Coloradans warming up to induction cooking
As natural gas costs have hit utility customers hard and Colorado makes new moves toward a new energy economy, the topic of induction stoves is coming up in kitchen debates more and more.
While higher in initial cost, the electric stoves do save on energy.
Shoppers are asking chef Mark Kalix, who carries the title "celebrity chef" with Appliance Factory stores. Induction stoves have been around for decades, but with recent improvements have become more attractive.
"It makes the cookware the heat source," explained Kalix. Induction cooking uses a magnetic field to create oscillation in magnetic pans, heating the pan. It means less heat loss during cooking.
"That transfer of heat going straight into the cookware as opposed to having to go into the atmosphere and then back into the pan," explained Kalix, "You skip that step and it ends up being faster and more energy efficient because things just cook faster."
The stoves draw a lot of electricity. In fact, most homes will need an electrician, who likely will have to add amperage, increasing the initial cost. That is on top of the fact that induction stoves cost about twenty percent more than gas equivalents. And like electric vehicles, most of the induction stoves on the market are higher-end models. Low-cost models are simply not available.
That said, operating costs are likely to be lower due to faster cooking. Home models develop a great deal more heat than gas stoves.
"It's almost double the BTUs of a gas range," said Kalix. The stoves can provide both higher and lower heat than gas. Unlike gas, they are able to be adjusted down to barely over 100 degrees for warming. Pans need to be magnetic, but that includes cast iron pans as well as steel. But not aluminum. Since the pan heats up not the element beneath, the cooktop gets warm only from the heat of the pan.
Demand will be tempered not only by cost but adoption, says Kalix: "When a full electric restaurant becomes the norm, that's when the homeowner is going to experience maybe not having a gas range in their home anymore." That's because many home chefs want what the pros have.
"Gas isn't going anywhere," Kalix said. "Particularly in commercial restaurants where you need a gas stove to make a great steak. Or you need a gas wok cooker to make General Tso's chicken." Steaks are often grilled on open flames at restaurants and big wok dishes are tossed to bring in the flame.
"When you toss the food, it tickles the flames as it shoots back into the pan," Kalix explained. "You cannot get that without that big wok range with the flame that shoots up four feet."
But that's not practical in homes. Induction stoves require less ventilation. Indoor pollution is a growing concern after some recent air studies. There can of course, be smoke from food, so Kalix does not recommend going without. Another trick to learn is timing.
More rapid cooking means changing expectations and more than one cook making the transition to induction has left things on too long. But as talk of not allowing new gas lines increases, homeowners may seek a new frontier. "Because it's faster. It has a higher high and a lower low," said Kalix. "And you're going to see the difference when you get your utility bill."