Short answer: yes, and better than almost anything else you own. Here is how to get the most out of it.

The new cooktop goes in, the glass looks beautiful, and it is faster than anything you have cooked on before. Then comes the question every cook asks next. What can I use on it?

Your Lodge cast iron, for a start. It is about to become the best pan on your new cooktop.

Why induction and cast iron get along so well

An induction cooktop makes no heat of its own. Under the glass sits a copper coil that throws out a magnetic field. Put a magnetic pan on top and that field induces a current in the metal, and the pan heats itself. The glass only warms up because a hot pan is resting on it.

So the material is everything. The pan has to be ferromagnetic, which is the technical way of saying a magnet must stick to it. Aluminium, copper and glass will not do it on their own. Iron will.

Then there is the second half of the story, and it is the part people forget. Induction gives you fast, precise power. Cast iron holds onto it. Drop a cold steak into a hot Lodge skillet and the pan temperature barely moves. That is how you get a real crust instead of grey, steamed meat sitting in its own liquid.

Fast heat in, slow heat out. It is a genuinely excellent pairing.

Cast iron vs stainless steel vs nonstick on induction

All three can live on an induction cooktop. They just do very different jobs, and two of them need checking before you buy.

Stainless steel. Not all of it works. Stainless comes in different grades, and the 18/10 commonly used for pan bodies is not magnetic. Good stainless pans get around this with a magnetic outer layer or base plate bonded to an aluminium core. Cheaper ones press a thin magnetic disc onto the bottom, which can concentrate the heat in the base, so the sides stay cooler.

Nonstick. Worth the same check. A coated pan is usually aluminium underneath, which is not magnetic, so it works on induction only if the maker has added a magnetic base. Many now do. It is also worth knowing that coatings are designed for gentle and moderate heat, so a coated pan uses only part of what an induction cooktop can give you, and the surface changes over time with use.

Cast iron. Nothing to check. It is iron all the way through, it has no coating to wear off, and the seasoned surface gets better rather than worse.

Our honest take. Stainless has its place on an induction cooktop, particularly when you want the heat to stop the moment you turn the dial, so a delicate pan sauce or a fast reduction. For everything else, searing, frying, roasting, baking and anything that wants stable, steady heat, cast iron is the pan to reach for.

And here is the difference that shows up over the years. Most cooking surfaces are at their best on day one. Seasoning works the other way around. A Lodge skillet releases food better in year five than it did in year one, and better again in year twenty. It is a pan you hand on.

Seven tips for cast iron on induction

1. Start with a clean base

   Check the bottom of the pan for stuck food or grit before it touches the glass. Lodge bases are cast smooth and should not mark your cooktop. A crumb of burnt sugar trapped underneath is another matter.

2. Match the pan to the zone

   Use the cooking zone closest to the size of your pan base. Many induction cooktops have pan detection and simply will not switch on if the pan is too small for the zone. Every model differs, so check your manual for the minimum size.

3. Lift, do not slide

   Moving between zones, pick the pan up and set it down. Dragging solid iron across glass is how scratches happen, on induction and ceramic alike.

4. Full contact is not required

   This one catches a lot of people out. Some Lodge pieces sit flush with the glass. Others have a heat ring that leaves a few millimetres of air. Neither affects how the pan heats. Only if the gap is large, say a piece far bigger than the zone, should you swap to something that fits the zone better.

5. Preheat slowly, with oil

   This is the one that matters most. Induction is powerful and it heats iron fast. Too fast, and the temperature across the pan goes uneven, which causes thermal shock. In severe cases cookware can crack on the cooktop.

   So take your time. Pan on a low setting, a little oil or butter in, and let it come up gently. When the oil shimmers and ripples, you are ready. If it starts to smoke, the pan has gone too far. Lift it off the heat for a minute or two, then carry on.

6. Use boost sparingly

   Save boost for jobs like bringing a pot of water to the boil. Go easy on it with enamelled cast iron, where sudden intense heat can affect the finish over time.

7. Stay in the low to medium range

   Cast iron holds heat so well it rarely needs a high setting. Low to medium gives you even heat and much more control. Turn the power down earlier than feels right, because the pan carries on cooking after you do.

Induction in the Kiwi kitchen

Induction is a common choice when a New Zealand kitchen moves off gas, and the efficiency is a large part of why. Because the pan heats directly, very little energy escapes into the air around it. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority notes that induction can boil water 20 to 40 percent faster than gas or standard electric, running on a grid that is largely renewable.

If you are coming off gas, cookware is the one thing to sort before the installer arrives. Copper and aluminium pans will not work unless the maker has bonded a magnetic base to them. Cast iron works on day one, with no adaptor and no compromise.

It is a nice moment, really. The cooktop is brand new, and the pan that suits it best is the one that has been with you all along.

And it works the other way too. A Lodge skillet goes from the induction hob to the oven, out to the barbecue, and down to the campfire at the bach. It is the one pan that does not care what you cook on.

Common questions