Kill your gas stove

I bought my house in 1975 and have always been grateful that it is all electric. I have never liked gas in any appliance or heater.

The article has some good information, but the title is misleading. The article doesn’t indicate that gas ranges are an immediate threat or grave danger. It reads to me that the subject’s son’s respiratory condition improved when she moved to an all electric home, and that inspired research on the effects of gas heating and cooking systems in homes overall. It will be interesting to understand more about this. That said, many people prefer gas range tops for the precision they offer. You might also hope that a properly maintained gas appliance is safe for your home if you do not have certain respiratory conditions. A bigger case might be made for the environmental impacts of natural gas systems in homes, and I think o read that some states are considering a ban on gas ranges. I hope they don’t do that. I have a big gas range in my home and another in my cabin, and really prefer them (although I’d consider an induction unit if I can master operating one). The suggestion to use a vent hood or open a window sounds simplistic. I read The Atlantic but don’t always admire its inflammatory headlines, and some winded narratives on poor quality research (their features on education, in particular).

The Atlantic could enlighten people on this issue with 1000-word article, instead of this long, winding 5000-word manifesto. No wonder they are going out of business.

Induction is the future for wealthier homes. Gas will be the new charcoal briquette - basically third world.

The kid probably has asthma because the mother babies him.

Welcome, Time Traveler from 1957 at R5!

R4 Had an Induction hob, got it ripped out and now back to gas. My extractor hood vents outside, which is pretty sensible if you cook much in any case.

In what world do you need to be wealthy to have an induction cooker, I'm confused?

[quote]Kill your gas stove

Is it okay if I just drive it out into the country where it can romp and play on a farm?

What didn’t you like about induction r7?

Gas is the best for cooking with. Any chef will tell you that.

R9 When you remove the pan and the light goes out they stay dangerously hot for a long time, horrible to clean if you spill anything on them.

I also use my gas oven more often than my electric one, so personal preference comes into it I suppose.

I've lived in houses with gas stoves and those with electric stoves. For some reason, the food cooks better on the gas stoves.

Where do people think electricity comes from?

For much of the East Coast at least, it comes from burning coal.

Almost all Electricity in The UK comes from wind farms and is very expensive compared to gas. They have been paying providers not to produce too much for most of this year so that they don't overload the grid.

R12 gas is even. Electric stoves often have burners that are off center or won't lay flat making the cooking surface uneven. Also, when you turn gas off, it's off. Electric coils stay hot and take awhile to cool down.

R11 what you describe isn't induction, it's flat-top-electric. They look similar but are very very different. The top of an induction stove doesn't get hot, nor does it glow orange when on.

With induction, the surface doesn't heat up at all, so nothing burns into the stove (easier to clean than gas grills). You can actually put a piece of paper between the pot and the 'burner'. And pretty much immediately after removing the pot, you can touch the surface without burning yourself (it's only hot from contact with the pan). (Please don't try any of this with a non-induction stove.)

Basically, it's only the pan that heats up through electro-magnetic resistance. You can turn on an induction stove and touch the burner, basically. It will only heat up ferro-magnetic material.

It's very very fast (I can boil a pot of water in minutes) and reacts instantly, unlike regular electric which takes some time to heat/cool. It's as responsive as gas but much faster. However, it is not as even as gas. (the induction coil doesn't provide the coverage that a large ring of flame does)

R16 My induction hob lit up like the pic below (maybe the light depends on the manufacturer), the glass got hot because the pan did.

Yes, that's a flat-top electric, not induction... Induction doesn't glow (there's no coil that heats up)

Flat tops are the absolute worst... they look easy to clean, but they're horrible and things burn instantly on it.

Because inductions heat nothing but the pot, I'm now in the habit of keeping cookbooks beside my pots lol.

I'm with you R2

Seems like she wants to blame the asthma on the gas stove and cherry-picked research to support it.

There are likely many other reasons.

And she glosses over a very important point - "But a kitchen with a gas stove requires gas lines in buildings and under streets—a whole infrastructure that can prevent residential areas from switching over to renewable-power grids."

That and there's no mention of how often people cook-- if you use your gas stove three or four times a day that would be different than three or four times a week.

Why didn’t she just put the kid up for adoption?

Agreed. While I prefer to cook with induction, it's very unlikely that the CO from the stove was significant enough to cause asthma. It was probably something else in the environment (maybe paint/dust/carpet/etc)

The writer has a degree from Brown (ie school for the dumb rich) in English. Such a science writer.

R20 There are plenty of examples of induction hobs that light up if you google them, I've never come across one that doesn't.

The article lost all credibility when it confused ceramic radiant cooktops with induction, which has not been available since the 70s in home appliances.

I have a gas range but if you are a good cook...gas, electric, induction ...it doesn't matter much.

When I was remodeling my kitchen, I had to use a small cheap electric coil burner for cooking. Meals were as good as ever.

I find gas to better but if you know what you're doing, electric will get the job done too.

We use electric here in Norway. Electric cook plates (usually ceramic or induction) and electric ovens.

We use electric here in Norway. Electric cook plates (usually ceramic or induction) and electric ovens.

That induction hot tub looks scary. That snowflake kid probably got asthma from her roach infested home. It's hard to keep your house clean while obsessing over household appliances and writing about them.

I think that there is a European safety rule that induction hobs have to show that they are switched on by having a light indicator under each plate. Probably to stop you putting metal utensils of keys down on one unintentionally.

Left unsaid in this article is the cost of retrofitting the house for an electric stove/oven/range. 50 amp 240 volt service is required. So in addition to the wiring, a new circuit breaker panel will likely be required. The power company may have to upgrade the lines into the house. I’ve sold hundreds of stoves and never recall anyone ripping out gas to put in electric.

I have had electric stoves for two decades, but I admit I prefer cooking with gas for the reasons r18 lists, and also I always had a better idea how much heat I was using by gauging the size of the flame. I’m also afraid of leaving an electric burner on by accident.

R32 Nobody is using gas here in Norway. We all use electric stoves. Never had an issue with it. Norway sells a lot of gas to other countries, but we use very little ourselves. We use mostly hydroelectricity here. It's safe and renewable energy. Gas scares me tbh. I've watched too many tv shows where fire and explosions start with a gas leak. No thanks.

If you didn't have a good supply of hydroelectricity you would be using that gas. Many places aren't so lucky.

This article written by a New York-based reporter, likely completely out of touch with how most of the nation cooks, uses and manages its home appliances, and likely sponsored by the electric appliance lobby, (because, it's The Atlantic after all.)

Gas stoves are for chefs and people who really know how to cook. Electric stoves are for people who open packets and cans and throw them into a pot. I would never, ever give up my gas appliances.

R37 Good luck if you ever visit Europe then, especially Western/Northern Europe. Nobody is using gas here.

[quote]Electric stoves are for people who open packets and cans and throw them into a pot. I would never, ever give up my gas appliances.

Utter nonsense. Hateful, condescending nonsense.

With a gas range, over half the heat under a pot or pan goes around the utensil and into the room. All well and good if you live in a very cold climate, but in a subtropical and tropical climate, you sweat to death in your kitchen. No thanks.

Induction is the way to go.

I've never had an electric stove in my 51 years

Maybe there was undetected mold in the first house? Or something in the carpeting or ventilation? A tree or shrub in the backyard?

Seems like this would be a bit hard to determine. Granted, I just glanced at the article.

R25 R11 that is vetroceramic plan. Is a black glass plan like induction but under don't have a reel that works like R16 R17 described but red halogen lamps: the lamps works in the infrared/red range of the spectrum so the light heat directly the bottom of the pots wich must be as opaque as possible in order to not reflect the light. When you turn it off the lamps glowing for awhile and the surface can burn you even a long time after. My mom had one in Spain and said she found it very similar to induction but i find the latter much better: after a minute there is no way you burn yourself, all the heat is generated in the ferromagnetic part of the pot wich is usually an iron disk in the double bottom even in stainless steel cookware: in this way the dispersion is minimal you save energy (up to half that of gas) and the room does not heat up.

R37 Restaurants are switching to induction. Professionals recommend them.

R25...I have one and it does not light up!

I have a glass cooktop and I hate it. It’s very slow to heat to a boil and cool down to a simmer.

Not true, r38. I live in Austria, and gas is very common for cooking here. Newer houses and apartments are often built without gas lines, though, so gas stoves are not an option for everyone.

But I would never give my gas stovetop up either, for all the reasons listed above (and I cook every day). I do have an electric convection oven, though, and I'm happier with that than I ever was with gas-powered ovens.

Italian homes use gas with electric ovens. I've never seen electric coil ranges there. Induction is beginning to catch on though.

You are right, the reason is that electric stove take forever to boil water: make pasta becomes a nightmare. The cost of electricity is also among the highest in Italy, I pay approx 0,25 €/Kw.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Didn’t bother to read why, but unless death is imminent, I like gas. Have had all of the afore-mentioned, and prefer it by a huge margin.

*shrugs*

I got used to my electric heating plates. I use the time they take to heat up for preparing the ingredients and turn them off earlier (about five to ten minutes) to use the heat they still have while cooling down slowly.

Don't you need a gas cooktop if you do a lot of stir-fry?

You can't even get a new gas connection in California now. The future is electric.

R53 You can get electric woks, but it'd be another gadget cluttering up your kitchen.

bump

Electric woks from Walmart are a sad joke. 1500 watts is a blow dryer. Asian restaurants. In CA are up in arms over the growing number of gas bans being enacted

Induction stoves will have to get cheaper like microwave ovens did before I buy one.

R58 They aren't much more expensive than gas in Europe.

They are mainly made in the far east though and I suspect US tariffs on imports play a bigger part in the price there.

I thought gas was only banned in Berkley and only in new construction?

Unless you cook with a wok a lot, induction is fantastic.

Interesting

Brought to you by the American Electric Suppliers Union. Oh, and don’t get your kids vaccinated either. And don’t have a dog.

R54 has no idea what they’re talking about. Look it up, repug.

Out.

Of.

My.

Cold.

Dead.

Hands!

Fuck this author.

My gas stove is my favorite kitchen tool I have ever owned, and I'm glad to live in a cold climate where natural gas is produced and commonly used. Electric stoves are for people who can't cook.

R65 All over the world great food is being prepared with electric ranges.

Jacques Pepin has electric in his home.

I really love cooking with gas too. Who knew that would become something to be shamed for?

R1 is a moron. Or maybe just never cooks.

I will not rent or buy a place without a gas stove. Gas stoves are the only way to cook.

Fracking releases more methane than gas ranges ever have or ever will.

My stove, furnace and water heater are all gas-powered, and I have no intention to change. It's wonderful to be able to have a hot shower and make a pot of tea when the electricity goes out. I can't use the furnace when the electric goes out (electric blower) but I have a gas fireplace, and could use that if I ever decide to re-open the chimney.

The responses from both sides reminds me of the debate on straight vs. automatic transmission. In 20 years, technology and pan design will be such that the use of gas will be like a straight transmission.

R47 To be fair, Austria is central Europe. Not western/northern Europe. I'm from Norway but have been to Sweden and Denmark. I can tell you nobody is using gas here in Scandinavia. It's all electric. Newer kitchens have induction.

[Quote]My gas stove is my favorite kitchen tool I have ever owned, and I'm glad to live in a cold climate where natural gas is produced and commonly used. Electric stoves are for people who can't cook.

I guess nobody in Scandinavia can cook then. And what's with this cold climate stuff? Norway produces a lot of gas but most of it is exported. We use renewable hydroelectricity. It's safe and renewable, unlike gas. Also, you couldn't pay me to use gas. I'm terrified of a gas leak. Electricity is much safer than gas.

R70

Fracking is used to extract liquid petroleum and *natural gas*.

I grew up with an electric range and had one through college and in most of my rentals. I never had a problem cooking good meals on it.

Now I own my own home which is new "green" construction, and heat, hot water, and my range and oven are all powered by gas, and I can't say I'm a fan. In my area, 95 percent of our energy comes from hydroelectric, so it's beyond me how the developer got away with pretending the house is "green".

[quote]Also, you couldn't pay me to use gas. I'm terrified of a gas leak.

You're fucking ridiculous.

Here's the deal in a nutshell why gas is losing favor from long-range energy planners:

Natural gas is a fossil fuel. Like gasoline and diesel it is a one-and-done fuel. It gets one use and that's it -- nature will not make any more for millennia. And burning hydrocarbons releases trillions of tons of carbon and other harmful gases into the atmosphere that we all breathe.

On the other hand electricity can be made instantly -- we know many ways to make it -- and are learning more. We can't store it (for now) but we can and do always make more daily. The task over time will be learning how to make it without burning anything.

I know, right R77? I used to live in an old place with an ancient 1920s gas stove where you had to strike a match to light the oven or stovetop burner. It didn't even have pilot lights. Remember those?....sometimes the ever-burning pilot light would "go out" and you would have a small gas leak until you re-lit it. Now a gas stove is also connected to electric so when you turn it on there's an electric spark to light the oven/burner. The risk of a gas leak is tiny unless you break the gas line itself.

I have not had a gas stove since 1997 and I miss it! I have had only electric since then. My husband and I cook a lot and it sucks-- you bring something to boiling then need to reduce to a simmer and I have to take the pan off the burner so it cools down. Our cooktop is ceramic and it is a bitch to clean. But I did love my old electric convection oven. If I could, I would have a gas range and an electric convection oven.

That was my favorite combo R80. I had a gas Miele cooktop (2 of the 2-burner cooktops = 4 total) and a Miele electric convection oven.

Sounds like heaven R81! What do you have now?

I sold that place and my current place is all electric. Bosch appliances - smooth glass cooktop built into the counter, convection oven below the counter. This building doesn't have gas lines.

R81

I had a glass top electric and burned almost everything, and I was nervous about scratching it. My neighbor accidentally had a jar of capers fall out of a grocery bag and cracked the glass cooktop surface. When she moved out, our landlord charged $800 for the damage.

My new place has a large gas cooktop and an electric wall oven, both great quality and easy to keep clean. I would like an induction hob to boil water fast, but not enough to buy one yet. I do have a really beautiful stainless steel gas powered hot plate that runs on bottles of butane purchased in marine supply stores and amazon. This is for storms, power failures, and sometimes cooking out. I bought it when I had electric appliances and I have kept I the cause it’s handy and beautifully engineered.

Don’t they still produce electricity with generators powered by fossil fuels in some areas?

R86. Here is the current source of electric power in the state of NY. Dual fuel plants burn mostly natural gas, but can use heavy fuel oil on the coldest days of the year. Most of the nuclear capacity will be shutdown by 2022.

R84. Here is the fuel mix for New England. 62% natural gas. 10 % renewable. Most of which is from burning “refuse” and wood.

72...?

And in California wind providing 53 MW out of total system usage of 35,835 MW. Solar does well during the day in CA.

R78

Your physics teacher just committed suicide.

There will always be gas in my kitchen, bitches!

Lived in houses with gas stoves all my life, and never had a problem.

Heating with electricity just isn't that efficient. Heat is generated by forcing high voltage electrons through a high-resistance metal, causing lots of friction, which heats the metal up to incandescence, throwing off lots of heat (infra-red) in the process.

We abandoned incandescent light bulbs because they were so inefficient. Using the SAME technology to generate heat (infra red light) isn't optimal.

Gas ranges have the ability to VERY RAPIDLY adjust heat, and to very easily and rapidly fine-tune heat and temperature. Using an electric heating element is like using a bludgeon. There's no finesse. It's slow to respond. Takes forever to heat up, and to cool down.

I'm lucky. I have gas in my home for cooking and furnace and the like. It's less expensive. It's more convenient. It's every bit as safe. And I'm old enough that I won't ever have to worry about living in a world where I have to fucking cook on an electric stovetop.

No hard data to support this. Fake news.

This article doesn’t back up its claims with hard science.

I'm not a concerned mom with a child who has strange, undemonstrable (except by anecdote) environmental allergies, so I'm sticking with a gas on demand water heater and stove top.

By the way, she is 500 pounds now.

The woman in the OP article probably also has fibro, and after years of chronic fatigue discovered she has chronic lyme disease and is now concerned about morgellon's also.

R97 (cradling my mug) Yes....and she needs to know she’s being h-e-a-r-d.