Cast iron on induction hob

Bluefoam

I have a heavy cast iron grill pan that I thought wouldn't work on the induction hob when I move to a new house... I just discovered that it will work (very exciting news) but I'm worried about scratching the glass hob.

Can I put a silicon mat on the job, under the pan while cooking?

Would an IKEA Lagg be too thick, would I need something else?

Recommendations please.

Planet X

Not too sure but......doesn't the pan have to be in contact?

Bluefoam

Planet X wrote: »

Not too sure but......doesn't the pan have to be in contact?

Apparently not, induction works with magnets and 'science', I've also read that you can put paper between, but sounds ropey to me.

Ryath

Don't have a silicon trivet but just checked mine with an about 1cm thick wooden chopping board still worked with the pan on. It does stop if you get much higher. Is your pan particularly rough on the bottom I've used cast on mine with no issue. Guess the silcon is rated for 250c? Just be careful you can get empty pots nearly glowing red if you leave them at full power! It will switch off when the hob gets too hot but I would be worried without the base in contact it would be slower to switch off.

It's not magic! It's a oscillating current that causes a eddy field in the base of the pan that results in resistive heating. Well it is magic to use! Hate when I cook in another house with ceramic and even gas just doesn't have the anywhere near the same level of control, accuracy and speed.

Alun

I use a couple of cast iron Le Creuset pans on my induction hob with no problems. You have to be careful with any pan on any ceramic hob to make sure there's nothing that can scratch the surface, induction or conventional.

You can put something in between the pan and the hob, the thinner the better, but it doesn't have to be silicone, a piece of paper kitchen towel will do. The hob itself doesn't get hot by itself, it's only the heat from the bottom of the pan which won't get hot enough to burrn whatever you put there.

The heating power of the hob will still be effective even for a cm or more above the surface, but will fall off with distance so you don't want to make it too thick.

twignme

Ive had my induction hob for 10 years now and it still looks good as new even though I use cast iron on it. I do take care not to shake the pan when it's in contact with the surface though, I lift it slightly (yes the hob goes off for that second or two the pan's not in contact) and I wouldn't want to move the grill when cooking anyway. As Ryath has said, I make sure the bottom of pans are as clean as possible and not rough.
Enjoy using induction - you won't want to use anything else after !