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Why are people so attached to gas stoves when we have induction anyways? I love to cook and have a gas stove, but I bought my parents an induction unit a while

Why are people so attached to gas stoves when we have induction anyways? I love to cook and have a gas stove, but I bought my parents an induction unit a while back. Sure it can't provide an open flame, but the ludicrous speed at which it heats things up vastly outweighs that drawback. And not having to worry about ventilation nearly as much as just a bonus. My range hood needs to be on full tilt when I cook over long periods of time or the air gets "stuffy"

metalforever 4y ago
Electric is old and the Bay Area is shitty about approving building permits
Baeocystin 4y ago
Because cooking with gas provides more, and better, temperature control than even very expensive induction setups. If you stir fry, there is no comparison. Also, low temp induction sucks. Even good units do low-frequency PWM to approximate low heat settings that come naturally with gas. Induction is a big step forward compared to the older, resistive-style electric elements, and there's a lot to like about it. But what it isn't, is a good replacement for gas, at least as it currently stands.
- rgmerk 4y ago
  Haven’t tried stir frying yet (and I’ve read claims that any home and even restaurant wok burner can’t match the flavour from the very high-power outdoor gas burners used on the streets of Asia) but low temp induction works just fine, thanks. My $50 Ikea hotplate does a better job at very low heat than our gas burners, on-off cycling and all. Indeed, if you’re keen, you can buy specialist induction hotplates with connected thermometer probes that can give you way more precise control than gas ever could. Pricey but if you’re into fancy stuff like tempering chocolate they are excellent.
  - Baeocystin 4y ago
    Wok cooking at home doesn't require anything crazy, just a wok ring/burner setup, like millions of folks already have. A rough BTU breakdown for familiar comparison is ~7-10k BTU max for an average American home-cooking gas cooktop, ~15-20k BTU for an average Chinese one. Restaurants are in the 100k+ category because of volume as much as anything. Speaking from personal preference, A ~50-75k BTU burner/ring setup is just fine; I don't need to cook larger volumes. When doing single-serving-sized batches, the indoor 20k is ok, too. Now, can I cook in general using electric? Of course. Can I cook and achieve the flavors and composition I want with it? Not entirely, and yes, that matters to me. Outside of BTU discussions, I toast a lot of veggies over an open flame to get that nice, flavorful char. You can also dry heat them on a comal or the like, but it isn't the same. [edit] FWIW, I would still love to try one of the commercial, 3-phase induction woks some day.
- BoorishBears 4y ago
  yeah... if induction is good enough for the French Laundry to do pastry work with, you might just be overblowing the difference. The average gas range doesn't have open burners so even with a wok you're not going to touch "authentic" stir fry. So even half decent cookware should have enough thermal mass to make near equivalent dishes on induction or gas. At the end of the day induction isn't a 1:1 replacement for gas, but the places where induction excels are factors you appreciate every single day. Gas excels in corners cases which, again coming someone who's exclusively had gas ranges for the last decade, aren't as strong as induction's strengths.
rhinoceraptor 4y ago
The only real advantage is for woks, for that you need a special induction burner and wok.
xboxnolifes 4y ago
> Why are people so attached to gas stoves when we have induction anyways? People are attached to gas stoves because the usual alternative you see in rented units is shitty electric stoves bought at the lowest cost, not induction.
- hamandcheese 4y ago
  As an SF apartment dweller, this is my main concern. My apartment has a shitty stove, but you know what? At least it's gas. If it gets replaced, I am 110% sure it will not be with a nice induction stove. It will be with the cheapest electric stove that's available.
  - sgc 4y ago
    There might be a code cycle lag, but they will mandate induction as well I am sure, because it is more energy efficient than older style electric stoves. https://www.energystar.gov/about/2021_residential_induction_cooking_tops https://www.energystar.gov/about/2021_residential_induction_...
  - rendall 4y ago
    The article mentions that gas stoves are not affected by the ban
- BoorishBears 4y ago
  I live in SF and rent. Induction cooktops aren't as inherently expensive as the price implies: here in the US we don't really use them, so there's just little demand. When I went to buy my parents that induction stove, the bottom of the ranges offered were induction versions of the top non-induction stoves because they need the highest possible margins to justify the tiny market. Just an induction cooktop starts in the $700 range, when they start for less than half that in the UK. This could easily be the start of normalizing induction in the US, and that's not a bad thing.
King-Aaron 4y ago
Personally, I like cooking over gas because it gives me a level of nostalgia for cooking over open flame - when we were kids we had a wood combustion stove, and spent a lot of time camping in the bush cooking over open fires. The only singular objective benefit to gas vs induction is the ability to use any old cookware over an open flame instead of needing an induction pot or pan. But that's about it, other than the emotional attachment which I feel and I'm sure others feel. In this day and age however, that's probably not good enough of a reason to stick with combustion cooking.
achenatx 4y ago
when the power went out for 5 days two weeks ago, I could run the entire house on a $1200 generator. The gas furnace (600 watts), gas stove, gas dryer, and gas water heater used very little electricity. At some point Ill connect the generator to the natural gas line too. My friend with a brand new heat pump could not run the heatpump off his generator (6kw). I do like induction and use an induction hotplate for a few things and actually wouldnt mind having an induction stove with a small propane stove for when the power goes out.
- AdamJacobMuller 4y ago
  I'm surprised your gas furnace uses that much power, is that forced hot air or baseboard? My hot water heater circulation pumps use around 200W for both, and the air circulators for my central air only use 300W (the actual cooling of course uses way more).
dehrmann 4y ago
I have an old gas stove that doesn't require electric. The burner knobs basically connect to valves. There's so little to go wrong, it's incredibly reliable. Induction has chips and stuff.
Drunk_Engineer 4y ago
Your comment is off-topic. This proposal would not apply to gas stoves, only furnaces and hot water heaters.
AlbertCory 4y ago
Not exactly what the Reddit'ers say: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/10q188u/anyone_switch_over_to_induction_after/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/10q188u/anyone_swi... So now it's not just "you need an expensive induction unit" but "you shouldn't get the touch-control units that everyone is selling"? And before anyone says "the proposal doesn't cover stoves" that's obviously going to be the other shoe to drop.
- BoorishBears 4y ago
  Touch capacitive buttons aren't an induction thing: they're a new appliances thing. My gas stove uses touch buttons for the oven. Plenty of crappy resistive electric cooktops use touch controls. In fact the same people making those cheap units you're complaining about do the same thing for gas: https://cindychenzs.en.ec21.com/Touch_Button_Gas_Stove--7335090_7347210.html https://cindychenzs.en.ec21.com/Touch_Button_Gas_Stove--7335... Of course, it's also kind of silly to act like that's the focus when of the first 20 or so replies, 16 of them are people confirming they enjoyed the switch...

metalforever 4y ago

Electric is old and the Bay Area is shitty about approving building permits

Baeocystin 4y ago

Because cooking with gas provides more, and better, temperature control than even very expensive induction setups. If you stir fry, there is no comparison. Also, low temp induction sucks. Even good units do low-frequency PWM to approximate low heat settings that come naturally with gas. Induction is a big step forward compared to the older, resistive-style electric elements, and there's a lot to like about it. But what it isn't, is a good replacement for gas, at least as it currently stands.

rgmerk 4y ago
Haven’t tried stir frying yet (and I’ve read claims that any home and even restaurant wok burner can’t match the flavour from the very high-power outdoor gas burners used on the streets of Asia) but low temp induction works just fine, thanks. My $50 Ikea hotplate does a better job at very low heat than our gas burners, on-off cycling and all. Indeed, if you’re keen, you can buy specialist induction hotplates with connected thermometer probes that can give you way more precise control than gas ever could. Pricey but if you’re into fancy stuff like tempering chocolate they are excellent.
- Baeocystin 4y ago
  Wok cooking at home doesn't require anything crazy, just a wok ring/burner setup, like millions of folks already have. A rough BTU breakdown for familiar comparison is ~7-10k BTU max for an average American home-cooking gas cooktop, ~15-20k BTU for an average Chinese one. Restaurants are in the 100k+ category because of volume as much as anything. Speaking from personal preference, A ~50-75k BTU burner/ring setup is just fine; I don't need to cook larger volumes. When doing single-serving-sized batches, the indoor 20k is ok, too. Now, can I cook in general using electric? Of course. Can I cook and achieve the flavors and composition I want with it? Not entirely, and yes, that matters to me. Outside of BTU discussions, I toast a lot of veggies over an open flame to get that nice, flavorful char. You can also dry heat them on a comal or the like, but it isn't the same. [edit] FWIW, I would still love to try one of the commercial, 3-phase induction woks some day.
BoorishBears 4y ago
yeah... if induction is good enough for the French Laundry to do pastry work with, you might just be overblowing the difference. The average gas range doesn't have open burners so even with a wok you're not going to touch "authentic" stir fry. So even half decent cookware should have enough thermal mass to make near equivalent dishes on induction or gas. At the end of the day induction isn't a 1:1 replacement for gas, but the places where induction excels are factors you appreciate every single day. Gas excels in corners cases which, again coming someone who's exclusively had gas ranges for the last decade, aren't as strong as induction's strengths.

rhinoceraptor 4y ago

The only real advantage is for woks, for that you need a special induction burner and wok.

xboxnolifes 4y ago

> Why are people so attached to gas stoves when we have induction anyways? People are attached to gas stoves because the usual alternative you see in rented units is shitty electric stoves bought at the lowest cost, not induction.

hamandcheese 4y ago
As an SF apartment dweller, this is my main concern. My apartment has a shitty stove, but you know what? At least it's gas. If it gets replaced, I am 110% sure it will not be with a nice induction stove. It will be with the cheapest electric stove that's available.
- sgc 4y ago
  There might be a code cycle lag, but they will mandate induction as well I am sure, because it is more energy efficient than older style electric stoves. https://www.energystar.gov/about/2021_residential_induction_cooking_tops https://www.energystar.gov/about/2021_residential_induction_...
- rendall 4y ago
  The article mentions that gas stoves are not affected by the ban
BoorishBears 4y ago
I live in SF and rent. Induction cooktops aren't as inherently expensive as the price implies: here in the US we don't really use them, so there's just little demand. When I went to buy my parents that induction stove, the bottom of the ranges offered were induction versions of the top non-induction stoves because they need the highest possible margins to justify the tiny market. Just an induction cooktop starts in the $700 range, when they start for less than half that in the UK. This could easily be the start of normalizing induction in the US, and that's not a bad thing.

King-Aaron 4y ago

Personally, I like cooking over gas because it gives me a level of nostalgia for cooking over open flame - when we were kids we had a wood combustion stove, and spent a lot of time camping in the bush cooking over open fires. The only singular objective benefit to gas vs induction is the ability to use any old cookware over an open flame instead of needing an induction pot or pan. But that's about it, other than the emotional attachment which I feel and I'm sure others feel. In this day and age however, that's probably not good enough of a reason to stick with combustion cooking.

achenatx 4y ago

when the power went out for 5 days two weeks ago, I could run the entire house on a $1200 generator. The gas furnace (600 watts), gas stove, gas dryer, and gas water heater used very little electricity. At some point Ill connect the generator to the natural gas line too. My friend with a brand new heat pump could not run the heatpump off his generator (6kw). I do like induction and use an induction hotplate for a few things and actually wouldnt mind having an induction stove with a small propane stove for when the power goes out.

AdamJacobMuller 4y ago
I'm surprised your gas furnace uses that much power, is that forced hot air or baseboard? My hot water heater circulation pumps use around 200W for both, and the air circulators for my central air only use 300W (the actual cooling of course uses way more).

dehrmann 4y ago

I have an old gas stove that doesn't require electric. The burner knobs basically connect to valves. There's so little to go wrong, it's incredibly reliable. Induction has chips and stuff.

Drunk_Engineer 4y ago

Your comment is off-topic. This proposal would not apply to gas stoves, only furnaces and hot water heaters.

AlbertCory 4y ago

Not exactly what the Reddit'ers say: https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/10q188u/anyone_switch_over_to_induction_after/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/10q188u/anyone_swi... So now it's not just "you need an expensive induction unit" but "you shouldn't get the touch-control units that everyone is selling"? And before anyone says "the proposal doesn't cover stoves" that's obviously going to be the other shoe to drop.

BoorishBears 4y ago
Touch capacitive buttons aren't an induction thing: they're a new appliances thing. My gas stove uses touch buttons for the oven. Plenty of crappy resistive electric cooktops use touch controls. In fact the same people making those cheap units you're complaining about do the same thing for gas: https://cindychenzs.en.ec21.com/Touch_Button_Gas_Stove--7335090_7347210.html https://cindychenzs.en.ec21.com/Touch_Button_Gas_Stove--7335... Of course, it's also kind of silly to act like that's the focus when of the first 20 or so replies, 16 of them are people confirming they enjoyed the switch...