Induction based fry pan not working on induction cooktop

Question

For cooking on Induction cooktop, I recently purchased an induction based fry pan, however the cooktop could not detect it, just beeping when the this new fry pan is placed on it.

This is troubling since if my cooktop cannot find the newly bought fry pan, I suspect other claimed induction cookware items from the linked store may not work either.

So,no case in purchasing any more new pans. I mean, purchasing another fry pan is not a solution for me, infact I already ordered another pan, which I have already received.

Also, the induction cooktop detected and heated efficiently another steel based container that I have, so the cooktop is working fine.

If anyone could suggest trick to make it work on induction based fry pan, I would be grateful

Answer 1

The actual induction heating process will work with any conductive material -- steel, aluminum, copper, even gold (even salted water in a glass pot). Your issue appears to be because the cooktop is failing to detect the pot. This is a safety issue, to prevent things like heating a wedding ring if one lays a hand on an active zone (which could result in loss of the finger).

The pot you bought is probably supposed to have a steel insert in the bottom to accommodate the cooktop's detection system (otherwise, any aluminum pan will work with induction cooking). You can check with a magnet to determine if you have a defective piece, and if so, you ought to be able to return it to the point of purchase for replacement. Take your magnet with you, because it's likely that if one got through without the steel insert, many others did as well.

The same issue may occur with stainless cookware, because most stainless alloys are non-magnetic or only very weakly magnetic. The piece you currently have linked in the question, however, is surely not stainless -- stainless can't be die-cast; that's a process that only works with lower temperature casting metals like zinc, aluminum, and their alloys.

Answer 2

The frying pan is most likely made of non ferrous material, hence not detected... The best way to still use it is to place a slightly smaller diameter steel plate (preferably a cheap one as it is then bound to have a higher ferrous content) inside the fry pan and then use it for cooking. The Steel plate will be easily detected, and will act as the heating surface within the fry pan.

Answer 3

Be aware that many induction cookware listed as compatible pans like the MagicChef Caesar Fry Pan lack ferrous metal in the center of the bottom so most induction cooktops are unable to detect this pan and will trigger their safety mode. Don't waste your money on pans that don't have ferrous metal all around the bottom. Bring a magnet to the store and check the bottom before purchasing it.

Answer 4

The [induction] coil inside the pan is probably the wrong shape, size, or distance away from the stove top. The ability to transfer power through induction is heavily dependent on proximity. I believe it drops off at an inverse square, just like magnetism.