Are induction stoves that much safer than gas? We tested them.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

CLIMATE COACH

Are induction stoves that much safer than gas? We tested them.

Scientists’ best answer, at the moment, to whether you should ditch your gas stove is: We’re not sure yet

Advice by Michael J. Coren, John Farrell and Alice Li
January 16, 2024 at 6:30 a.m. EST

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https://wapo.st/422mYuR

In 40 million American homes, the “click” of a gas stove igniting is the sound of dinner.

But millions of people are questioning whether they should keep this classic American appliance in their kitchen. For decades, a steady drumbeat of studies has pointed to the risks of burning methane in our homes, from asthma to chronic respiratory diseases, especially in children and the elderly. ... Does that mean you should ditch your gas stove?

Scientists’ best answer, at the moment, is: We’re not sure yet. There’s no doubt pollutants produced by gas stoves, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), formaldehyde and benzene harm your health. What we don’t know is whether the amounts spewed by gas stoves into your home can make you sick.

So we launched an experiment to help shed some light on the dilemma. We tested how pollutants from cooking infiltrate a typical American kitchen equipped with a gas stove, and the steps Americans can take to protect their health.

{snip}

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By Michael J. Coren
Michael is a journalist writing the "Climate Coach" advice column for The Washington Post. Before joining the Post in 2022, he spent nearly two decades as a reporter and editor covering climate, technology, and economics for outlets such as Quartz and CNN.com. He was also the managing editor of Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Post. Twitter https://twitter.com/mj_coren

By John Farrell
John Farrell is a breaking news editor for The Washington Post. He produces original videos and coordinates live events for The Post's homepage. Twitter https://twitter.com/jafarrell17

By Alice Li
Alice Li is a national visual journalist for The Washington Post, with a focus on stories out West. Twitter https://twitter.com/byaliceli

[Chainfire]

1. I have to wonder that if you use your exhaust hood system, how much toxic gas escapes into your home.

I do not believe that it is much. I believe that my biggest exposure to toxic gasses comes from driving my car in town. Of course, poisoning myself in town doesn't mitigate poisoning myself in my home. I really like cooking with gas, and I do not feel guilty about it because when I cooked with electric energy it was produced in my regional gas-fired generating station. Six of one, half dozen of the other. There are incalculable tradeoffs such as loss of energy through the grid compared to diesel needed to deliver my gas. That said, using gas for cooking only, I haven't had a gas delivery for nearly four years, and I think I will make it through 2024 as well. (I have a big tank purchased when my whole house was gas when we built it 27 years ago)

[getagrip_already]

2. safety issues aside, I've cooked on both, and I like induction better

I have had gas cook tops for 45 years, and grew up with coil electric (which sucked). I recently cooked on an induction cook top and was blown away with the speed and control of the heat I could bring to food and liquids.

I'm now a fan of induction cooking, and if my current stove needs replacing, I'll replace it with induction. Yeah, it's mre expensive, and I'll need new cookware. But hey, it's something I'll look at hard anyway.

[IbogaProject]

5. There is a thing you can transition with

A friend has an induction stove and they have a metal plate with a handle that can be put under any pan or pot that doesn't work with the induction. I guess there is a loss of efficiency with that but it is a way to help during the initial transition.

[70sEraVet]

3. I like to cook, and I prefer to cook on a gas stove.

As far as health risks, I feel certain that it is healthier to COOK meals in a gas oven than it is to HEAT frozen industrial-prepared meals in the microwave, and certainly its healthier than eating fast-food meals.
Also, I happen to live in a big, drafty one-hundred year old house, and I'm sure that any harmful gasses are escaping just as fast as the heat escapes!!

[Think. Again.]

4. This seems like...

...a completely irrelevant question and moot point.

As everyone over the age of 10 should be very well aware after more than 50 years of scientific warnings, we will have to stop using gas for cooking (and all other fossil fuels for anything else) as soon as we possibly can to reduce the massive harm that CO2 emissions are causing.

Are induction stoves somehow safer? That doesn't matter any more than whether automobiles are safer than horse-and-buggies.

[orthoclad]

11. I think they're safer in many ways

I'm using an inexpensive inductive hot plate for most non-oven cooking. It uses a 110VAC outlet, no special wiring.
-No open flame to burn me or catch things on fire
-no chance of gas leaks from the appliance or piping (there have been news stories of home explosions)
-it cools very quickly when done cooking
-it shuts off/pauses automatically if I remove the pan
-no combustion gases

And best of all, it runs efficiently on green electricity. My home fossil use is WAY down.

[relayerbob]

6. I far prefer induction

There is far less odor, so clearly there are fewer pollutants in the air. Also, can't light myself on fire leaning over. Also, it cooks more uniformly, heats water MUCH faster than gas, and is easier to clean. Also, way better than standard electric stoves.

I wouldn't go back to gas if they paid me doubled the cost of both stoves.

[Thunderbeast]

7. We are working to remove methane from our home

Recently replaced gas water heater with electric hybrid heat pump tank. We have started using a counter top induction burner to give the technology a try. We really like it so far. Will probably convert the gas cooktop this spring.

The next big conversion is to replace the AC system with a heat pump using the existing gas furnace as the backup. Our neighbors recently did this to create a hybrid heating plant.

We currently produce a net 100% of our power (including two cars) from rooftop solar. Adding a heat pump will require using grid power or expanding our solar array.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. "We have started using a counter top induction burner to give the technology a try."

I've given that some thought. Which one did you get? Which others did you look at?

Thanks.

[Thunderbeast]

9. Just picked this one from thr Bezos Evil Empire

Nuwave Flex Precision Induction Cooktop, 10.25” Shatter-Proof Ceramic Glass, 6.5” Heating Coil, 45 Temps from 100°F to 500°F, 3 Wattage Settings 600, 900 & 1300 Watts, Black https://a.co/d/9ItV3JL

[orthoclad]

10. I've been using an inductive hot plate

It was pretty cheap, way under $100.
I looked at resistive electric cooktops vs inductive ranges. Developing heat via electrical resistance is very inefficient; using induction is much more efficient.
The inductive ranges were far more expensive, and the oven is resistive heat anyway, so I went with the cheaper resistive-heat cooktop plus an inductive hot plate.
Any pan that a magnet won't stick to gets used on the resistive range; any magnetic pot goes on the inductive hot plate.
I far prefer cooking on the more efficient inductive hot plate which heats and cools quickly. I even canned on it. It boils water better than the resistive surface.

Any steel plate will got hot on an inductive surface. I keep thinking of picking up a piece of 1/4" steel scrap to use with nonmagnetic pots.

Having no combustion sources in the home should be a no-brainer for combustion gases in the home air, but I don't have the instruments to measure the difference since I switched. In any case, my fossil usage is measurably way down.