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You may have heard that switching from a gas cooktop to one that works via induction technology is better for the environment. But is an induction cooktop right for you? Here’s my own personal experience with making the switch to induction.
My husband and I both love cooking, and we hate old-fashioned electric coil cooktops. The slow response time to increase or reduce the heat drives us crazy and makes it impossible to cook anything that requires swift changes in temperature. Anyone who’s ever made a recipe that says “bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer” is familiar with this frustration.
But induction cooktops, we’d heard, don’t have that problem – in fact, you can change the temperature on an induction burner even faster than a gas burner. And I already knew that induction cooktops (which run on electricity rather than gas) are both safer and better for the environment. So when several months ago, our 20-year-old kitchen range gave up the ghost, we decided to do some research on induction cooktops. Here’s what we found:
How significant are the environmental benefits?
According to the US Department of Energy, induction cooktops are up to three times more efficient than gas stoves, and up to 10% more efficient than conventional electric ranges. Here in San Mateo County, we get our electricity through Peninsula Clean Energy, so switching from gas to electric is even more environmentally responsible. Also, gas stoves emit nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde, which can have negative health effects and exacerbate respiratory conditions, including asthma.
Does induction really work as well as gas?
In fact, it works even better! Pots and pans get hot a lot faster – I can boil a mug’s worth of water for my morning tea in 60 seconds flat – and the ability to instantly change the temperature of the pan is really great. Also, it’s a lot easier to keep the burners on a very low setting – something that’s often difficult with gas burners, that sometimes simply go out when you turn the flame too low, leaving your food to sit in a slowly cooling pan while carbon monoxide gets pumped into the air in your home.
How does induction technology work?
Induction cooking uses an electromagnetic field to transfer current directly to the cookware sitting on the glass cooktop. So the cookware gets hot, but the cooktop – except the part of it directly in contact with the cookware – stays cool. This is a lot safer (especially if you have little kids) and also makes the cooktop easier to clean, since food never gets burned onto the surface.
Will you have to replace some of your cookware?
It depends. Because of how induction technology works, the cookware must be able to react to electromagnetic current. (You can test your cookware by seeing if an ordinary fridge magnet will stick to the bottom.) Also, your cookware needs to be generally the same size as the burners – too big or too small and they won’t work. I definitely recommend paying attention to the sizes of the burners on the cooktop you purchase, and measuring your existing pots and pans to see if they’ll work.
Are induction stoves and cooktops more expensive?
Generally speaking, yes, though prices are coming down. Also, the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) has a rebate program for residents of the Bay Area, so depending on which model you choose, with the rebate it could even be cheaper for you to go with induction than gas.
Anyone else out there switched to an induction stove? Tell me your thoughts in the comments! (And stay tuned for a future blog post about how we recently replaced our gas furnace with a heat pump system!)
