eCooking - transition from gas to induction

eCooking- that’s cooking with electricity - not Eric Cooking. The centrepiece in most kitchens is the range oven/stove top or hobs/burners.  eCooking with stove tops means induction stove tops. But things have changed so we use a few other electric devices to cook with now - air fryers, microwaves, pressure cookers, slow cookers and sandwich presses

Want to read more about transitioning from gas to induction stove tops then get into Chapter 7 in “My efficient electric home handbook” by Tim Forcey. It’s at your local library if you just want to read the chapter. Tim has the details on how to get off gas in your home and transition to electricity.

 

Me, I’ve just placed a 2000 watt Germanica camping induction hob on top of my original kitchen combustion stove and next to my 15 year old gas stove with electric oven.

 

Why did I do this?  To learn to cook with induction.  To challenge myself and to work out what is needed before I remodelled my kitchen around an induction stove.

 

Now I used to run my own little cafe pre pandemic and we had gas to cook with.  People in the hospitality industry 10 years ago were saying hospitality will never change to electric cooktops and the electric stoves being built then were $24,000. Now you’d get the same industrial stove and oven for under $12,000 and a stand alone 4 hob stove top only from between $4-$6,000.  And businesses are changing.  And so is the food they are cooking, as has the food we are cooking at home too.

 

The food and recipes you cook determines the equipment you need. As does the number of people you cook for.  Are you a pre-packaged food person or a cook skilled in cooking from scratch?  Or a bit of both.  Are you cooking for a family of five or just  two in the empty nest? Are you time poor but have good cashflow?  These are all things that will determine your cooking style.

 

With a single induction hob, an air fryer, an electric jug and a microwave you can bang up some quick meals for two or three peeps.  Add another induction hob and you can whip up pasta and a delicious sauce in no time.

 

Let’s place all these other devices aside and focus on induction cooktops, they require the biggest changes.  

Benefits of induction cooking

• No noxious or toxic gas in your kitchen space. No asthma symptoms.  Do you need any more reasons to change to induction cooking?
• They are quick -1 litre of water boils in less than 4 mins.
• They are efficient. 96% of the energy goes into cooking.  Gas is less than 30%
• Responsive- they give you precise heat each time.
• Your pans stay clean-inside and out.  No baked oils or food stuffs to scour off.
• Little to no residual heat on the hob.
• No flame to set fat alight, or tea towels.
• Hard to leave burners on, especially if there are no pots on the hob.
• You get a $140 discount off your new induction range (oven and stove top)

 

Tim Forcey summarizes these benefits of induction cooking more succinctly than me -

• Cleaner
• Healthier
• Safer
• Cheaper to operate
• Faster and more responsive

 

Negatives  

• You are likely to have to buy new saucepans.
• You may need to upgrade the fuse of your oven.
• Need to educate the rest of your household in how to use the stove.
• When there is no knob to turn, digital +/- are hard for able-bodied people but harder for elderly, vision impaired, young people and people with reduced cognitive function.  Just saying!  Go for knobs.
• You still need an extraction fan and you have to clean it:(. On this matter, you should be putting your air fryer under your extraction fan to suck up those pesky air pollutants.

 

Here are a few responses to Yeah but induction cooking doesn’t…

 

My saucepans don’t work on induction.  A new set of commercial stainless steel pans cost me $350. They are good and will last me another 30 years.  That’s $12 a year. Oh and get yourself a good sized stock pot and make some stews, soups and stocks and bulk meals to freeze and save yourself some money and time.

 

My wok won’t work on induction.  How many times a year do you actually stir fry a meal, and do it properly?  Like get that charred effect?  2-3 times?  Great, ditch the wok and go get takeout.  Or stir fry in the biggest saucepan you have. Lets not get into the discussion about the negative health effects of eating charred food either.

 

It’s too hard to learn.  That’s ok, no one is forcing you to change.  But it’s actually fun to learn something new, it shows your kids you are smart and intelligent, and builds some extra neural pathways in the brain.

 

It cooks too fast.  Since when has speed ever mattered before?  Okay what we are dealing with here is change.  I know you can do it.  Just put the toast on and have it buttered on the place before you put your eggs in the pan to fry.

 

The cooking is uneven in the frypan.  Yes, induction cooking is just a little uneven.  It heats up just off center on the stoves I have used.  But you are smart.  You move the pan to the perfect location on the hob.  You move the pancakes around so they cook evenly and you adjust the heat as needed. It’s what you did with your gas stove when the draft caused the pans to heat unevenly.

 

Now I think you've got this.  Here in Wangaratta head to Fletchers Supplies for some good quality saucepans.  Go find your perfect induction stove top or range set, or just go get an induction camping stove and start eCooking.  Go chat with your friendly electrician and they’ll check things out and get your induction stove installed. 

Now of course you need to tell me whether becoming a fully fledged eCook brought a spark to your life and cleaned up your cooking act in your kitchen.