Knowledgebase: Technical Information
Can I use Falk Copper Cookware on an induction hob?
Posted by Neil Corke, Last modified by Neil Corke on 03 September 2021 12:41 PM

The short answer to this question is ‘Yes, but not directly’.

To explain the solution, we first need to explain the difference between conventional and induction hobs.

Conventional gas and electric hobs use conduction to transfer heat into the body of the pots and pans, which then conducts this into your food.   As you might expect, the better the thermal conductivity of the cookware, the more efficient this process, which is precisely why copper cookware has been preferred by chefs and cooking enthusiasts alike for hundreds of years.

The induction process however is very different from conduction. Instead, electrical energy is transferred from large copper coil beneath the glass hob surface that incites alternating magnetic fields, which in turn induce secondary electrical currents, called ‘eddy currents’ in the pot.

As steel cookware is a poor conductor of heat, these eddy currents encounter resistance, and generate heat in the metal of the cookware itself, which is then transferred to the food it contains by conduction. This explains why an induction hob stays cool during use.

This is also the reason you have to use metal that is a poor conductor of heat on an induction hob.  Cookware suitable for induction hobs is made from ferromagnetic metal, such as cast iron, carbon steel or ferritic stainless steel.  Copper, although possessing excellent superior thermal conductive properties to these, is not ferromagnetic, and therefore unsuitable for direct use on induction hobs.

Now to the solution…  If a disc of ferrous metal, such as cast iron is placed between the induction hob and the copper cookware, this will generate heat by induction and then transfer that heat to the pan by conduction.

We therefore supply cast iron adapter discs, for customers who wish to use their copper cookware on an induction hob.  The price of these is 55 EUR each.  If you would like to purchase one, or more of these, please contact us with your address details and we will provide you with a quotation including delivery charges.

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