I am a sucker for kitchen gadgetry. We have a well equipped kitchen complete with a professional style six burner gas cooktop and an assortment of small kitchen appliances. I cannot think of any cooking task that we are not equipped to handle. But when I first saw an induction cooktop in operation during a demo at our local cookware specialty store, I was amazed and confounded.
The two aspects of the demonstration that surprised me was the speed at which the cooking pan heated once placed on the burner, and the fact that you can place your hand directly on the burner while in operation, and it remains cool to the touch, all the while the pan that is less that an inch from your hand is very hot. The result of all of this is that we purchased a portable induction cooktop and a 7 piece induction cookware set.