Most people recommend brewing moka pot coffee on gas stoves because they produce heat more quickly. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to brew a tasty moka pot coffee on an infrared electric stove. Here’s why:
Can you use a moka pot on an electric stove?
It’s certainly possible to brew moka pot coffee on electric stoves because the aluminum material will heat with infrared energy. It’s best to start with hot water in the bottom chamber to brew effectively. Unfortunately, aluminum moka pots will not work on induction stoves.
What type of moka pot can you use on an electric stove?
Aluminum moka pots work great for electric coil/infrared stoves. Stainless steel moka pots are required for induction stoves because aluminum will not work with the cooktop’s electromagnetic energy.
Can you use a moka pot on an infrared stove?
You can successfully brew moka pot coffee on an infrared stove if you preheat the water in the bottom chamber of the moka pot. This will help you overcome the slower heat transfer of an infrared stove compared to oa gas stove.
Can you use a moka pot on an induction stove?
A standard moka pot cannot be used on an induction cooktop because it is made of aluminum, which is one of the few materials that will not conduct electromagnetic heat. You can fix this problem by buying an induction converter disc or stainless steel moka pot.
How to brew moka pot coffee on an electric stove
Fill the bottom chamber with hot water before brewing
We recommend boiling water in a kettle and pouring it hot into the bottom chamber of your moka pot before brewing. This prevents your moka pot from sitting on the stove for too long while it heats up.
This slow heating process is a drawback of electric stoves compared to gas stoves.
This also helps to make sure your starting water temperature is consistent each time. When you fill your moka pot from the tap, the temperature may be a little different each time, which will cause your total brew time to fluctuate as well.
We want to try and control the variables as much as we can. Boiling the water beforehand removes one possible error.
Turn your electric stove to medium-high heat
Many people crank their stove up to high heat. We have found that this tends to shorten the brew time a little too much, which leaves us with an over-extracted brew that tastes bitter.
We recommend starting with your heat at about 75%. Now place your moka pot on the stove.
Turn your stove down to low heat half way through
We suggest occassionally flipping open the lid and checking on the progress of your brew. Once it’s about half-way finished we recommend lowering the heat to about 25% and then moving the moka pot so it sits about half-ways on the edge of the hot stove circle.
This will keep the brew going but will prevent it from happening too fast. This will reduce your chances of over-extracting and, even worse, burning your coffee beans.
Take the moka pot off the electric stove immediately after brewing
Once your moka pot brew is complete, take it off the heat and pour it into your single-serve mug or into a larger coffee thermos. This will prevent any possible burnt coffee aromas and flavors from seeping up and into your brew.
You may notice your moka pot sputter if you keep it on the stove too long.
Rinse your moka pot under cold water
We then recommend pouring cold tap water over your moka pot to cool it down so that the coffee doesn’t continue to dry up and burn. This may cause coffee grime build up which will be difficult to clean later on.
In fact, we recommend disassembling the moka pot at this point and giving it a quick rinse while it’s easiest to clean.
Why are gas stoves recommended for moka pots?
Many people recommend using a gas stovetop to brew moka pot coffee because the open flame heats up more quickly. The heat levels are also much easier to control with gas stoves, which allows you to apply a more accurate source of heat to your brewing process.
Types of electric stoves
Electric cooktops
Standard electric cooktops heat without a flame. Metal coils beneath the cooktop surface are heated, which then heat the cooktop and pot with infrared energy.
These stoves are known to provide lower levels of heat and heat cookware, and moka pots, more slowly. Many people believe electric cooktops are unsuitable for brewing moka pot coffee but this is not true.
Induction cooktops
Induction cooktops use electromagnetic energy to directly heat the cookware itself rather than having the cookware simply press against a hot surface. Unfortunately for coffee enthusiasts, aluminum moka pots will not conduct heat on induction stoves.
This is also true for glass and copper pots.
