So after some research I splurged for a Demeyere Proline 7-ply frying pan. Unfortunately, upon trying it with my induction stove it gave an error message saying that the pan was incompatible. My internet research tells me that it could be due to the copper core of the Demeyre causing a high current draw. Another reason could be that the pan is too large (28cm), but I doubt that.
I guess I will have to try another pan to see if it works. I don’t know what to look for though in terms of more compatibility though.
I was looking forward to a buy-it-for-life stainless steel pan. I can also replace the IKEA Folklig induction top with something better, but obviously not my first choice.
Any general tips would be appreciated :-)
I know you said it was multi-ply, but did that pan actually have anything other than a copper core? For example, steel or magnetic stainless steel? Some multi-ply cookware still isn’t induction compatible because those magnetic core materials aren’t included. Copper alone is not compatible with induction because it can’t respond to the magnetic field produced by the induction hob (which is why I’d be skeptical of anyone saying copper “draws too much current,” if anything it draws too little or none at all)
I always do the magnet test on new cookware now, or look for people doing it in review videos. The more magnetic material used (within reason, obviously!) the better the pan will respond to the stove.
Stainless should work just fine. Cast iron too.
I find stainless steel to be great for searing things or when I’m not to worried about sticking, things like meats, chunky veggies (Brussel sprouts, potatoe chucks) will stick until their surface has lost most of it’s moisture or broken down the proteins enough. This can actually super useful as it’s a great way to tell when one side of something is “done” getting some nice color on it.
Cast iron (or carbon steel if you want something a bit lighter) is much less sticky and will last multiple generations. Great for scrambled eggs or anything you don’t want sticking. So long as there are multiple layers of baked on oil it’ll be nearly as stick resistent as any fancy non-stick pan (the hydrophobic ends of the oil molecule end up bonding to each other and the iorn to form layers of a patina/polymer that resists sticking and sheds water).
Frankly I’m quite skeptical of non-stick pans in general, a lot of them have moved away from Teflon because of the serious issues surrounding it, but the replacements they’ve introduced are not exactly well vetted and I’m not exactly trusting of the chemical industry to do their do diligence after Teflon and C8.
If you can test them in person, a magnet on the underside should stick to a pan that will work with induction ranges. That’s how we figured out what pans to keep when we switched to an induction range earlier this year.
I think a cast iron pan will also work, but not entirely sure. We ended up picking a Rachel Ray set we found, so not high end but this might give you some ideas for materials to search for that will be induction ready.
