googling for info about why some pans are quicker than others, but without any luck.

So what factors do I need to look out for when picking pans for induction that mean they will be fast?
Does a thicker base help?

Not sure if he covers hobs as well but @Bunkermagnet may be your man for this

 

[Fade and Die]

Probably just down to the Iron content of the base. We have stainless steel pans with a thick base and they work great, other pans, mainly non-stick types are aluminium and have a thinner base stuck on the bottom, these are patchy.
My old cast iron skillet is the best of the bunch though, absolutely hums and gets smoking within a few minutes!

 

[Bunkermagnet]

He does
But I haven't come across this as such, I assume we are talking about comparing different pans on the same hob?
It may well be construction of the pan Many have sandwich type construction.
I have WMF pans....and have no compaints about them being slow, they are quicker than on a gas hob

 

[cliveb]

He does
But I haven't come across this as such, I assume we are talking about comparing different pans on the same hob?
It may well be construction of the pan Many have sandwich type construction.
I have WMF pans....and have no compaints about them being slow, they are quicker than on a gas hob

Yes, different pans on the same hob.
Compared to the Thomas pan, the Lakeland ones (which were NOT cheap) are useless. They are lovely pans in every respect other than being dog slow on an induction hob.
We've also got a Fissler saucepan which says "induction" on the base, and that too is laughably slow compared to the Thomas.
Luckily, Lakeland claim to have a 3 year no quibble return policy, so they will be going back. But before we can do that, we have to find replacements that will perform well.

Re. the WMF: I took a quick look at some comments and someone said the lid handles get hot. That's precisely the problem with the Thomas pans. Who the hell makes saucepans whose handles get too hot to touch? Seems like a fundamental requirement that you should be able to pick the damn things up.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Yes, different pans on the same hob.
Compared to the Thomas pan, the Lakeland ones (which were NOT cheap) are useless. They are lovely pans in every respect other than being dog slow on an induction hob.
We've also got a Fissler saucepan which says "induction" on the base, and that too is laughably slow compared to the Thomas.
Luckily, Lakeland claim to have a 3 year no quibble return policy, so they will be going back. But before we can do that, we have to find replacements that will perform well.

Re. the WMF: I took a quick look at some comments and someone said the lid handles get hot. That's precisely the problem with the Thomas pans. Who the hell makes saucepans whose handles get too hot to touch? Seems like a fundamental requirement that you should be able to pick the damn things up.

The lid handles on mine get warm, as all pan handles do, but not hot. An induction job doesnt have the heat wash a gas job does, which can make a world of difference to how a pan handle behaves in use
All said and done, pans are like everything else, a personal choice

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Some pans only have small rings of steel in the bottom to make them induction compatible. They are useless.

Buy some new ones from here.
https://www.samuelgroves.com/

 

[backwoodsman]

Not really sure of the actual principles, but the flatter (smoother) the bottom of the pan is the better. And carbon steel is better than stainless (and there are different grades of stainless). Whether it's relevant or not I don't know, but pans with thicker and 'heavier' bases seem to work best for us. Over the years we have (and have had) various Prestige pans - and they always seem to work miles better than others we've had.

 

[Bunkermagnet]

Not really sure of the actual principles, but the flatter (smoother) the bottom of the pan is the better. And carbon steel is better than stainless (and there are different grades of stainless). Whether it's relevant or not I don't know, but pans with thicker and 'heavier' bases seem to work best for us. Over the years we have (and have had) various Prestige pans - and they always seem to work miles better than others we've had.

Not trying to be picky, but pan bottom shaping/flatness isn’t as important with induction(like gas) as there isn’t heat transfer from glass to pan as with a ceramic hob

 

[cliveb]

The lid handles on mine get warm, as all pan handles do, but not hot. An induction job doesnt have the heat wash a gas job does, which can make a world of difference to how a pan handle behaves in use

While all of that is true, simple fact is that the lid handles on the Thomas pans get way too hot for bare hands, even on an induction. I guess the pan and its lid must be very efficient at conducting the heat.

Some pans only have small rings of steel in the bottom to make them induction compatible. They are useless.

If a pan has just a small steel ring, would a magnet stick to the entire base? It does on these Lakeland pans. Surely anywhere that a magnet sticks will couple to the inductive field? But this is all just my uninformed speculation. (Doing physics at uni I failed the electromagnetism course ?)

 

[backwoodsman]

Not trying to be picky, but pan bottom shaping/flatness isn’t as important with induction(like gas) as there isn’t heat transfer from glass to pan as with a ceramic hob

As I understand it (which may well be questionable) is that a smoother/flatter pan base means that the magnetic induction works more efficiently? (To my simple mind, because more of the metal of the pan base is in closer proximity to the induction loops? )

 

[cliveb]

Buy some new ones from here.
https://www.samuelgroves.com/

Just checked out their website.
I'm sure they are all very nice, but every single one of them states clean by hand, not dishwasher safe. No thanks, life is too short. (And as I get older, it gets ever shorter ?)

 

[Rooter]

Just checked out their website.
I'm sure they are all very nice, but every single one of them states clean by hand, not dishwasher safe. No thanks, life is too short. (And as I get older, it gets ever shorter ?)

OOO no!!! Like knives, pots and pans should all be washed by hand. Look after them and they will last. Dishwashers are no good for any pots and pans even if the manufacturer says they are OK! A proper hand clean every time takes a couple of minutes and also leaves more space in the DW for crockery and cutlery allowing you to run on eco and everything is spotless, no need for a hot wash.

 

[cliveb]

I appreciate that some people like to keep everything in tip top condition. But I'm a lazy sod and am happy for things to become a bit distressed, provided they still function correctly.

 

[fundy]

OOO no!!! Like knives, pots and pans should all be washed by hand. Look after them and they will last. Dishwashers are no good for any pots and pans even if the manufacturer says they are OK! A proper hand clean every time takes a couple of minutes and also leaves more space in the DW for crockery and cutlery allowing you to run on eco and everything is spotless, no need for a hot wash.

you keep washing by hand chef and leave the dishwasher for us lazy buggers

 

[Bunkermagnet]

As I understand it (which may well be questionable) is that a smoother/flatter pan base means that the magnetic induction works more efficiently? (To my simple mind, because more of the metal of the pan base is in closer proximity to the induction loops? )

I doubt that the curvpasture of the pan base or any slight shaping will have any effect on the efficiency of an induction hob.

 

[Rooter]

you keep washing by hand chef and leave the dishwasher for us lazy buggers

Keep buying those new pans! I'll keep mine for 20 years,

 

[fundy]

Keep buying those new pans! I'll keep mine for 20 years,

so will i haha

 

[Bunkermagnet]

It’s only pans with certain no stick coatings that shouldn’t go in a dishwasher. Stainless steel pans are fine

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Just checked out their website.
I'm sure they are all very nice, but every single one of them states clean by hand, not dishwasher safe. No thanks, life is too short. (And as I get older, it gets ever shorter ?)

Mine have been going in the DW and are fine.