There are several cooking methods practiced all over the world. Some of them are gas stoves, induction cooktop, electric stoves, micro ovens, and grills. Every item has its benefits and cons. The gas stove is the most popular mode of cooking as it is traditional and has been in use for a long time. Today in this article, we would try to draw a comparison between the Induction Cooktop Vs Gas Stove. This will help you to decide your mode of cooking.
Induction cooktops are a recent invention and have many advanced features. Some people have therefore moved forward and owned an induction cooktop for their kitchen. A gas stove operates with the help of an LPG cylinder, which is quite expensive and becomes a recurring expenditure for the household.
Induction cooktops work on electricity and therefore, it is considered economical as compared to the gas stove. Having said that it is also true that the gas stove has its benefits and you will get to know them as you read along with the article. It is really difficult to suggest which mode of cooking is the best. Both Induction Cooktop Vs Gas Stove are widely used by the people and the people have their reasons to like them.
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Gas Stove Features – Induction Cooktop Vs Gas Stove
Burners–
The burner is the essential point of a gas stove. Initially, there were two burners available on a single gas stove. With the new invention, people can opt for gas stoves with 3-4 burners. The burner caps are well covered with flex-enamel making them resistant of scratch and heat. When you are busy and want to make food faster, you can take help from the multiple burners and can cook different items at the same time. The burners are easy to be cleaned as it can be removed from the cooktop.
Material–
In the beginning, the traditional gas stoves were only made of stainless steel. It was made of steel so that it can prevent the body from rusting due to the steamy environment of the kitchen. Stainless steel is sturdy and it ensures the durability of the stove. Things made of steel are less prone to get damaged by heat. With time, creativity cultivated and now you would get gas stoves made up of fiber and glass. They are fragile than the steel made and require good maintenance, however, they make your cooktop a decorative item of the kitchen.
Multiple Heat Controls–
Most of the advanced gas stoves are equipped with several heats controls that increase and decrease the flame as and when required. They are a variety of stoves available in the market. You should search and get the one that offers you maximum control. Cooking good food requires a perfect equation of heat balance. When you can control the heat and flame of the stove, you would be able to make a variety of dishes and enjoy them.
Size–
As discussed earlier gas stoves are available in different sizes with two or more burners. When you buy a big sized gas stove, you get more space on the cooktop. The space available on the cooktop helps you shuffle your cookware from one burner to the other. 2 burner stoves are cheaper than 2 or 4 burner stoves. However, the efficiency increases with the number of burners. The size of the stove depends on the size of the household. For a nuclear family stove with 2 burners are sufficient.
Type of Ignition–
The gas stoves come with two-ignition types. There are a modern electric ignition and the conventional standing pilot. The standing pilot type allows a constant flow of the gas so that the burner is always lit. This type of ignition consumes more energy than it is required. The electric ignition used an electric current to turn on the heating cycle. It is not needed to run continuously. Electric ignitions save on your recurring cost, however, is expensive to buy. You need a good budget to own it.
Induction Cooktop Features – Induction Cooktop Vs Gas Stove
Inbuilt Timer–
Most of the induction cooktop has an inbuilt timer feature. It becomes useful, especially when you boil water or simply want to heat your food. You can leave the food and the water on the induction cooktop and set the time. After the set time is over, it will shut down automatically without overdoing. The induction cooktops come with a digital timer that allows you to increase the time per minute. The highest range is up to 170 minutes. The induction saves energy by automatically shutting down the machine after the preset time.
Cooking Menus that can be Preset–
The advanced variance of induction cooktop are available with preset cooking menus. You can set the time and heat for each type of food like stir, boil, grill, and fry. It becomes easy for you to cook when there is a time crunch. The feature is user-friendly and handy. When you select the settings of cooking faster, you can save much of your time. If this had to be done manually each time you cook food, then it would have been a tedious task.
Electric Voltage Consumption Display–
For the ease of the user, there is a voltage display on the induction cooktops. This display will let you know exactly how much energy is being consumed by the cooktop. If there is a voltage problem at your place, you can go for the inductions that can work smoothly even on low voltages. The displays are covered so they are safe from the reach of the children. They are there to make you knowledgeable about energy consumption.
Automatic Cut off–
All the inductions have a safety cut off feature. When the cooktop is switched on for a longer duration without any alteration of the temperature, the power will automatically get switched off. The period that is required for the prompt depends upon the heat settings of the cooktop. Lower the settings, the longer will the cooking zone remains on. If you generally cook something that requires continuous cooking for a longer period, you should go for a cooktop that has longer periods of safety cutout.
Child Lock–
Induction cooktops have a child lock safety feature. This feature allows the induction cooktop to get locked even at the time of use. It can be locked for cleaning purposes or during cooking also. If it gets locked during cooking, the operation that is underway will continue. The display settings, functions, and features will be locked; only the power button will be available for use. This ensures the safety and security of the children who can get hurt due to mishappenings.
Gas Stove vs Induction Stove Which is Better?
Mechanism–
The gas stove works using the mechanism of combustion to generate heat. In this principle, the burning gas converts the chemical energy of LPG gas to heat energy. For induction cooktops, the heat is energy is created through electromagnetic induction. Here electricity is converted to heat energy to prepare food. LPG gas is expensive than electricity. Hence, the recurring cost of the induction cooktop is lesser than the gas stoves.
Energy-efficient–
The gas stoves heats the cookware with the help of the flame that is generated by burning the LPG gas. It is estimated that around 40-50% of the energy generated is effective to heat the pot or pan for cooking. The rest of the energy gets wasted; hence, the gas stoves are less energy efficient. The induction cooktop uses the mechanism of electromagnetic induction to raise the level of heat and 80-90% of the energy is effectively used to generate heat to the magnetic field of the pot. This proves that the induction cooktop is more energy efficient as it doesn’t let the energy get wasted.
Safety–
Safety is one of the important factors to consider. Induction stove does not emit and flame and therefore it can provide you maximum safety and security. You can avoid any kind of burning hazard at the time of cooking when you use induction cooktops. The heated surface of the cooktop cools down immediately after the cooking is completed. Hence, there is no fear of getting burnt. People who have pacemakers are not advised to use the induction stove, as there can be magnetic interference, which could lead to the malfunction of the pacemaker. When you cook on a gas stove, there are chances of catching fire and getting burnt if there is any fault in the operation. The leakage of LPG cylinder or gas pipe is also another issue that can invite accidents. Safety-wise, the induction cooktop is preferred over the gas stove.
Independence–
Gas stoves are not dependent on electricity, hence you can cook even during power cuts. This gives you the independence to cook anytime. The induction stove requires electricity to emit heat; therefore, you would need electricity and the required amount of voltage to cook on an induction. The more numbers of burners on the gas stoves also allows you to cook 2-3 items together.
It will now be easier for you to decide which cooktop to use. No matter which one you use, conduct thorough research about the product, and then buy it.
