Gas stoves: While the seemingly innocuous kitchen appliance is a staple in about 35 percent of American homes, there’s been a lot of debate about their safety in the past months, sparked by a tweet from Richard Trumka Jr., commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, indicating that there’s a possibility for regulation in the future.
This is because research indicates that the stoves could be cause for concern both for your health and for the environment. A 2022 study from researchers at Stanford University showed that gas stoves emit both nitrous dioxide, which can lead to health issues such as asthma, and methane gas, a powerful greenhouse gas.
With those factors in mind, it may be time for some gas stove owners to begin considering alternatives. But how do you know what options will work in your kitchen, and what type of appliance will work best?
Mark Romeo, the general manager at Manassas-based appliance store Appliance Connection, weighs in on some of the options that are available on the market.
Evaluate Your Kitchen’s Needs
Before you start picking out a new range, there’s more that goes into replacing a stove than just the appliance itself.
First, it’s important to evaluate whether your kitchen has the electrical capacity to support an induction or electric stove. Romeo says that both induction and electric stoves tend to use more electricity than gas ones, meaning that it’s possible for a new appliance to overpower the breaker unless it’s evaluated first.
The ventilation is an important factor. Stovetops can produce air pollution in your home in a few different ways: gas emissions are getting the most attention these days, but heat displacement and smoke from cooking food can also contribute to the air quality. No matter the type of stove, effective ventilation is essential to safe cooking.
With that in mind, the first step in replacing a stove is really to have an expert come to your home for a consultation to analyze your current setup and let you know what appliances are compatible with your kitchen, or what changes you’ll need to make to the wiring or ventilation.
Once that’s done, it’s time to choose the type of stovetop you want to cook on. There are a lot of options on the market, which basically boil down to electric versus induction.
Electric
The first type, electric stoves, have been a popular option for a long time, Romeo says, especially for their easy clean-up and low cost. The technology uses metal coils as a radiant element, which are powered by electricity to heat the pan from below. Those coils can either be exposed or covered in a panel of glass to form a sleeker, easier-to-clean option.
This system does have some drawbacks, Romeo says.
“It’s not very efficient as far as transferring energy. Heat energy doesn’t do well transferring through glass windows,” he says.
This means that the heat likely won’t be as evenly distributed across your pan, giving you less control over the product. It will also take longer for the pan to heat up and cool down than gas or induction methods, slowing cooking times and leaving the stove hot for longer once you’re done.
Induction
This is where induction comes in. These stoves use electromagnetic technology to heat the pan rather than a radiant element.
“That magnet is sending that energy to the cooking vessel – the pot – and turning that pot, essentially, into [the] heating element,” Romeo says.
Induction stovetops are one of the most popular alternatives for people looking to swap from gas, according to Romeo, because that magnetic system provides a high degree of control and speed.
“Induction technology gives you the controllability and flexibility gas style cooking but with the convenience and safety of electric,” he says.
An unexpected quirk is that, since magnets are an essential part of cooking, whether your pots and pans will work with an induction stove depends on the type of metal they’re made of. Not sure if yours are induction compatible? Romeo says that a quick trick to find out is to try to place a refrigerator magnet on the bottom – if it sticks, the pan will work.
One drawback is that induction stoves tend to be the more expensive option.
“They’re still a little bit on the expensive side,” Romeo says. “Gas was always a little bit more than traditional radiant electric cooktops, and induction is a little bit more of a premium.”
Still, he stresses that there are a wide range of options on the market for both electric and induction, noting that appliance dealers will be able to guide customers to help them find options that work with their home and their budget.
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