Cookware and heat
How to check cookware fit on a portable induction cooktop
The words “induction ready” start the fit check; they do not finish it. A portable cooktop needs a magnetic, suitable base and a pan size that aligns with its heating area and the exact manual's recommendation.
Use a magnet as a screen, not a guarantee
A magnet that holds to the pan base is a helpful first indicator. The Nuwave PIC Titanium 30291LW manual explains that some cookware can have magnetic properties too weak to work efficiently, so check manufacturer compatibility instructions and a compatible cookware symbol too. The cooktop's own pot-detection message may indicate that a vessel is not being detected; it does not establish that every magnetic pan will perform equally.
Read the diameter guidance conservatively
Minimum cookware size can matter because a pan must couple with the induction area. A larger body does not necessarily mean a larger heating coil. For the Titanium, its Owner's Manual says that the heating area lies within a ring, accepts cookware from 3 inches, and does not recommend pans larger than 10 inches. Its Quick Start Guide allows a 12-inch maximum but notes slower heat transfer near the edges. Until the manufacturer resolves the difference, 10 inches is the more conservative planning limit.
A seller's photo of a wide skillet does not prove that the photo represents the exact model or that the edges heat at the same rate as the center. If a pan wider than the conservative recommendation is essential, look for an exact model manual that clearly supports it or ask the manufacturer before purchase.
A dedicated wok can have a different compatibility rule
Do not apply ordinary induction pan-diameter assumptions to every countertop induction appliance. Nuwave's Mosaic base is shaped for its own matched carbon-steel wok; the manufacturer FAQ says another pan or wok is not supported. Its 14-inch wok diameter is the size of that matched cooking vessel, not evidence that a 14-inch flat pan will fit or heat evenly. The 30803 base set and the 30812 and 30813 bundles share the wok-only heating system; the accessory options do not add pan flexibility. If you need ordinary saucepans and frypans, select a regular flat-bottom-cookware plan rather than inferring compatibility from the magnet check alone.
Separate pan temperature from probe temperature
Induction warms cookware directly, but a cooktop setting is not a thermometer reading from the pan. A food probe measures where its tip is placed. On the PIC Titanium, the guides describe a food-internal probe mode and a different Target Hold mode; neither should be described as a surface reading. For exact ranges and placement, use the manual that ships with the unit.