Asko induction compatible cookware needs one specific property that a lot of otherwise good pots and pans simply do not have: a base that is ferromagnetic, meaning a magnet actually sticks to it. Induction cooking works by generating a magnetic field in the coil under the glass surface, and that field only transfers usable heat energy into cookware whose base can carry that magnetic current. Copper, aluminum, and most glass or ceramic cookware, on their own, will not heat at all on an induction zone no matter how the controls are set.
What Asko’s own manual says about this
Asko documents this directly as an error condition rather than leaving it unexplained: on the HI1621G induction hob, code E3 specifically means the cookware in use lacks the ferromagnetic properties induction cooking requires, and the printed remedy is simply to use a suitable pot or pan. That is a genuinely useful confirmation to have in hand if a hob seems unresponsive with a particular pan, since it rules out a hob problem before you start troubleshooting the appliance itself.
The quick magnet test
The simplest way to check whether a piece of cookware will work on an induction hob does not require the hob at all: hold a refrigerator magnet against the base of the pan. If the magnet grips firmly, the base is ferromagnetic and should work. If the magnet does not stick, or only sticks weakly, the pan is not a good induction candidate, regardless of how heavy or well-made it otherwise is. This test works reliably even in a kitchen showroom before a purchase.
What kind of cookware generally passes
Cast iron, whether bare or enameled, is reliably induction-compatible because of the iron content itself. Stainless steel is compatible when it has a magnetic stainless base or a bonded ferromagnetic disc built into the bottom, which most cookware marketed specifically for induction use includes; plain decorative stainless without that bonded base can fail the magnet test even though it looks similar on the shelf. Multi-clad cookware that layers aluminum or copper for heat conduction between outer steel layers is common and works fine, as long as the outermost base layer itself is magnetic.
Bridged zones need compatible cookware across the whole footprint
If you are using a Bridge Induction or Flexible Bridge Induction zone to span two burners with a large pan, the ferromagnetic requirement applies across the entire base footprint, not just the center. A large griddle or roasting pan with a compatible center but a thinner or non-magnetic rim will not heat evenly across a bridged zone even with the correct pan family.
If the magnet test passes but the hob still will not heat
Once cookware compatibility is confirmed with a magnet, a hob that still will not respond points toward a control panel, generator, or wiring issue rather than the pan, and is worth diagnosing against the documented error-code families for your specific hob generation.
See our Asko induction error-code guides for what other codes mean, or book service at /schedule/. Asko’s own cooktop specifications are published at global.asko.com.
