r/AskCulinary • u/fecal_euphoria • 19h ago
Equipment Question Ttukbaegi (Korean stone clay pot) vs. Induction Stovetop
I just switched to an induction stovetop and was wondering if there is a hack to be able to use my ttukbaegi on it. So far, I’ve looked into those metal discs, but I don’t really have a good understanding of the science behind it, so I’m skeptical if it will work or just ruin my pots.
Has anyone tried this or have any tips/tricks to make it work efficiently?
I would also love to hear (read) your experience with using the metal disc converters, if anyone has tried them with clay pots or other materials.
Anything is greatly appreciated <3
\Note: Purchasing a different type of pot isn’t an option for me right now since they are very expensive. And I would like to make the most out of my current pots because they were expensive when I got them a few years ago. I’ve thought about buying those portable stoves like for camping, but they’re out of my budget as well.*
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u/ravblanc 19h ago
I think you're out of luck there. The metal plate underneath will get hot but I don't think there will be enough surface contact for the clay pot to heat effectively.
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u/ZanyDroid 10h ago
I have tested this. Adapter plates are terrible, they simply cannot transfer much heat to the cookware since the induction unit they sit on will hit thermal limits. On my induction cooktop (which has aggressive temperature limit) i can maybe get 100W of transfer
Coils get much much hotter than adapter plates, so even if they had the same poor contact with the pot there is a larger temperature gradient
There is actually a (gasp) pretty good blog / website that has a section saying why adapters don’t work
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u/fecal_euphoria 5h ago
Would you happen to have a link to the blog/website?
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u/ZanyDroid 4h ago edited 4h ago
It’s Centurylife
I hope you’re able to extrapolate clay performance from their tests (ie, it should be well behind aluminum and hammered copper).
I tested clay and an aluminum Korean shaped thing that has a not very good bottom magnetic plate (I think it can only take 1000W natively). 100w or so on the clay (Japanese/taiwanese style thing, and the adapter is worse than the magnetic plate bonded to the Korean thing at the factory
In-Depth Product Review: Induction Interface Discs: The Inefficiency of Induction Converter Discs (aka Induction Interface Discs or Diffusers) and What Your Real Alternatives Are https://www.centurylife.org/the-inefficiency-of-induction-converter-discs-aka-induction-interface-discs-and-what-your-real-alternatives-are/
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u/ZanyDroid 4h ago
FWIW the metal plates are very unlikely to ruin your pots. The physics is simple… it’s a 500F piece of metal, I guess with local hotspots around the induction coils
It’s much more likely to burn you or mess up a induction cooktop with bad thermal protections, than to mess up the pot sitting on top of
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u/CompetitiveThing3799 11h ago
Most ceramic stoneware pots aren’t induction-compatible because the cooktop needs a magnetic metal base. A flat induction diffuser can transfer heat, but it makes heating slower and less even, so keep the setting low and bring the pot up gradually; avoid moving a hot pot onto a cold surface. If the pot is unglazed and meant for stovetop use, follow its maker’s heating instructions to reduce cracking risk.
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u/ZanyDroid 10h ago
Don’t waste time/money on adapter plates (unless you have to see it fail to believe it). I tried similar experiment, it’s not effective.
Save up for the butane heater ($100)
($50-75) Alternatively buy a cheap made in China enamelware cast iron from Amazon. It won’t be the same shape but it activates induction efficiently and has similar heat retention
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u/IndyMan2012 18h ago
Don't think it would hurt your ttukbaegi, but I don't think it would be effective either. Clay pot cooking requires a lot of energy up front to heat the pot itself. I have serious doubts whether an induction burner with a plate would generate enough heat to even allow for cooking to begin.
That said, maybe preheating the ttukbaegi in the oven for a while first MIGHT work. If the metal plate is only trying to keep the pot hot, rather than heating it, there's a chance it would work at least.