1. Do induction cooktops use more electricity?

Ans: No. Induction stoves need to use electricity to manipulate the magnetic property of steel and thus directly heating the cooking vessel. This makes them energy efficient and also use Less electricity than a simple electric stove.

2. Is cooking with an induction cooker/stove bad for your health?

Ans: It is true that an induction cooktop uses electromagnetic current thus it is ideal that you use magnetic cookware. There is also the fact that due to the induction nature of the cooktops, they MAY emit a low frequency radiation that is much like at the microwave frequency. This might bring up the question of how harmful electromagnetic fields and radiation emitting cooktops are but in reality, an induction cooktop is completely safe to use.

3. Are electric stoves dangerous?

Ans: An electric stove is as safe as you will handle it; much like a gas stove. Electric stoves come with flat surfaces that makes placing utensils on them easy. This is completely safe compared to the fire hazardous gas stoves. However, one needs to be careful while handling the electricity.

4. Do electric stoves use a lot of electricity?

Ans: Generally, electric stoves can use up to 2000 to about 5000 watts of energy averaging to about 3000 watts. On an average, it should not cost you more than 15 rupees per hour of usage or lesser depending on the efficiency of the stove you choose.

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Gas vs Electric vs Induction Stove: Which one should you buy?

Updated by

Apoorva

on Apr 12, 2021

Gas cooktops have inarguably been the preferred method of cooking for a long time. However, with the advent of induction stoves and electric cooktops, you might step into a realm of confusion in deciding the most suitable one for your modular kitchen.

To resolve this dilemma, we curated this article to help our readers figure out which kitchen cooktop to choose.

We provided an overview and notable differences of each type so that you can compare your options and make the best decision for your kitchen.

Let us take a closer look at each option below.

Different Types of Cooktops and their Pros vs Cons:

There is no separate establishment that out of all the fancy types, only the Gas, Electric and Induction are mainstream. Let us start with Gas stoves

Induction Cooktop

Induction cooking is one of the steadily growing kitchen trends across the world. The reason for the increasing popularity is the superior cooking technology that helped induction cooktop gain a foothold in the market.

How Does An Induction Cooktop Work?

Let us try to understand the working mechanism of the Induction Cooktop. It basically uses electromagnetism to generate heat and cook food. Unlike traditional cooktops that contain a burner, an induction stove has metal coils present beneath the surface that creates a magnetic field whenever you turn the power on.

When you place a pan or any vessel on top of that magnetic field, it heats the pan while allowing the surroundings of the cooktop to stay cooler. This is one of the greatest advantages of induction cooktops that no other cooktops can claim about.

Induction stoves have many automatic features embedded in them, making them safe, reliable, and efficient. The automatic shut-down feature of the cooktop enables it to turn off automatically the moment you lift any vessel from the stove.

Let us discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of an induction stove.

Pros

Induction stoves and cooktops are more energy-efficient when compared to electric or gas stoves.
In induction technology, there is no loss of heat in the transferring process.
Induction stoves and cooktops offer precise temperature control. Induction stoves and cooktops heat faster than their electric and gas counterparts.
Induction stoves offer a safer way to cook than electric or gas stoves.
They do not emit gas into the air, and they won’t catch objects, like dishcloths, on fire.
Induction stoves and cooktops maintain a cool cooking surface.

Cons

Induction stoves and cooktops are more expensive in comparison with electric and gas cooktops.
They work only with power. In case of a power interruption, you cannot cook your food on them.
You cannot use all kinds of utensils on them. They are ideal only for magnetic cooking vessels.

Electric Stove

Electric Stoves are the most common type of cooktops that are quite popular. They are basically of two types – coil cooktops and smooth ceramic top cooktops.

How Does An Electric Stove Work?

The key functionality of an electric stove is to produce heat without a flame. It contains electrical coils that help in heating the cooktop surface, thereby cooking the food.

Electric Coil Cooktops: As the name says, electric coil cooktops have coils on the surface of the cooktop surface, which are more vulnerable to spills. However, these are durable and compatible with any type of pans.

Smooth Ceramic Electric Cooktops: Smooth ceramic electric cooktops, like coil cooktops, have radiant elements beneath the ceramic surface. This gives this cooktop a smooth, sleek, and even cooking surface, further making it easy to clean.

The metal coils of the smooth ceramic electric cooktops offer a centralized heat for the utensils when cooking. These coils glow once they become hot and use infrared energy to transfer the same heat to the utensils through the glass or ceramic.

The infrared energy facilitates even transmission of energy to the pan or vessel placed on the burner. It allows heat transfer between the cooktop to the utensil, and then to the food inside. This is how your food gets cooked on an electric stove.

Even after you turn off the burner you are using, the device remains hot for a while. The appliance takes some time to cool down, giving you residual heat for a certain period. Most manufacturers, these days, offer electric cooktops that come with indicator lights. This feature tells the user once the burner cools down.

Let us discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of an electric stove.

Pros

An electric stove is safer than a gas stove as there is no fear of inflammation.
It has high energy efficiency when compared to traditional gas stoves and helps you save energy costs.
They transfer relatively release less heat to the surroundings than a typical gas stove.

Cons

An electric stove may take a longer time to heat than a gas stove.
There are chances of burning your hands when using this device.
They are not compatible with all kinds of vessels, except for those with a flat bottom.
They run only on electricity, and a power outage might hamper the cooking.

Gas Stoves

Gas Stoves are the most preferred option in many homes. Unlike an induction and electric cooktop, a gas stove uses a flame to heat the food. They offer instant heat and exceptional temperature control than an electric stove. You can easily adjust the flame to low or high, depending on your requirement.

How Does A Gas Stove Work?

As mentioned in the above paragraph, a gas stove uses a flame to cook the food. Moreover, they offer you a great amount of control over the heat, allowing distribution across the vessels.

A gas stove can be an expensive affair as the gas used may be costly. It may further shoot up depending on the demand and availability.

Pros

A gas stove has a wide range of availability.
Modern gas cooktops come with multiple burners that make cooking easier than ever.
They do not rely on electricity, and hence power cuts will not affect your cooking.
A gas cooktop is the most preferable and ideal for the Indian cooking style.
They are compatible with almost all types of utensils.
You can use utensils of any size on the gas stove, and there are no restrictions as such.

Cons

Gas leakage is dangerous as it may cause explosions. This may lead to severe burns and, sometimes, even death.
A gas stove can eventually heat the kitchen atmosphere and the surroundings.
You should not switch on your ceiling fan or keep the windows open when using a gas stove.
A gas stove can produce high amounts of CO2 in the air.