Why an induction hob needs a compatible pan
An induction hob uses a changing magnetic field to create electric currents in a compatible pan's base. Electrical resistance turns that energy into heat in the cookware itself. Ordinary induction hobs therefore need suitable magnetic cookware; placing just any metal container on the surface may not work.
Go deeper
The pan becomes the heating element
Under an induction hob's surface is a coil carrying alternating current. This creates a changing magnetic field that interacts with suitable cookware above it.
The field induces circulating electric currents in the pan's base. Resistance to those currents generates heat, which then passes into the food. Magnetic properties of the cookware also matter to how effectively an ordinary hob couples energy into it.
The glass is not the primary heat source. It can still become very hot because the heated pan transfers heat back into the surface.
- Suitable iron and magnetic steel bases commonly work.
- Some aluminium pans work because they include a compatible base layer.
- A plain nonmagnetic container may not activate the hob.
Cookware compatibility is about construction, not simply whether the object is made of metal.