Gas vs induction cooking, what’s better? Gas stoves have been used a lot longer than induction cooktops. They are the automatic choice for most people looking for a new cooktop for their kitchen.
But induction cooking has become more popular in recent decades. It offers many advantages over a traditional gas hob.
If you are shopping for a new cooktop, it’s worth considering the pros and cons of each type to find the best one for your needs.
Gas Cooking
Zachäus Winzler made the first gas stove in 1802. But it wasn’t until 1826 that the first proper gas stove was patented. By the early 1900s, many people in Europe and the US were cooking with gas.
Most people prefer gas stoves because they produce instant heat and once you turn it off, the heat goes away (almost) unlike electric coils that remain hot. It’s also easy to adjust the temperature simply by turning the knob.
Cooking with gas is also significantly cheaper though the initial costs can be fairly high if your home is not yet equipped with a gas line.
Another advantage of gas is that you don’t need to buy any special pans. Any pan, pancake griddle, or tea kettle be it aluminium, copper, cast iron or stainless steel, will work fine on a gas cooktop.
On the downside, cooking with gas is less efficient compared to induction cooking.
Only 40-55% of heat from a gas hob reaches food, the rest getting wasted. In contrast, 90% of heat from an induction hob reaches food.
Even an electric cooktop is more efficient, with 70% of the heat reaching food.
That’s why it takes longer to bring the same amount of water to a boil with a gas cooktop compared to an induction one.
Induction Cooking
Induction cooking works through electromagnetism. When you place a pan on top of the hob, it creates a magnetic field that makes the pan heat up.
The heat is then transferred to the food.
Unlike gas and electric cooktops that transfer heat to the pan using flames or a coil, an induction hob heats the pan directly.
This is what makes induction cooking so efficient. Only 10-20% of the heat is wasted.
A pan of water on an induction hob will boil in about half to two thirds of the time it would take on a gas hob.
Induction hobs also provide more precise temperature control compared to gas cooktops. This is important for recipes with specific temperature requirements.
For families with young kids, safety is one of the biggest reasons to go with induction over gas. Even when it’s on, the cooktop stays cool to the touch. This reduces the risk of accidental burns. But remember that the pan itself will get hot.
As good and efficient as it is, induction cooking has a couple of downsides.
The main one is the cost. A good quality induction hob is expensive though costs are coming down.
If you’ve been using a gas or electric cooktop, you may also need to buy new pots, pans and woks that are compatible with an induction hob.
Gas vs Induction Cooking: Which One Should You Choose?
The overall winner is easily induction cooking. It’s faster, cleaner, safer, more efficient and cooks more evenly than gas.
But that doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for everyone. The ideal choice for your kitchen depends on your needs and situation.
If your home already has piped gas, you may find it easier to just get a gas cooktop. But if your home is not gas-ready, an induction cooktop makes more sense especially in terms of your budget.
An induction hob is also the best choice if you prefer a cooktop that is efficient, cooks fast and is safe for your kids.
Before you get an induction hob, check if your pans are induction-ready. A quick way to check is to stick a magnet on the underside of the pan.
If it sticks, it’s induction ready.
If it sticks weakly or doesn’t stick at all, you’ll have to buy a new set of pans for induction cooking.
Most induction-ready pans are made from stainless steel. But there are also aluminium ones with a stainless steel bottom.
Whilst this statement may be true….
“Only 40-55% of heat from a gas hob reaches food, the rest getting wasted. In contrast, 90% of heat from an induction hob reaches food.”
…the energy losses from making and transmitting electricity are very significant which is why electricity tends to be 4 to 5 times more expensive per kwhr than directly burned gas.
Not only that, whilst gas may not be totally transmitted to a pan it is held within an oven equally as electric. Even so the gas is not wasted as it does heat up the surrounding space. Not so good in the summer but useful in the other 3 seasons.
Well…I would debate the ‘usefulness’ in the other 3 seasons. That’s pretty questionable unless you don’t heat your home. It was 16 outside a few days ago and I was cooking a family meal. It got quite hot in the kitchen…I’m not cooking outside and people expect it to be already warm in the house. Spring and fall…I don’t need heat. That’s going to depend on where you live. As far as comparing costs, you’re using apples and oranges. Not saying you are wrong, but you can’t compare transmittal rates to cost. You need the cost per therm or something like that to compare. I have no idea the cost involved to activate a magnetic surface vs heating a coil, but I suspect it would be quite a bit less. My point is that while you’re on an interesting track, you haven’t really made an actually factual point.
I Bought an expensive Wolf induction and the surrounding stainless scratches unbelievably easy. I cannot bellieve they put such a fine finish on a Cooking stove! I have had it for 10 days and it and the stainless
is scrarched around the controls- I am very frustrated. evidentally just sitting something on it , because I did not drag anything across it. I would hate th think if I had company, I would be terrified to have them use it because it is so fragile
vert