Induction cookware is cookware that is compatible with induction cooking, which uses direct electrical induction heating of cooking vessels, rather than relying on indirect radiation, convection, or thermal conduction. Induction cooking allows high power and very rapid increases in temperature. For nearly all models of induction cooktops, a cooking vessel must be made of, or contain, a ferrous metal such as cast iron or some stainless steels. The iron in the pot concentrates the current to produce heat in the metal. If the metal is too thin, or does not provide enough resistance to current flow, heating will not be effective. Here are some key points to keep in mind about induction cookware:

• Materials that work: Cast-iron, steel, magnetic stainless steel, ceramic-clad and enameled pots with an iron pan hidden in the ceramic layer are all induction compatible.

• Materials that don’t work: Aluminum, glass, and copper pans don’t work unless they’re made with a layer of magnetic material on the bottom.

• Testing for compatibility: To tell if a pot or pan is compatible with your induction stove, hold a magnet to its bottom: If the attraction is strong, it can be used on an induction cooktop.

• Cookware must be compatible: Cookware should have a flat bottom since the magnetic field strength (heating power) drops rapidly with distance from the surface. Wok-shaped cooktops are available for use with round-bottom woks. Induction disks are metal plates that are heated by induction and heat non-ferrous pots by thermal contact, but these are much less efficient than ferrous cooking vessels.

• Induction-compatible cookware can nearly always be used on other stoves: Some cookware or packaging is marked with symbols to indicate compatibility with induction, gas, or electric heat. Induction cooking surfaces work well with any.

Overall, induction cookware must contain ferromagnetic materials, either it contains iron or has a layer with magnetic properties, to perform on induction cooktops.