Living Off Grid – Induction Cooking

Induction Cooking for Living Off Grid (or Not)

Induction cooking is something that we can ALL use – whether we’re living off grid or not.

In this short article you’ll find out about induction cooking and cookware, its pros and cons, and a great tip for a quick and foolproof way of checking if cookware is induction-ready.

How Do You Cook?

There are four main ways, whether you are living off grid or on grid.

• Most people cook on either an electric or a gas / propane stove.   These generate heat.  That heat is then transferred to the cooking vessel (saucepan, frying pan).  A lot of that heat goes to waste – it heats up your kitchen (and you).
• Microwave ovens generate the heat directly in the food itself.
• Traditional stoves (e.g. wood-burning) can provide multiple functions (such as heating your home, for example), and this helps to overcome their energy waste limitations.

Induction Cooking

A fifth method is induction cooking.  It’s not commonly used (yet), but it’s great!  Whether you’re living off grid or not, it works by supplying energy directly to the cooking vessel.  (It uses electricity to generate a magnetic field).

If you have a gas cooker, then less than half of the energy is used to cook!  With induction cooking, 84% of the energy is devoted to cooking.

That means two important benefits:

• A cooler kitchen
• A cool stove top.

A cooler kitchen means you don’t have to use energy to cool the kitchen while you’re cooking.

A cool stove top means greater safety for children and those in wheelchairs, and no more baked-on spills.  You can see in the picture – water is boiling inside the saucepan, but the ice doesn’t melt on the stove top!

Induction cooking is also instant, like gas (and unlike electricity which is slow to react).  It’s clean (unlike gas).  And quite reasonably priced.

Induction cookers are also quite thin, so they are easy to install.

Are there any downsides to induction cooking?

Yes.

1. It runs on electricity, which is often generated from fossil fuels (unless you are living off grid and generate your own power from renewable energy).
2. You can only use certain types of pots and pans – most commonly, stainless steel and cast iron.  If all your cookware is made from other materials, then swapping everything would be quite expensive.  If, however, you already have some suitable cookware, then induction cooking is a good bet.

Other advantages

Something that I particularly like about induction (apart from the obvious eco-friendly benefits of energy-efficiency and heat-free cooking) is that the single- or double-burner varieties are portable.  So you can take one with you wherever there’s an electrical outlet.  You can easily set up to cook outside in the summer, or take it to a holiday home, or cook on the table, or have an extra burner for parties…… the possibilities are endless.

Some dishes which require subtlety are not best suited to this method until you get used to it.  But you’ll be delighted at how quickly you can bring things to the boil!

Cookware

In general, I prefer to stay away from non-stick cookware with induction cooking (though not everyone agrees with me).  I prefer to err on the side of caution.  Induction cooks at high heat, and I prefer not to risk off-gassing of the Teflon ® or non-stick coating at high temperatures.  Also, induction cooking gets so hot, you’re likely to do damage to a non-stick!

Whatever your preferences, there’s a huge range of cookware available for induction stoves – have a look here.

Is your cookware suitable for induction cooking?

If you are buying new, there would normally be a sign, text or symbol on the package indicating it it’s suitable for induction cookers or not.

But how do you know if your existing cookware will suffice?

Assuming it’s the right material (stainless steel or cast iron), then here’s a simple little trick. Take a simple magnet  – one of those little fridge magnet decorations will work.  If it clings readily to the base of the item, it is induction-ready.  If it doesn’t cling, or only weakly, the item isn’t.

(This test also works to verify claims when you’re buying new cookware).

Induction Cooking Saves!

Do consider induction cooking for a greener lifestyle!  Have a look at the products above – there are some best-sellers there with great reviews!

An induction cooker will improve your eco-cred, keep your kitchen cooler (and you more comfortable) and save money – and the planet.

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Warm regards

Related Articles of Interest:

Living Off Grid – Passive House Design       Living Off Grid – Water & Electricity         Living Off Grid – Heating          Truly, how easy IS it to live off grid?

Photo Credit: The Induction Site