this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023
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I have been expecting this to happen at some point. I like my gas cooking as well, but have been experimenting with other options to try to prepare for the future (and because the price of gas is rising so quickly). The induction works pretty well, even though I only have a cheap portable unit. More expensive units would minimise a lot of my issues with it. From reading I have done I think the technology has improved a lot too, so people who have tried very old units might be less impressed.
My two main issues are wok cooking and preserving. There are wok compatible burners, but they are expensive and inflexible. I think my cast-iron wok could work well on a better stove, but the portable burner overheats and shuts down. The preserving is a bit more of an issue, as I use a large aluminium pressure-canner, and they do not work well with most electric stoves - partly a matter of the weight on glass stoves, and also issues with the way the heat control works. I'm still working on a solution for that one. But it's not really an urgent issue, as I can't see a new build being anywhere in my immediate future.
Fwiw I went from induction to gas and I hate it. The speed and accuracy of induction vs gas, while also not needing the same level of venting, is just vastly superior. It's also just safer with kids around. If my kid flipped the induction burner on nothing happens if there's no metal.. where the gas is now a live flame or gas pouring out. Heavily prefer induction, personally.
I wonder if steel plates placed under aluminum cookware would solve the second problem
You can get plates to use under aluminium pots, although I don't think they are as good as a decent pot. Preserving is a bit more complicated (and a bit of a niche issue) as it involves a very large and heavy pot, which is kept at high temperature for a long time. So there are issues with the size of burners, whether the stove can support the weight, staying hot for a long time, and maintaining a consistant temperature and not fluctuating. I'm currently looking into a portable commercial solid-plate electric burner. It's pricey, but if it works then I won't need to worry about the future gas price rises changes, and will have the ability to take it outside in hot weather to avoid overheating the kitchen.