Induction cooking has been around for decades. However, with increasing concerns about the environment and indoor health and safety, it has started to take off in commercial kitchens across the country.
But what makes induction cooking so attractive? That's easy — it's the magnetic field that creates heat right in the pan.
Below the surface of an induction cooktop is a coil of copper wire. When an alternating current of electricity runs through the coil, it creates a magnetic field. That magnetic field doesn't do much until you put steel or cast iron cookware on it. The cookware resists the electric current, causing it to get hot and cook the food.
Because it heats the pan directly, induction cooking is far more efficient and makes for a more comfortable kitchen. It's also more controllable, with push buttons that allow you to match heat settings again and again. And because there are no open flames, there is less risk of burns and no harmful byproducts emitted into your kitchen.
I guess you could say induction cooking is hot where it should be and cool everywhere else.