Induction vs Gas

Wolfe 30” Induction Cooktop

As I am writing this, there is a forest fire raging north east of Prince Albert. This is the perfect weather if you are a forest fire. At – 32 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit - now that’s hot. And, on top of the heat, it’s windy, and there has basically been no rain this spring. If we were on the ocean, they would call it a perfect storm! This is not the way we wanted to start our spring season off.

But - we have to take what Mother Nature gives us. Big hurrahs to all the people fighting this fire – let’s hope it gets under control soon.

What I decided to write about tonight is induction vs natural gas cooktops. How many of you out there have looked at induction? We all know what natural gas is - an instant flame with instant heat. So fast! And - just so you know, I have never owned a natural gas range (more about that later!). So, what I do know about gas ranges is from someone else owning one and doing my own research when it was time to purchase a new cooktop. And by the way - I chose induction over gas or electric.

Let’s start with what I know, and a little about myself. I am known to be a bit on the not so graceful side. Perhaps a bit clumsy and not always paying attention to the task at hand. Multi-tasking is great, but it can get you into trouble. I have more stories on that for a later date.

Here is what I do know about a gas range. It is an actual fire – kind of like that forest fire I was mentioning. Hmm – didn’t plan to have this article match to that...what a coincidence! Open flame means burning. You don’t want to get any part of your body or clothing next to that flame. Fashions are constantly changing. What do you think Maude / Dorothy from the Golden Girls (Bea Arthur) would have thought about a gas range when she was wearing those flowy muumuu dresses, long scarves draped around her neck and all the other very long flowy attire she was noted for wearing? Her outfits would have been waiting to go up in smoke. Cheech and Chong went up in smoke – not sure Maude/Dorothy would have wanted to. I have worn long sleeve tops with a flare on the bottom cuff – I can totally see that outfit going up in smoke with my arm attached!!

And little kids – they are like a moth to a flame. How unsafe for little kids who want to help out Gramma and Grandpa in the kitchen to work around an open flame. Fire is fascinating, but it is deadly.

Enough about gas – let's talk about induction. Why induction? What is it you may ask? Induction cooking uses electric currents to directly heat pots and pans through magnetic induction instead of using thermal conduction such as gas or an electric element. Instead of transferring heat from a burner to a pot, induction heats the cooking vessel itself almost instantly – that’s the basics. With the induction cooktop it only heats the size of the pot that is on the burner. You can put your finger next to the pot and it will be warm, but you won’t get a third-degree burn. A cup of water will boil in about 60-90 seconds – so obviously they heat up quickly. I previously owned an electric range. You could turn the pan on, start chopping food and keep adding to the pan – no big deal. However, with induction and I suspect gas you make sure all of your vegetables are chopped before you start cooking as the pan heats so quickly you don’t have time to chop and cook.

I have worked in small kitchens over the years, and often not having somewhere to put plastic lids I would set them down on an element. Not a good idea! I have melted Tupperware lids as well as the bottom of ice cream pails. Now with an open flame - you probably wouldn’t make that mistake. However, with induction it wouldn’t matter because as soon as the pot is removed, the element cools quickly. You would have to have been cooking on the cooktop for quite a while to get a “plastic melt” reaction. However, I have not tested this at home as of yet! And I don’t plan to either, but … you never know in Merle Lee Ann’s kitchen!

Another great feature with the induction is that if there is no pan on the element it will automatically shut off. And, if you leave the pan on the element, once there is nothing to cook in the pan the element will shut off. Here is where the induction is so great for seniors – how many times in our life have we left the burner on and come back into the kitchen to a smoke-filled room, a burned pot, or a red-hot searing element? I no longer worry if my husband has left the stove on when he takes the last bit of food out of the pan. I know my induction cooktop is going to turn off – with or without instruction from myself for my husband /teenager/child.

How about heating up your home? How much heat does an open flame throw off on a hot 30-degree summer day and you aren’t lucky enough to live in an air-conditioned home? And even if you do have air-conditioning, how much energy are you saving by not having this hot flame heating up your home? I know as we all get closer to retirement; we seem to count our pennies a little closer. Those little cheques from the government don’t go very far.

A negative about the induction? The biggest reason most people don’t use induction is they have to buy new pots and pans. Your old pans won’t work on an induction element unless a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pan; if a magnet sticks you are good to go. I had owned my pots and pans for 32 years when I bought an induction cooktop. They still worked, but I was happy to shop for brand new pots and pans. I love kitchen stuff.

The best part about induction? The easy clean up. Because it only heats the pot, anything you spill next to the pan doesn’t cook and stick to the surface. Such as the good old egg that gets cracked along the edge of the fry pan. The part of the egg that missed the pan, just sits there. Once the cooktop has cooled you simply take your dish cloth with warm soapy water and wipe it off. Voila – clean. Want it shiny, just wipe it with a nice dry microfiber cloth. So easy. No soaking of detergents on the top, no special cleaners, taking out the grates from the gas range, soaking and scraping. As I age the easier it is to clean, and the less I have to clean - the better. My cooktops are 5 years old, and they look like new.

So, there you have it folks – a little information on induction cooktops. Never be scared of technology! The induction cooktop has been around since the early 1900’s developed in Europe. It has a lot of advantages as far as this gal can say. Peace Out!