It’s Not Your Daddy’s Cooktop
A new generation of chefs are defining today’s gourmet appliances and the most consistent demand in home kitchens is the replacement of gas cooktops with allelectric induction. Induction technology offers precise temperatures without toxic fumes or risky open flame, have lower operating costs, require less ventilation and are easier to clean Gas cooktops, in comparison, produce unsafe pollutants sometimes even when not in use, are a fire risk for tenants, children and the elderly, and require much more labor intensity for chefs.
Aggressive carbon neutrality campaigns in many cities, states, countries, and institutes of higher education have awakened an entirely new generation to recognize that gas cooktops require the combustion of a fossil fuel in our homes. Since the 1930s, the gas industry has used advertising campaigns to convince Americans that cooking with a gas flame is superior to using electric heat. Like the tobacco industry’s glamorization of smoking cigarettes, these sleek industry campaigns worked to portray gas stoves a coveted symbol of class and sophistication, and it worked. The truth is that gas cooktops generate carbon monoxide, formaldehyde (a carcinogen), nitrogen dioxide (NO2, a respiratory irritant and asthmagen), and other nitrogen oxides into our homes.
Technology has also evolved, and cooking over gas is viewed as outdated with very little temperature control. Gas cooktops require constant supervision and an open flame. TikTok influencer chef Jon Kung, who boasts over 1.5 million followers, adopted induction years ago because it keeps his kitchen cool and his air cleaner. “Open flame gas cooking is a liability for landlords and short-term rental investments,” states Denise van den Bossche, a luxury home specialist who has sold many high priced short term rental investments A former Chapter Chair of the US Green Building Council and Legacy LEEDÔ Accredited ProfessionalÒ, van den Bossche continues, “But the toxicity of fossil fuels indoors is a significant health concern and even when not in use, gas cooktops can leak low levels of carcinogens such as Benzene, which causes leukemia.”
Today’s homebuyer is more educated than generations in the past, a fact which could be playing a significant role in the switch from gas to induction. Millennials, the largest generation in US history, accounted for 48% of all homebuyers in 2022, according to the NAR Generation Trends report. Collectively the most educated generation, 84% of these homebuyers have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, which may correlate with the second highest income and buying power. Gen Xers will inherit $30
Trillion in the next 2 decades, followed by millennials who will receive $27 trillion. This impending wealth transfer makes it impossible to dismiss the impact of these decision makers.
the home’s carbon footprint. A new generation of home buyers see induction technology as clearly a better option, as demonstrated by the investment manufacturers have made in their great looks.
The housing market collapsed in 2008 just as induction cooktops became an affordable and attractive option, which explains the slow adoption. Fast forward to a younger generation of homebuyers dominating the market in a much stronger economy with a great interest in the planet, more efficient appliances, we have the perfect conditions for induction to explode in popularity.
With induction, the heat is immediate, and cooktops can be set to precise temperatures, requiring much less supervision, and a high degree of consistent quality. In addition, ventilation and air change requirements are reduced, providing new architectural freedom in kitchen design. Benefits of induction includes a much higher degree of control, lower cost of operations and maintenance; safety; reduction of toxic emissions into the home; and reducing
We sleep, work, learn and entertain indoors anywhere between 10 to 24 hours each day, so our indoor air quality has a significant impact on our health. When the U.S. Green Building CouncilÔ was in its infancy in the 1990s, great attention was given Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and its impact on the health and safety of building occupants. Minimum IAQ criteria is a minimum requirement for a building to achieve a LEEDÒ baseline. However, this standard has advanced far beyond LEED.
Off-gassing, which is the term referring to the generation of carbon monoxide, is an indoor concern. Ironically, while consumers acknowledge carbon monoxide detectors are the current standard in buying a home, a gas cooktop off-gasses carbon when it operates correctly. The difference is that standards and mandates have not yet addressed this obvious counterdiction
How it works. Induction cooktops contain coils that produce an electromagnetic field. When a ferrous metal pan is place on the cooking surface, or hob, the electrical resistance of the pan converts the electromagnetic field to heat, causing the pan to get hot. Ideally, pans made specifically to
maximize the performance of induction cooktops should be used, but in a pinch, if a magnet sticks to the pan, it will work (aluminum and copper usually don’t). One the pot is removed from the cooktop; the electromagnetic field stops. The hob itself does not heat up, so the cooking surface remains relatively cool, retaining only some residual heat from the pan.
new construction, a trend moving at a much faster pace overseas.
Safer. Because the hobs themselves do not get hot, users are not likely to burn themselves, there is far less fire risk in the kitchen and there is no chance of catastrophic explosions from gas infrastructure. Easier to Clean. Induction hobs have a virtually unbreakable smooth glass surface, making them easy to wipe down. Outdoor kitchens. Many luxury homes are equipped with outdoor kitchens, a great way to accommodate those cooking styles that require an open flame, such as barbeque, sir fry, and tandoor.
Global Climate Change Concerns. The NOx compounds emitted from gas stoves are not only occupational hazards indoors, but when released into the environment they can also contribute to smog, acid rain, and eutrophication of waterways. Countries outside the U.S. have been quicker to adapt. Natural gas (methane) has a global warming potential 28 times higher than that of CO2. Many cities, states and institutions of higher education have banned gas cooktops in
EMFs. As with all electronics in the home, all electric cooktops provide exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs). EMFs are emitted from your television, computers, hairdryer and toaster. However, the impact of gas cooktop toxins may be significantly greater, and add the burn risks and accidental fires, especially when occupants include children, the elderly, tenants or employees
Brain health. As baby boomers seek assisted living for family members and become aware of the growing need for memory care, they are questioning the role that indoor air quality has played over the years on brain health. The popularity of the gas cooktop can be traced to industry advertising campaigns, and can be compared to the glamorization of cigarettes by the tobacco industry. Commercial kitchens provide the same issues, on a much greater level. In hospitals and assisted living, IAQ is critical, from the spread of infection, to implications on its connection to diseases including Alzheimer’s.
Denise van den Bossche is a Legacy LEED APÒ, past Chair of the Arizona U.S. Green Building Council Ô, a Charter member of the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) and has had a 4decade long career in Metro Phoenix real estate. You can reach Denise at 602-980-0737