Induction cookers are more and more popular today - they save electricity, quickly heat up and instantly cool, they are safe for children and pets who like to walk on the touch surface. However, the choice of suitable dishes sometimes makes you spend time searching, because both material and form are important. And when it’s not about a simple pot or frying pan, but about such special utensils as, for example, a cauldron for an induction cooker, searches can even end without success.
Features cookware for induction cookers
The main difference between the induction cooker and other stoves is that it does not heat the hob or hob, but the bottom of the dishes standing on it. This is achieved due to the special design - a copper coil conducting current passes under the glass-ceramic coating. This current penetrates the bottom of the dishes and walks there not linearly, but in circles, and these spinning eddies of current heat the dishes and everything in it. Therefore, it is logical that the dishes should have special ferromagnetic properties, that is, a magnet that absorbs current. These properties are possessed by dishes from the following materials:
- cast iron;
- aluminum;
- enameled;
- metal with a magnetic bottom.
This means that even old Soviet dishes can go up to the induction cooker, it is only important that its bottom is smooth and even. It’s easy to check the compatibility of the grandmother’s frying pan with the new stove - any magnet (even a souvenir from the refrigerator) will stick to a suitable bottom. Modern stoves also know how to determine the appropriate utensils - a glass pan or a ceramic pan, the stove simply will not see and will not work, and even emit a special signal or turn on the indicator.
Also, modern cookware suitable for induction cookers has a special icon symbolizing the turns of the winding of an electromagnet, often it also has the word induction. Such an icon is placed on the bottom of any dishes, including a cast-iron cauldron for an induction cooker. A photo of the symbol is presented below.
Difference of a cauldron from other ware
So, having decided on the materials among which it is worth choosing, let's talk about the cauldron itself. Why is this type of cookware desirable in the kitchen?
A cauldron is a traditional tableware common in Central Asia. The classic shape of the cauldron is hemispherical, round. This is done to immerse all the dishes in the fire, and not just its bottom. This ensures quick and uniform heating of the entire contents, as well as long-term heat retention.
This is a traditional form, which is often used over an open fire, but the shape of the cauldron is different for home use and for stoves. Rather, it is a pan with high sides, which has a bottom the same size as the throat. In the case of household stoves, the heat is distributed evenly across the dishes, so the shape is no longer so important to get a tasty dish. In addition, the induction cooker heats the bottom of the dishes, so a cauldron with a narrow bottom will be ineffective.
Choose a cauldron for an induction cooker: materials
Today on sale you can find many different types of cauldrons suitable for induction cookers. They are made of different materials, different shapes and sizes. What is preferred?
If we talk about materials, then a cast iron cauldron for an induction cooker would be ideal. Reviews of experienced chefs suggest that only this option will help to prepare a real pilaf, because it is from cast iron that traditional cauldrons are made. Due to the thick walls and the bottom, such a product is able to keep the temperature for a long time, which allows you to quickly fry meat or vegetables and simmer the dish for a long time, which is important, for example, for pilaf. In addition, nothing sticks to the surface and does not stick. The disadvantage of such products is that they are very heavy. Also, some cauldrons have an enamel coating, however, it worsens the non-stick properties of the pan, so choose the most ordinary cast-iron pot.
An aluminum cauldron for an induction cooker is also quite suitable for preparing traditional dishes, although languishing 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 a cast-iron one, and it’s about half the price, but it requires more careful maintenance. From aggressive detergents and abrasives, the surface deteriorates. It is also better not to store cooked food in aluminum dishes - it oxidizes quickly.
Often there is a variant of a cauldron of a three-layer material, in which between two layers of stainless steel one layer of aluminum. Such a cauldron will evenly warm up, retaining heat within itself for a long time, however, the minus is that food will necessarily stick to the bottom, and there is a risk that the dish will burn. Pans are also often found that resemble a cauldron in shape, but they have very thin walls. Rather, it looks like a WOK pan, where fast, almost instant frying is required, but not heat preservation and longing, which provides a full cauldron for an induction cooker for pilaf.
Shape and size selection
Today on sale you can find cauldrons from very small to giants, suitable only for open fire. For home use, take a medium sized cauldron (3 to 8 liters). The golden mean is a 5-liter cast-iron cauldron.
The most common form on sale is a round spherical or elongated oval. Round cauldrons with high sides often have two side ears, or, if the sides are not very high, the cauldron for the induction cooker can be equipped with one long handle. Also, the cover is with side handles.
Which cauldron to choose. Brands and manufacturers
Since the cauldron is basically unknown in Europe or America (there is a certain resemblance there called the French roasting pan), most of the products sold in our market are made in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. So, cast-iron cauldrons are produced by the Ukrainian company Siton, in its assortment of models with a capacity of 3.5 to 8 liters with and without titanium or enamel inner coating. Depending on the size, it can cost from 2.5 to 4 thousand rubles a cauldron for an induction cooker.
Reviews about Belarusian manufacturers are often positive, they are presented on the market by the Slutsk factory and the Tenolit Polotsk enterprise, which have been producing dishes since the Soviet era and offering traditional quality at reasonable prices - the largest 20 liter cauldron can be bought for 7 thousand, and the smallest one 4 liters - for 3 thousand rubles.
Russian manufacturers are represented by the brands Kukmara (aluminum cauldrons produced by Tatarstan), TimA (enameled and cast iron utensils) and the Balezinsky plant (traditional cast iron products in the best traditions of the Ural foundry).
How to care for a cauldron
Cast iron cauldron before first use must be calcined with vegetable oil. After cooking, wash the cauldron with a soft sponge and water, be sure to dry it with a towel so that it does not rust, and rub it with a soft cloth dipped in oil so that the fat penetrates the pores and creates a film that improves the performance of this dish.
It is also better to wash aluminum cauldrons with a soft sponge with a dishwashing detergent, but do not use hard abrasives so as not to damage the coating.
A stainless steel pan can be washed with any detergent, even in a dishwasher - it is not afraid of either corrosion or mechanical damage.