Hold a fridge magnet to the base. If it sticks firmly, the pan works on induction, and if it won't hold, an induction zone can't heat it and the water will never dance.
That's the whole test. The rest of this explains why some stainless pans pass and others don't.
Why do some stainless pans fail the magnet test?
In short. Induction needs a magnetic base, and only some kinds of stainless steel are magnetic.
Induction heats a pan through a magnetic field, so the base has to be a metal a magnet grabs. Stainless steel comes in both kinds. The British Stainless Steel Association says 18/0, also called 430, is attracted by a magnet, while 18/8 and 18/10 are essentially grade 304, which a magnet pulls on weakly or not at all.
That's why many pans put 18/10 on the cooking surface and a magnetic steel on the outside or in a plate under the base. 360 Cookware and Heritage Steel, for example, both state a 400 series stainless outside layer for induction.
The magnet sticks, so why won't it heat well?
In short. A base that's only partly magnetic, or a pan smaller than the zone, can heat poorly or not at all.
Whirlpool's help page adds two details. Where only part of the base is magnetic, those areas may heat unevenly or run cooler. And a pan too small for the cooking zone may not switch the zone on at all.
So if the magnet sticks and the water still won't dance, try a smaller zone or a bigger pan.
Not sure what your pan's base is made of? Send us a photo of the stamp. The cookware material lookup shows how 43 pan lines are built, and our guide to fully clad and disc bottom pans explains the layers.
Sources
- Whirlpool Product Help, Induction Compatible Cookware: How to Tell. producthelp.whirlpool.com. No page date shown; read 2026-10-31 (appliance maker statement).
- British Stainless Steel Association, Cutlery stainless steel grades 18/8, 18/10 and 18/0. bssa.org.uk. No page date shown; read 2026-10-31.
- 360 Cookware, Our Materials. 360cookware.com. No page date shown; read 2026-10-31 (maker statement).
- Heritage Steel, Eater x Heritage Steel 10.5 in Fry Pan. heritagesteel.us. Read 2026-10-31 (maker statement).
- Consumer Reports, How to Tell If a Pot or Pan Is Induction-Compatible, 2022-10-06. consumerreports.org. Read 2026-10-31.
- Clearly Made, Cookware material lookup, maker pages read 2026-10-30. clearlymadegoods.com.
Last reviewed October 31, 2026. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it here.