# Everything you always wondered about cooking with gas **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 1, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413 "2023-11-01T13:27:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/41 "2023-11-01T22:11:24Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > I don’t know much about what it’s like to cook on an induction stove except a lot of my beloved pans won’t work on it. And they are wicked expensive. But I am willing to try it out. I assume that you mean your “beloved pans” are wicked expensive; cookware compatible with induction ranges are inexpensive; essentially anything that is cast iron, carbon steel, and most non-laminated stainless steel will work. You can also buy standalone induction burners which function well as a ‘fifth burner’ or if you want to cook outside on a hot day, and they work quite well. > [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I just replace my gas cooktop. I considered switching to induction for the reasons you mention, but the salesman said I would have to have a dedicated 220v circuit installed, so I decided not to. Yeah, the one big downside is that induction ovens are real power hogs. However they both heat up and cool down quickly, and many can be programmed to shut off after a certain time so if you are the kind of person who is prone to walking off and leaving a burner going (especially easy with the silence of an induction range) then they are also much safer quite aside from the air quality issues. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/42 "2023-11-01T22:15:50Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I assume that you mean your “beloved pans” are wicked expensive; I read it as induction stoves are wicked expensive, and they are. Or, at least, they only seem to show up in high-end stove models. ---
**Author:** ![gnarator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gnarator/32/8266_2.png) [@gnarator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnarator)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/43 "2023-11-01T22:15:51Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Not really. The costs of global warming are in no way part of what you’re paying for, especially if you’re in the US. If we had a solid carbon tax here that would properly price all carbon usage (clean up, mitigation, reallocation of those impacted by climate change, etc.), then the market would sort it all out, but a carbon tax is DOA. > > So, if natural gas and propane prices were set to include those externalities, then, sure, make your choice and pay for it. But, until that happens, you’re not really paying for it. Much of the electricity in the US is generated by burning natural gas or coal, so electric stoves have a carbon footprint, too. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/44 "2023-11-01T22:18:13Z")
Yes, of course. Everything we do has some kind of footprint, but one question is, which uses less carbon to generate the heat? And, of course, power generation can be made cleaner, but a gas stove will still be the same. A carbon tax would help make these decisions much, much clearer, but I don’t want to turn this into some kind of greenhouse gas conversation. So, that’s all I will say on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/45 "2023-11-01T23:36:40Z")
> [@gnarator](#): > > Much of the electricity in the US is generated by burning natural gas or coal, so electric stoves have a carbon footprint A big part of the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas is the gas itself leaking into the atmosphere, and natural gas distribution is supposedly very leaky. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/46 "2023-11-02T00:34:06Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > A big part of the greenhouse gas footprint of natural gas is the gas itself leaking into the atmosphere, and natural gas distribution is supposedly very leaky. The reality is that we will continue extracting, distributing, and using natural gas until it runs out regardless of how many people convert to induction stoves, because our industrial civilization is built on top of natural gas and petroleum, not just for energy but for agriculture, transportation, heating, synthetic materials, and other industrial processes. Eliminating natural gas for cooking (and even residential heating) is basically a rounding error. The persuasive reason to switch to induction (and convection ovens) is because they allow you to cook faster, safer, with more consistency, and despite the investment in the appliances, cheaper. But that is a hard case to make to people who are accustomed to using gas, or who don’t have the spare money or ownership to make that change. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/47 "2023-11-02T00:41:57Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > The persuasive reason to switch to induction (and convection ovens) is because they allow you to cook faster, safer, with more consistency, and despite the investment in the appliances, cheaper. Or if your kid has asthma. Or you have COPD. Etc. Enough of those rounding errors and you have progress. It makes no sense to say, let’s not try to do that because the effect will too small. Most changes will have small effects. But they not only add up, they also gradually change mindsets, and then they change standards, and laws, and what is acceptable. Every change is important to make. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/48 "2023-11-02T00:44:10Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Or if your kid has asthma. Or you have COPD. I was catching that under the category of “safer”, but yes. The effects of hydrocarbon aerosols are not as widely appreciated as they should be but they are a real contributor to a wide array of syndromes and maladies. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/49 "2023-11-02T01:22:17Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > we will continue extracting, distributing, and using natural gas until it runs out Or until we all die due to sea level rise, drought, floods, ecosystem collapse, and excessive heat makes large parts of the planet unlivable. I mean, not to be alarmist… The built environment is responsible for about 40% or so of CO2 emissions. Sometimes the way to handle that is one building at a time. The biggest personal reason to get rid of a gas stove is going to be indoor air pollution, though. The evidence is strong, and continues to pile up on the effects of air pollution on lots of health conditions. Just today was an article about [fine particulates increasing diabetes risk](https://drc.bmj.com/content/bmjdrc/11/5/e003333.full.pdf). A gas stove is probably not going to make your air as bad as in Delhi, but dirty air doesn’t have to be brown smog to still be bad for you. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/50 "2023-11-02T01:47:54Z")
Let’s just all quit driving cars and flying. I’m keeping my, probably as expensive as any induction range, gas range til it blows up or falls apart. I’ll pay a tax. No prob. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/51 "2023-11-02T05:59:42Z")
I’ve cooked with gas most of my life. I have cooked with electricity at various periods of time, and of the two, I prefer gas. An example of my preference would be to compare frying bacon using gas or electric. I’ve never used induction. My EKCO waterless cookware would probably work fine with induction. However, the cookware came with a 50-year guarantee, which will expire in about a year. Mr VOW promised I can quit cooking then. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/52 "2023-11-02T06:18:50Z")
I much prefer gas. It is (usually) less powerful than electric (especially induction). But that is a small trade-off. Boiling a big pot of water seems the best use for induction…it does it amazingly fast but I can deal with waiting a few more minutes most times. Electric coil stoves seem more likely to scorch food (especially with thin-bottomed, cheap pans) unless you really know that stove. Induction is in the middle with immediate temperature control but also so powerful you can still get in trouble. Gas just seems more mellow and easy to manage. Also, natural gas is cheaper where I live than electricity. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/53 "2023-11-02T16:42:43Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Also, natural gas is cheaper where I live than electricity. Yeah, on months where we’re not using the furnace, we get gas bills of $25 a month for the stove/oven, dryer and water heater combined (plus some nominal grill usage). $20 of that is in delivery charges which I’d have to pay whether I cook or not unless I want to replace my furnace, dryer and water heater as well. The actual cost of using my stove is pretty close to nothing. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413/54 "2023-11-02T16:50:38Z")
Exactly the same. A couple of years ago before the big spike in natural gas prices I’d get gas bills as low as $13 for a summer month and I have a hot tub as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everything-you-always-wondered-about-cooking-with-gas/992413.md?page=2)