Sri Lanka is going through the worst economic crisis in its modern history. Most importantly, our foreign reserves are depleting faster than the polar ice caps. LP Gas joins the likes of automobiles, electronics, construction material and milk. Unfortunately, this has resulted in long queues in the middle of the worst China Wuhan Virus - COVID19 wave Sri Lanka has faced.

Making the most of this opportunity, online stores, including but not limited to Abans and Singer, have put up advertisements on social media and news sites promoting induction cookers. Induction cookers are great, and I personally prefer them over LPG. My mother, on the other hand, prefers gas.

The Problem with Induction Cookers

Induction cookers work based on a physics phenomenon named electromagnetic induction. A copper wire will carry an alternating current inside the induction cooker (under the ceramic plate on top). This alternating current will result in an alternating magnetic field.

How does this help cook? Well, it doesn't until you put a ferromagnetic pot/pan on top. This means you can't use all your pots/pans for cooking using an induction cooker. You need pots/pans made using ferromagnetic or ceramic cookware infused with ferromagnetic material.

How to identify ferromagnetic material

A simple "magnet test" will reveal if a pot/pan is ferromagnetic. Find yourself a magnet and test cookware bottoms. If it sticks, you got a contest. Before getting our induction cooker, I ran a test and discovered that only about a third of our (metallic) cookware was ferromagnetic.

You can't use Aluminium or clay-based cookware as they are not ferromagnetic.

Now there are some pots that are barely ferromagnetic. To identify such you could take your magnet to something you know is iron and have an idea of the magnetic force. As I have read, these are not a good option as they will be less efficient.

The good news is, you can usually buy compatible cookware from most of these online sellers like Abans and Singer.

Alternatives

Usually, LP Gas is the best alternative for Sri Lanka since electricity bills can get prohibitively expensive as your usage increases. But unfortunately, the gas shortage is why we are here in the first place.

You could also use electric cooktops. They work by emitting heat; thus, you could even use a clay pot. But electric cooktops are less efficient than induction cookers.

Conclusion

An induction cooker is a great way to cook. However, it requires ferromagnetic cookware to be compatible. This means some households needing to buy a set of cookware alongside their induction cooker, making it an additional cost. You can always check your current arsenal of cookware using a simple magnet test. If the magnet sticks to the bottom of your cookware, you are good.