---
slug: which_cookware_works_on_induction
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/cookware/pots_pans_sets
type: informational
title: "Which Cookware Works on Induction?"
lead: "Anything magnetic: stainless steel, cast iron, and carbon steel all work, and a fridge magnet on the base settles doubts in a second. The usual casualties are bare aluminum, copper, and glass — including many nonstick pans' aluminum bodies, unless a magnetic plate is built in."
recommendation:
  name: "Magnetic-base cookware: stainless, cast iron, carbon steel"
  reason: "Induction heats the pan itself through a magnetic field, so the base must be magnetic. Of the three-piece kit, the stainless saucepan and 4–5 L pot are safe bets; the one piece to check is the aluminum-bodied nonstick skillet — buy the version with a magnetic plate in the base, marked 'induction'. Bare aluminum yukihira and copper stay gas-only, and when in doubt the box label, the coil symbol under the base, or a fridge magnet gives the answer before checkout."
published: 2026-07-07
updated: 2026-07-07
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Base material", "On induction?", "In your kitchen", "Watch out"]}
  rows={[
    ["Stainless steel", "Works", "The kit's saucepan and 4–5 L pot, sauté pans", "A rare all-18-10 pan won't grip — magnet test it"],
    ["Cast iron, enameled or raw", "Works", "Skillets, grill pans, dutch ovens", "Lift, don't slide — it scratches the glass top"],
    ["Carbon steel", "Works", "Woks and hammered pans", "Flat bottoms only — round woks stay on gas"],
    ["Bare aluminum, copper, glass", "No — unless a magnetic plate is built in", "Yukihira milk pans, copper saucepans", "Nonstick pans are aluminum-bodied: look for the 'induction' mark"],
  ]}
/>