Is it Time to Replace Your Gas Stove with an Induction Range?

Induction ranges efficiently convert electric current into a magnetic field that heats the bottom of a pot or pan quickly. Instead of using the flame from your gas burner, you could begin using the more efficient induction heat source for cooking.

With federal government rebates in the works through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, it may be time for you to start considering the switch to induction cooking. Upcoming rebates will provide up to $840 instantly for replacing a gas range with an electric version. Additional rebates are available to help you revise wiring in your home to accommodate the conversion.

Is an Induction Range Really Better than a Gas Range?

It’s hard to give up what you know. If you’ve been using a gas range and you prefer it over an electric range, it may be hard for you to believe that an induction range would cook better than a gas range.

First, you’ll need to understand how an induction range is different from a conventional electric range.

How is an Induction Range Better than a Conventional Electric Range?

Granted, a conventional electric burner can’t heat the bottom of your pot or pan as quickly as a gas range. It also can’t control the heat as precisely as a gas range.

To be convinced that an induction range is better than a gas range, you’ll need to understand how an induction range is better than a conventional electric range.

• Induction elements heat cooking containers much faster than conventional electric burners (and gas burners).
• Induction cooktop elements are also more responsive than regular electric burners. Radiant burners retain heat and continue to heat the cooking container at the same level for a while when you turn the heat down. They also take a while to heat up when you increase the heat setting. Not so with induction elements. Changing the setting on induction elements results in immediate response – just as quickly as the response from changing the flame level on a gas burner.
• The cooktop surface on an induction range doesn’t get hot so it’s easier to clean up spills immediately when they occur.

Pointing out these differences between a conventional electric range and an induction range will help you understand how an induction range can out-perform a gas range in many aspects of cooking.

How Can an Induction Range Out-Perform a Gas Range?

Now that you know how an induction range is better than a conventional electric range, you’ll be able to understand how an induction range can be better than a gas range.

• If you like how quickly your gas range heats items on the cooktop, you’ll love how quickly an induction element can heat up items on the stove. Because an induction element directly heats up the bottom of the cooking container, it can typically boil water is less than 2 minutes – much faster than a gas range.
• An induction range is more responsive to temperature setting adjustments than a gas range. The magnetic field that excites and heats the metal cooking container doesn’t heat the surface below the pot or pan. Turn off an induction element and the only heat remaining is the residual heat in the cooking container. The grate under a cooking container on a gas range will continue to heat the container.
• It’s easier to clean spills immediately on an induction cooktop because the surface under the cooking container doesn’t get hot. Residual heat from the bottom of the cooking container is transferred to the cooktop surface but this heat dissipates quickly and is much less than heat transferred to the cooking surface and burner grate by a gas flame.
• If you accidentally leave an induction element turned on without a container on the burner, nothing will heat up. Not so with a gas range. A burner left on will continue to heat.
• Cooking with induction is safer than cooking with gas. Leaving an unlit gas burner on leads to catastrophic consequences – harmful gas emissions and fire/explosion hazards. Gas range flames also emit gasses that can reach harmful levels if flames aren’t adjusted properly. To prevent potential problems, have your gas range professionally checked and maintained yearly. You can also prevent these potential problems by replacing your gas range with an induction range.

Why Doesn’t Everyone Already Own an Induction Range?

This is a reasonable question. If induction ranges are so good, why doesn’t everyone own one?

The same question may be asked about electric automobiles. Although electric cars still have some challenges, many Americans are hesitant to give up gas-powered vehicles for electric ones. Even when electric vehicles offer many advantages over gas-powered vehicles, many people prefer to stick with what they know.

Fear of the unknown or unfamiliar is a powerful force preventing many cooks from switching to induction cooking. Knowing more about how induction ranges work may help you make a better decision about whether induction cooking is right for you.

If you’re still skeptical about whether switching from gas cooking to induction cooking is right for you, keep an eye out for those who already use an induction cooktop and get their opinion. Many cooks who now use induction cooktops swear by them and no longer think about using a gas range.

Making the switch from gas cooking to an induction range won’t just help keep your family safer, it’s better for the environment. Make that change if it’s right for you.