NGL as someone who jumped ship from the gas camp to induction, Induction is really incredible just how much better it is.
Everything about it is better with the exception of an annoying buzz from the induction on occasion.
- My carbon steel pans get to temp basically instantly.
- My cast iron gets to temp in a fraction of the time it took on my gas stove.
- It also works fantastically on my stainless steel pots and tbh it feels like I can get a pot of water to boil in half the time.
- Cleaning induction surfaces is way easier.
- For "specialty stuff" like woks, curved induction is so much cheaper, more convenient, safer, and more approachable than the equivalent gas setups.
This isn't me trying to suggest anyone should be forced to give up gas. It definitely has it's uses. However I really have to recommend trying out a nice, modern induction setup. They are like fucking magic.
Not just cheaper but more reliable. Here in New York I lose power several times a year - sometimes for multiple days at a time. In 5 decades I've never lost my gas.
+1, and the reliability point would be better as a top-level comment. Perhaps also noting the cost and environmental impacts of most stove-grade electrical backup systems.
Try searching for "UPS" on Amazon. How many of the search results would be capable of powering an electric stove (to cook meals) through a several-day electrical outage? If you looked at larger units (and generators) which were capable of doing that - what physical/electrical/safety issues would you face in actually connecting them to a typical residential stove? And once you're into the generators - those have their own fuel safety issues.
> Where in the western world can't you run an electric induction stove?
Anywhere that does not have electrical power available, during a power outage. Which the comment I was replying to very specifically pointed out.
Really? I think I’ve had 3 power cuts in 10 years (mostly in London), and none lasted more than 3 hours. What is so terrible about the state of electricity distribution in New York?
New York (the state, which is almost certainly what he's talking about) is mostly rural and has harsh winters. It gets a whole lot of snow dumped on it due to the lake effect. London winters are mild in comparison, and being a city, has more wires buried and thus protected anyway.
A lot of rural and semi-rural area, which leads to above ground power lines as it is more expensive to bury them. Add in trees to the mix and you have the recipe for power outages.
In the North East, usually a wet snow or freezing rain to ice will cause the branches to fall.
In the South, drought will often weaken the trees and winds will will do the rest.
Excessive rain can also cause problems when coupled with wind. The trees topple over, roots and all.
Hurricanes and tornadoes will often cause prolonged outages, note that the wind form these can reach far inland and beyond what we consider the edge of the hurricane.
I live in the Midwest, and we've had 2 instances of week-long power outages. Our power lines are overhead in many cases, and we have tornadoes. In 2012 we had an EF4 near here: 166-200mph winds! Overhead power lines do not handle flying trees very well. And even with high winds of 85mph, which is not uncommon, there are a lot of falling tree branches that cause downed power lines.
My newer neighborhood (25 years old) has buried power lines, but it's fed from overhead power lines, so we still have power issues. I'm not advocating for gas over electric, just giving some perspective from another part of the world.
> Basically instantly? How do induction hobs defy the laws of physics?
On an induction hob, the heat is generated by the pan itself. That’s the instant part. The pan itself heats more or less quickly depending mostly on its mass and what it’s made of.
A gas hob is much less efficient in the way heat is transmitted to the pan: the flame irradiates everywhere, not only on the pan, and the air around the flame and the pan moves, carrying heat by convection.
> If the massive difference is the pan type, why isn't it almost instant with gas?
A steel pan heats quickly because it’s light and thin. A cast iron pan heats slowly because it’s thick and heavy (kind of material also plays a role, but steel and cast iron are not too different in that respect).
> Or do gas hobs output way way less energy than an induction hob?
Off the top of my head I think they are comparable. It’s just that most of this heat is wasted.
Everything about it is better with the exception of an annoying buzz from the induction on occasion.
- My carbon steel pans get to temp basically instantly.
- My cast iron gets to temp in a fraction of the time it took on my gas stove.
- It also works fantastically on my stainless steel pots and tbh it feels like I can get a pot of water to boil in half the time.
- Cleaning induction surfaces is way easier.
- For "specialty stuff" like woks, curved induction is so much cheaper, more convenient, safer, and more approachable than the equivalent gas setups.
This isn't me trying to suggest anyone should be forced to give up gas. It definitely has it's uses. However I really have to recommend trying out a nice, modern induction setup. They are like fucking magic.