I didn’t see any discussion of space available in the OP. I was suggesting two smaller cooktops in place of one big one; two 24" units is only 1 foot more than 1 (normal) 36" unit, so good chance such a setup could fit but would of course require some cabinet work.
My Bluestar cooktop has front-facing knobs, but it’s now around 17 years old and I don’t know much about the current line up. But surely there are some out there.
Also, possibly some updated electrical work if putting in both and upgrading the hood! We recently did a bathroom remodel and were shocked to discover we’d also need to upgrade our electrical cabinets because of the toilet and tub being installed.
I think what you and kaleo are debating is the difference of total energy efficiency vs local energy efficiency. At your home, in your kitchen, an induction cooktop is definitely more efficient than any other heating methods (gas, electric coil…). I remember induction is about 80-90% efficient. Gas stove is maybe on average 40%? Something like that.
However, in order to generate the electricity for the induction cooktop, the local power plants are probably burning coal and gas. From what I found, natural gas power plants are about 40-60% efficient. So, let’s say 50%. On average there is about 5% energy loss from the power plants to your house. Long story short, the question has a lot of variables. The “three times more efficient” than gas is the very ideal situation and only looking at your cooktop. It does not account how the electricity is being produced. All in all, there maybe some energy saving, but certainly not by 2-3 folds.
Conversely, one can also be a smartass and say “Gas stoves improve environment by reducing the number of power plants and their emission”, right? Of course, that would be not be accounting the total information and total facts. What if someone said that to you? Gas stoves reduce coal power plant.
Thus, only talking about induction cooking is 2-3 times more efficient than gas cooking at my home is also not including all information.
I don’t have “the total information and total facts”, but where I live I do have a choice of “no preference” or “sustainably produced (solar, wind, hydroelectric)” power. I chose the latter.
Plus, when I built this place 20 years ago, propane was 80-90 cents/gallon, and went with it for heat, hot water, and kitchen appliances.
These days it is more like $3.50/gallon, and have swapped out everything but the furnace for electric (and wished I went with a heat pump initially).
So we all need to consider what choices we make based on the pricing as well as the sustainability of the energy we purchase based on the choices available in our region… but I am comfortable with mine (except for that damn furnace).
I don’t think there is such a thing – it’s essentially a misnomer, if not oxymoron. Especially if you are considering it from a macro level, or as Chem frames it – “total energy efficiency” point of view.
Look, I get that you are a gashead, but am curious if you would remain so if it quadruples in cost while electricity stays fairly linear.
Plus your characterization of solar, wind, and hydro being an “oxymoron” in terms of it being more sustainable then coal or gas just baffles me.
Plus you seem really argumentative… not just here, but in other threads as well. Have you considered just presenting alternatives as opposed to just shutting down other points of view?
Technology will improve for generating sustainable energy. If they don’t, we won’t be here for long. That IMHO is something we all need to consider when possible.
Understanding where you are coming up. All I am saying it is not a slam dunk that induction cooking will greatly improve our energy requirement. Moreover, there are other creative way to improve energy efficient.
Pots and pans that themselves absorb more flame heat.
That will be difficult… considering that most of our electricity is from natural gas and coal. I don’t know about the solar, wind and hydro “sustainably produced”. I have my thought on that, but I will let ipsedixit does his explanation.
I am actually quite positive about induction cooking, and I do think it is a good thing for people to consider these options. I just hope people not be so extreme in explanation. The total energy efficiency of induction cooking being 3 times better than natural gas cooking is simply not true. That is as true as someone saying… gas stove heating will reduce number of coal power plants (kind of true, but misleading)
The source of electricity varies greatly across the country. Here in Upstate NY, more than 90% of our electricity is from hydro or wind. But the conundrum is that, per joule, electricity costs between two and four times what natural gas does. And the differential is growing as electricity rates increase to pay for decades of deferred grid maintenance and upgrades. That said, were I building a new house today, I would likely opt for a ground-source heat pump.
Natural gas is far cleaner than coal on paper, however, so much methane leaks into the atmosphere because of lax industry practices that one professor at Cornell University has calculated that replacing coal with fracked natural gas leads to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions because methane is some 16 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than is CO2.
These are definitely a good thing, but one of the most common arguments I have read here regarding switching to induction is “I don’t want to have to replace my cookware”.
OK (c; that’s a pretty useless argument, but is a real consideration for some.
As for others, I am not sure what (outside of wok cookery) folks need from fossil fuels… and real wok cookery is almost as impossible on most gas ranges as electric.
But that HAS to, and will change.
Yep… natural gas is still cheap, as was propane 20 years ago. But as it is not sustainable, who’s to say when it quadruples in price just like propane.
Like I mentioned above, your decision based on your region has to be made on both cost consideration and hopefully environmental impact. Where I live, the cheapest way to heat my house is with wood stoves/fireplaces (it is allowed in my county), but I never considered it.
I agree. I think the other argument is that it is difficult to monitor and enforce people buying a certain cookware vs certain stove.
Even for wok cooking, there are induction wok stovetops. Expensive of course. From residential to commercial. They are not as good as gas (for other reasons), but induction is possible.
Again, as I have said, I am not against induction cooking, but I think people need to not use the very extreme/special and exaggerated information.
Wow! That is an induction wok station?! Who makes it?
That’s impressive. The rest of the state (or the state taken as a whole) appears to have nearly 70% electricity generated from burning natural gas. So I wonder if that goes to your comment about costs, e.g., is electricity cheaper in other parts of the state? Or are there other reasons why your electricity is so costly?
Chem,
To get into cost/benefit/sustainability for different energy systems is one hell of a stretch for a site like Hungry Onion. Don’t you ever decide something is–or should be–material for a different blog, and require substantial background for any meaningful discussion?
Hi Leo,
I’m aware that Cornell got involved very early in the fracking debate, and has been very helpful in energy discussion since.
I miss my time spent in upstate New York at Ithaca.
NYC is getting more of its electricity from natural gas because of the closure, unwise in the view of many myself include, of the Indian Point nuclear powerplant. There is a fair bit of activity in the wind power arena near here just northwest of the Catskills. And there are plans for off-shore wind projects off of Long Island.
It isn’t that electricity is all that expensive here–in fact, what I pay is near or even slightly below the national average–but that natural gas is inexpensive because of fracking in Pennsylvania. The average cost of energy in NY is close to the regional average but considerably lower Upstate. Our electricity comes from Niagara Falls and from Québec.
I think several manufacturers make them. There are the residential version, and the commercial kitchen versions. I haven’t followed for a long time, but the top end induction wok stoves are very powerful. Not any less powerful than gas stove. In addition, a big benefit is to keep the commercial kitchen cooler. If we think normal kitchen is hot, think of those Chinese commercial kitchen.
One of the difficulty things about induction cooking for wok is that the chef often lift the wok and toss the foods. Some of these induction wok stoves allow this.
【商用專業電磁爐系列】核心技術概覽(中文版) - YouTube
Here is another video
Can induction cookers toss wok? find out in cooking competition. - YouTube
I think there are some trade-off for the wok using restaurants. Some pluses and some minuses
Look at how fast the wok heated up from the moment he turned from the power setting from 4 to 8. (~0:58). The wok got literally got smoking hot.
I am as left wing as people get, yet I listen to people who possess a PhD in the field.
