When two devices look similar, it’s tempting to buy the cheaper one. For example,  an induction cooker or hob is much more expensive than conventional electric ones. Does it make sense to spend money on them? Quite! Here are 5 great reasons why an induction cooker is better than an electric one.
1. Fast heating
Due to magnetic induction, from the first seconds of switching on the stove, the dishes begin to heat up. That is, almost all the energy spent is spent on heating the dishes and through it the food. In the case of an electric burner, the burner itself is heated first, then the glass-ceramic surface, and only then the bottom of the pan.Â
Speaking in the language of numbers, you can boil half a liter of water on an induction cooker in just 1.5 minutes. For an electric one, this will take from 3 to 5 minutes, that is, 2-3 times more time. By the way, the heating on the “induction” occurs more evenly than on the electric simply because it is possible to reduce the current strength.Â
2. Easy Care
If you have something boiling on an electric stove, it gets on a hot burner and burns. Everything is different with induction. The surface itself heats up only from the dishes and not vice versa. Simply put, it is barely warm, and nothing will burn on it.Â
What’s more, you can simply remove the pot or pan from the burner and wipe the surface with a paper towel. With an electric model, you can’t do this. You have to wait until the burner cools down.Â
Despite the opportunity to save time on the care of the stove, to increase the service life of the equipment, you should follow certain rules:
- avoid spilling liquids on mechanical controls;
- use only special utensils for cooking;Â
- do not place too heavy objects on the surface of the plate, the load of which can lead to cracks;Â
- use only a soft and slightly damp cloth to remove dirt, such as cloth or flannel napkins.Â
Do not use abrasive products, such as powders or pastes, for cleaning. This prevents scratches on the glass surface. Even if you need to remove dirt that has had time to dry, it is enough to treat the surface with soapy water. 
3. Combining heating zonesÂ
The burners of electric stoves have a certain size. The heating is in no way dependent on the diameter of the bottom of the pan you are placing. Even if it is doubled, the burner will heat up entirely.
In the induction cooker, everything works differently. The burner interacts only with the bottom, and therefore only it heats up. If you put a small spoon on the stove – it warms up, put a larger pan – again, the whole bottom will warm up (unless, of course, it is larger than the burner itself). It is very convenient and economical in terms of energy consumption.
To determine that a pot or pan is suitable for induction cookers, you can use the sign in the form of a spiral. Or with a magnet that should stick to the bottom of the dish.
4. Shutdown when there is no dishes
If you remove the pan from the electric stove, its burner will continue to heat up. Moreover, it does not always glow red. Electric burners work due to interval switching. That is, they turn on for a short time, then turn off. As a result, a forgotten burner not only wastes extra energy but also poses a danger. You can’t notice the hot surface and accidentally touch it with your hand or plastic utensils.
Can this happen with an induction cooker? Of course not. As soon as you remove the dishes, the heating stops. After a while, the burner turns off completely, so there is no point in worrying about whether you turned off the stove. By the way, this factor is of great importance for older people who have memory problems.
5. Combining heating zonesÂ
The most popular version of the induction cooker is the model with 4 round burners. Their power is enough to cook food for a large family of 4-5 people. But for this, sometimes you have to use non-standard dishes, the length, and width of which leads to going beyond the heating zone. It can be, for example, a rectangular grill pan, an elongated oval-shaped duckling, and even a cauldron.
In this case, the burners can be combined. The merge function is available in models of the middle price segment and older ones.Â
The combined sections of the stove have the same functionality as separate burners. For them, you can set an auto-off timer, turn on automatic boiling, or pause. With electric panels, this cannot be achieved.Â
