The state is the first to put labels on the appliances pointing consumers to evidence about the harms of cooking with gas. Appliance manufacturers are…
If you’ve ever cooked on one, you’ll know that gas stoves are far superior to electric.
The issue here isn’t the stove, but the ventilation of the home. It’s not hard to properly install a range hood and roof vent for your kitchen, along with a passive inlet for airflow(I’ve done this twice and I’m no expert at construction).
Humans have been cooking with fire for a bloody long time, and we’ve gotten very good at making it safe. I’d wager that this is just energy companies lobbying against gas, as they can make more money burning coal/oil to power electric stoves.
Humans have been cooking with fire for a bloody long time, and we’ve gotten very good at making it safe. I’d wager that this is just energy companies lobbying against gas, as they can make more money burning coal/oil to power electric stoves.
The opposite is true actually with the gas companies having been behind the Cooking with Gas-campaign in order to make sure that they keep getting gas line installations in place.
Indoor combustion is still very much detrimental for health, trying to claim otherwise is quite frankly absurd.
You’ve obviously never cooked on induction stoves.
Ceramic stoves and other old electric stoves were a nightmare, that’s true, slow to heat up, stays hot too long, nearly impossible to regulate.
But induction is so much better, very quick to heat up, easy to regulate. No exhaust fumes or other noxious gases. Only heats up the part of the pan that needs heating up (the bottom). No risk of fire. Very easy to clean.
Induction is far superior to gas which is far superior to electric.
Gas is problematic for a lot of reasons:
the infrastructure leaks from the supplier to your house
the infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain compared to electricity
the infrastructure is dangerous compared to electricity
gas stoves leak harmful chemicals into your house
using them reduces the air quality in your house
they transfer a relatively small amount of their output heat into your cookware compared to induction (which also means they heat up your kitchen more)
they’re less responsive than induction
every moment of their use is furthering climate change significantly more when compared to induction, and paying for that infrastructure to a home locks that house into that decision for decades at a time.
Gas has some benefits to induction, but if it was invented today very few people would use it because it’s so much worse than induction.
This comment isn’t to say “people who use gas are bad or in danger”, it’s just saying at the technical level and from a societal perspective there’s no meaningful reason to use gas as your main heating element’s source of power.
You forgot that the induction glass top doesn’t get as hot because the heating happens in the pan.
It’s safer if you have children and it is much easier to clean than gas or resistive electric.
Also there’s no open flame in your house, your kitchen rag won’t catch on fire by mistake.
I have seen some good points for induction in this thread but I can’t see how it could better for the enviroment, in places without renewable energy.
As I stated in another comment: the grid of the area I live is mainly powered by coal. That power plant consumes a train and a half of coal every day; besides the released carbon, coal power also releases radioactive isotopes into the surrounding area - far more of a radiation hazard than modern nuclear power.
My home came with both power and gas hookups in the kitchen, but the wiring is… Something… And would cost a ton to redo - I don’t even live in too poor of an area, so I can only image how bad other homes could be.
Buying a gas stove and installing proper ventilation(also none in the home when purchased) was much cheaper than hiring an electrician and buying an induction stove.
If you like induction and live in an area with a mostly-renewable power grid - more power to you.
You do make a good point about gas line safety and maintenance - something I’ll need to look into, for my area.
This is a common misunderstanding, to the point of it being propaganda pushed by oil companies to cause confusion, but electrifying everything is always better long-term than not. From a monetary stand point but most definitely from an environment perspective.
Your area will not always be powered by coal. It is already some degree powered by green energy, it will only get more green over time - and rather quickly with the price of green energy and battery solutions plummeting. Even if it stayed coal powered for a significant amount of time, the reality is gas takes energy to drill, energy to refine, energy to transport, energy to store and deliver the last few miles (km), and then some (or most) of the energy that reaches your house is lost in conversion.
Electricity is increasingly becoming free to generate, there is no refinement, no energy cost to transport, less energy to store and deliver the last few miles, and then most of the energy that reaches your house is used for it’s intended purpose. Pure electricity is highly efficient and it’s only getting greener.
As for cost, again I’m not wise to everyone’s situation, but gas has a constant cost that will always be higher over the long-term compared to electricity that - if I had to make a bet - I’d say will pay back the upfront costs on the order of years and not decades at worst.
That being said, yes, we are all getting poorer and housing is one of societies big failures right now and there’s no shame in not being able to afford the healthy, optimal items right now. That’s late stage capitalism, we need to tax billionaires and multi-millionaires out of existence.
But the reality is gas is worse in every metric, and it is definitely worse for the environment regardless of the power generation sources your local area currently uses. It’s fine if you have to use it, it’s fine if you can’t afford the alternative (although please calculate long term cost to likely save yourself money), just don’t believe gas is better or cheaper or more environmentally friendly.
$3,400 for the stove because induction is rare here and they do not have base models
IKEA sells a 4-zone induction cooktop for $500 in the U.S.
Granted, this is more expensive than $380 I’d have to pay for a 4-zone induction cooktop from IKEA here in Sweden, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the $3400 you had to pay.
$3,400 for the stove because induction is rare here and they do not have base models
WTF? The most expensive one they have in media markt in Spain cost 2000 Euro. Normal models cost around 300. You could have told me, I would just send you one.
Yeah, fortunately in my case we replaced an electric stove with induction so the power circuit was already in place.
I could see installing or removing a gas line would be a huge headache. We do have a gas furnace and water heater. I can’t imagine what would be involved in swapping them out.
I mean this isn’t a discussion about what stove you should use if you have one stove. This is a discussion about which is superior and which you should pursue if given the opportunity.
There are a painful number of Americans (and now Germans) who still prefer gas over induction for one reason or the other. A large portion of the Americans in my experience think this way because of the lobbying campaigns of gas companies to make gas seem better or safer than it is.
So ya, if you rent (increasingly most people because late stage capitalism) I’m not talking about how much worse your stove is compared to induction to shame you. I’m talking to everyone who has an opportunity to change someone’s mind on it, buy a new stove for a new construction, or replace their stove when it dies (or sooner if you can swing it).
And there’s no way the gas stove doesn’t cost more over even it’s first couple of years compared to induction. The price of gas will only go up with time, electricity will only go down with time.
Yup, I think too, a lot of it is media driven. If you look at the cooking shows on TV it’s all gas unless they are doing grilling then it’s 50/50 gas vs. charcoal.
You sound like someone who hasn’t used a good modern induction stove. They have the same kind of fast control as a gas stove, lots of heat output, waste less energy so they dont heat up your kitchen as much, and are easier to clean.
Of all the things that are a real problem in this world, we are going after gas stoves?!
I keep seeing this and it feels very much orchestrated. Next, we will get the people who love their induction cooktops yapping about how they are far superior. Unless you have an aluminum pan. Or if its not the right size. You know, things that aren’t issues on normal cooktops.
New construction in Vancouver is all about going all-electric by removing the need gas furnaces by installing heat pumps, and removing the need for gas stoves with better cooking tech (though gas stoves aren’t outlawed).
Water heating and space heating are the two largest energy uses on the residential level. Removing the need for gas pipes in most homes reduces methane leakage and improves the lives of residents.
Yea, I don’t understand why people are so rabid against gas all of a sudden. It seems like an odd hill to die on, with the current geopolitical issues.
From my own experience, moving from an area with only electric heat/stoves: gas is far cheaper, and safer(have you seen the dreadful electrical work in cheaper homes?) - with good ventilation. Not to mention that the electricity for my area comes from a coal plant…
Cook with what you want: gas, induction, a charcoal grill; idc.
There was a report that gas stoves were linked to health issues. Then the culture war bullshit crowds pretended that meant “the nanny state is taking our gas stoves!!!”
It was a handy distraction from everything else that everyone should’ve been focused on.
If you’ve ever cooked on one, you’ll know that gas stoves are far superior to electric.
The issue here isn’t the stove, but the ventilation of the home. It’s not hard to properly install a range hood and roof vent for your kitchen, along with a passive inlet for airflow(I’ve done this twice and I’m no expert at construction).
Humans have been cooking with fire for a bloody long time, and we’ve gotten very good at making it safe. I’d wager that this is just energy companies lobbying against gas, as they can make more money burning coal/oil to power electric stoves.
The opposite is true actually with the gas companies having been behind the Cooking with Gas-campaign in order to make sure that they keep getting gas line installations in place.
Indoor combustion is still very much detrimental for health, trying to claim otherwise is quite frankly absurd.
You’ve obviously never cooked on induction stoves.
Ceramic stoves and other old electric stoves were a nightmare, that’s true, slow to heat up, stays hot too long, nearly impossible to regulate.
But induction is so much better, very quick to heat up, easy to regulate. No exhaust fumes or other noxious gases. Only heats up the part of the pan that needs heating up (the bottom). No risk of fire. Very easy to clean.
Induction is far superior to gas which is far superior to electric.
Gas is problematic for a lot of reasons:
Gas has some benefits to induction, but if it was invented today very few people would use it because it’s so much worse than induction.
This comment isn’t to say “people who use gas are bad or in danger”, it’s just saying at the technical level and from a societal perspective there’s no meaningful reason to use gas as your main heating element’s source of power.
You forgot that the induction glass top doesn’t get as hot because the heating happens in the pan. It’s safer if you have children and it is much easier to clean than gas or resistive electric.
Also there’s no open flame in your house, your kitchen rag won’t catch on fire by mistake.
Even better: If there is no pan/pot on top no heat is generated.
Good point, thanks for adding those! I forget how hard my gas stove was to clean now that I’m on induction.
I have seen some good points for induction in this thread but I can’t see how it could better for the enviroment, in places without renewable energy.
As I stated in another comment: the grid of the area I live is mainly powered by coal. That power plant consumes a train and a half of coal every day; besides the released carbon, coal power also releases radioactive isotopes into the surrounding area - far more of a radiation hazard than modern nuclear power.
My home came with both power and gas hookups in the kitchen, but the wiring is… Something… And would cost a ton to redo - I don’t even live in too poor of an area, so I can only image how bad other homes could be.
Buying a gas stove and installing proper ventilation(also none in the home when purchased) was much cheaper than hiring an electrician and buying an induction stove.
If you like induction and live in an area with a mostly-renewable power grid - more power to you.
You do make a good point about gas line safety and maintenance - something I’ll need to look into, for my area.
This is a common misunderstanding, to the point of it being propaganda pushed by oil companies to cause confusion, but electrifying everything is always better long-term than not. From a monetary stand point but most definitely from an environment perspective.
Your area will not always be powered by coal. It is already some degree powered by green energy, it will only get more green over time - and rather quickly with the price of green energy and battery solutions plummeting. Even if it stayed coal powered for a significant amount of time, the reality is gas takes energy to drill, energy to refine, energy to transport, energy to store and deliver the last few miles (km), and then some (or most) of the energy that reaches your house is lost in conversion.
Electricity is increasingly becoming free to generate, there is no refinement, no energy cost to transport, less energy to store and deliver the last few miles, and then most of the energy that reaches your house is used for it’s intended purpose. Pure electricity is highly efficient and it’s only getting greener.
As for cost, again I’m not wise to everyone’s situation, but gas has a constant cost that will always be higher over the long-term compared to electricity that - if I had to make a bet - I’d say will pay back the upfront costs on the order of years and not decades at worst.
That being said, yes, we are all getting poorer and housing is one of societies big failures right now and there’s no shame in not being able to afford the healthy, optimal items right now. That’s late stage capitalism, we need to tax billionaires and multi-millionaires out of existence.
But the reality is gas is worse in every metric, and it is definitely worse for the environment regardless of the power generation sources your local area currently uses. It’s fine if you have to use it, it’s fine if you can’t afford the alternative (although please calculate long term cost to likely save yourself money), just don’t believe gas is better or cheaper or more environmentally friendly.
Key reasons people choose the stoves they choose:
“It came with the place.” Unless something breaks, you use the stove you have.
Price.
My induction stove was over $1,000. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but yeah.
Compared to $300 to $500 for electric and $500 to $700 for gas (plus gas line installation if you don’t have it.)
Must be nice. Mine cost a fortune and still isn’t usable.
IKEA sells a 4-zone induction cooktop for $500 in the U.S.
Granted, this is more expensive than $380 I’d have to pay for a 4-zone induction cooktop from IKEA here in Sweden, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the $3400 you had to pay.
WTF? The most expensive one they have in media markt in Spain cost 2000 Euro. Normal models cost around 300. You could have told me, I would just send you one.
Yeah, fortunately in my case we replaced an electric stove with induction so the power circuit was already in place.
I could see installing or removing a gas line would be a huge headache. We do have a gas furnace and water heater. I can’t imagine what would be involved in swapping them out.
I mean this isn’t a discussion about what stove you should use if you have one stove. This is a discussion about which is superior and which you should pursue if given the opportunity.
There are a painful number of Americans (and now Germans) who still prefer gas over induction for one reason or the other. A large portion of the Americans in my experience think this way because of the lobbying campaigns of gas companies to make gas seem better or safer than it is.
So ya, if you rent (increasingly most people because late stage capitalism) I’m not talking about how much worse your stove is compared to induction to shame you. I’m talking to everyone who has an opportunity to change someone’s mind on it, buy a new stove for a new construction, or replace their stove when it dies (or sooner if you can swing it).
And there’s no way the gas stove doesn’t cost more over even it’s first couple of years compared to induction. The price of gas will only go up with time, electricity will only go down with time.
Yup, I think too, a lot of it is media driven. If you look at the cooking shows on TV it’s all gas unless they are doing grilling then it’s 50/50 gas vs. charcoal.
You sound like someone who hasn’t used a good modern induction stove. They have the same kind of fast control as a gas stove, lots of heat output, waste less energy so they dont heat up your kitchen as much, and are easier to clean.
Induction is a game changer. I can boil water faster than the microwave. Seriously.
It truly amazed me when we first got ours. The old adage “a watched pot never boils” goes right out the window with an induction stove.
TWO MINUTES! Crazy talk!
It’s my understanding that the only benefit gas stoves have over electric is that they are cheaper to operate.
this tells me someone else does your cooking for you 😝
Not really. I’ve been doing all of my own cooking for years.
Having to resort to conspiracy theories is a good indication you don’t have an argument.
Especially when your theory is that big coal is trying to ween Americans of natural gas.
deleted by creator
Of all the things that are a real problem in this world, we are going after gas stoves?!
I keep seeing this and it feels very much orchestrated. Next, we will get the people who love their induction cooktops yapping about how they are far superior. Unless you have an aluminum pan. Or if its not the right size. You know, things that aren’t issues on normal cooktops.
New construction in Vancouver is all about going all-electric by removing the need gas furnaces by installing heat pumps, and removing the need for gas stoves with better cooking tech (though gas stoves aren’t outlawed).
Water heating and space heating are the two largest energy uses on the residential level. Removing the need for gas pipes in most homes reduces methane leakage and improves the lives of residents.
Yea, I don’t understand why people are so rabid against gas all of a sudden. It seems like an odd hill to die on, with the current geopolitical issues.
From my own experience, moving from an area with only electric heat/stoves: gas is far cheaper, and safer(have you seen the dreadful electrical work in cheaper homes?) - with good ventilation. Not to mention that the electricity for my area comes from a coal plant…
Cook with what you want: gas, induction, a charcoal grill; idc.
There was a report that gas stoves were linked to health issues. Then the culture war bullshit crowds pretended that meant “the nanny state is taking our gas stoves!!!”
It was a handy distraction from everything else that everyone should’ve been focused on.