I came back from New York with a brand-new portable induction cooktop, and a special induction-safe donabe steamer, MUSHI NABE (made for induction cooktop). They are gifts from Nagatani-en. We used this induction-safe donabe steamer at last week's trade show in New York for demonstration. Because we were not allowed to use open-flame at the venue, we decided to use the induction-safe donabe just for the demonstration.
The design is slightly different from our regular donabe steamer, Mushi Nabe, and it's very cute. It's induction-safe, because the bottom of the donabe is treated with magnetic carbon plate. But, sorry...it's not available in the US market, yet! We still cannot give ourselves a greenlight to introduce this item in the US, mainly because of the price issue. Because the cost of making it for induction-compatible is so high, if we sell it in the US, the retail price would become more than $500 for a medium-size Mushi Nabe! (Our current large-size white Mushi Nabe for gas stove is only $185.) So, we just can't justify the price point right now.
So, please enjoy our classic Mushi Nabe for gas stove top! Even if you don't have a gas stove in the kitchen, you just need a portable gas stove (like IWATANI brand, which is normally for sale under $30), and you can enjoy it table top or even outdoor.
In any case, donabe steamer is just so wonderful. It cooks faster and more efficiently than regular steamers. I love doing simple steamed vegetables and serve with dipping sauce.
We also did belt fish (marinated in shio-koji) and shimeji mushrooms, and served with grated daikon. Fantastic.
Happy donabe life.
