Are induction ranges safe?
August 19, 2020 10:47 AM Subscribe
I know the basics about induction ranges, but are there any less-discussed concerns that may, a few years from now, make us all realize that induction ranges are harmful? I guess they just seem like magical technology versus the obvious simplicity of gas, so I am a little nervous. But the emerging air quality concerns of gas have me leaning induction.
Induction cooking has been around for over 100 years. It's not especially new as far as tech goes.
All it does is heat the vessel directly by inducing eddy currents of electricity that heat the metal rather than heat the metal with fire or a hot electric heating element.
The only concern I can think of other than EMF is if you use a pan that is unsafe and sheds something nasty when heated, but then that pan would be unsafe with any cooking method.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:03 AM on August 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
All it does is heat the vessel directly by inducing eddy currents of electricity that heat the metal rather than heat the metal with fire or a hot electric heating element.
The only concern I can think of other than EMF is if you use a pan that is unsafe and sheds something nasty when heated, but then that pan would be unsafe with any cooking method.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:03 AM on August 19, 2020 [3 favorites]
I mean, there are always things we don't know about long term effects of new technology (I remember a Simpsons episode where they flashed forward to the future and one character said to the other, "Who would have guessed that laser eye surgery would cause your eyes to fall out after 15 years?!"). But, for induction cooktops, it's based on a fairly simple and old idea. A lot of the concerns I've seen appear to be of the same similar the concerns that people have about living near power lines. There has never been any evidence that there was any of those concerns are legitimate and, more to the point, we all live in houses that have AC wiring in all of the walls, so it's not like you're really exposing yourself to anything new, from a physics standpoint.
posted by Betelgeuse at 11:07 AM on August 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Betelgeuse at 11:07 AM on August 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Gas cooking exposes you to natural or propane gas(there's always some gas before it ignites), probably pretty bad for you, and whatever products of burned gas, bad for you. Known bad for you vs. No ill effects ever reported. My propane stove has been a pain, should have gone electric but not worth changing unless the propane company gets even worse.
posted by theora55 at 11:42 AM on August 19, 2020
posted by theora55 at 11:42 AM on August 19, 2020
I am a committed user of my (very old) gas stove. But it is not nearly as safe as a modern induction setup. The real risk is setting things on fire, sure there's cooking oil, but also loose clothing.
I don't think fumes/waves/differences in the cooked food are significant in any way. But if you want to not catch on fire, there's a clear winner.
posted by fritley at 12:27 PM on August 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
I don't think fumes/waves/differences in the cooked food are significant in any way. But if you want to not catch on fire, there's a clear winner.
posted by fritley at 12:27 PM on August 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
I replaced gas with induction about ten years ago, partly for safety reasons. The only part of the burner that heats is the part covered by a pot, so as long as you have the habit of moving the pot off the burner when you're done cooking, there's very little chance of setting anything on fire. Whereas I just have to laugh (in a cheating-death kind of way) at the number of times I or a family member have set something on fire with a gas stove over the years.
posted by HotToddy at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by HotToddy at 1:00 PM on August 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Induction cooking is probably the safest method of cooking yet invented.
I was a gas partisan until I tried induction once, and now I'll never switch back if I can possibly help it; it's fast (I can boil a pot of water in less than two minutes on any of my cooking zones), accurate, and shockingly clean -- my cooking area is cleaner than it's ever been, because my cooking surface is a featureless expanse of easy-to-wipe ceramic glass that's not particularly hot. Spills might get dry, but they don't get "baked on".
If you mess around with dessert type things, then induction is even better because it can maintain an extremely low heat for indefinite periods (useful for holding chocolate etc in a melted state). When I did this sort of thing on gas I had to be careful how rapidly I moved because I needed the flame so slow I could accidentally blow the burners out.
Also, tbh, my kitchen air quality is noticeably better. This also surprised me; I had clearly gotten used to the smell of gas combustion, because I genuinely didn't expect to notice any improvement in this area but I definitely have.
(NB: I'm on solar, so electricity is essentially free to me whereas gas costs money. This affected my initial decision, and depending on how your energy bill works may affect your decision as well. Also, I'm in California, which has a hate-on for gas lines generally, which may have further affected my decision, I'm frankly not sure.)
posted by aramaic at 3:18 PM on August 19, 2020 [5 favorites]
I was a gas partisan until I tried induction once, and now I'll never switch back if I can possibly help it; it's fast (I can boil a pot of water in less than two minutes on any of my cooking zones), accurate, and shockingly clean -- my cooking area is cleaner than it's ever been, because my cooking surface is a featureless expanse of easy-to-wipe ceramic glass that's not particularly hot. Spills might get dry, but they don't get "baked on".
If you mess around with dessert type things, then induction is even better because it can maintain an extremely low heat for indefinite periods (useful for holding chocolate etc in a melted state). When I did this sort of thing on gas I had to be careful how rapidly I moved because I needed the flame so slow I could accidentally blow the burners out.
Also, tbh, my kitchen air quality is noticeably better. This also surprised me; I had clearly gotten used to the smell of gas combustion, because I genuinely didn't expect to notice any improvement in this area but I definitely have.
(NB: I'm on solar, so electricity is essentially free to me whereas gas costs money. This affected my initial decision, and depending on how your energy bill works may affect your decision as well. Also, I'm in California, which has a hate-on for gas lines generally, which may have further affected my decision, I'm frankly not sure.)
posted by aramaic at 3:18 PM on August 19, 2020 [5 favorites]
Nthing Aramaic's comments - I'm a convert as well.
When we replaced our old stove we got an induction. Prior to that I was fairly skeptical and spent a good amount of time looking at the research and reviews which overall showed that it was a pretty safe technology that's been with us for a surprisingly long time and more commonplace in other parts of the world. I considered gas which I had used at the homes of friends and relatives, however, I'm very sensitive to negative changes in air quality and I've found using gas to be a contributing factor to that. So I've been pretty happy with my choice. Biggest drawback with induction I had initially was having to find pots and pans that worked consistently. I had some cheaper pots and pans that claimed to be induction friendly that were not or at least not very good. Once I got better ones, I've found it is more responsive than gas and isn't as hot to use in the summer as regular electric or gas.
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:17 PM on August 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
When we replaced our old stove we got an induction. Prior to that I was fairly skeptical and spent a good amount of time looking at the research and reviews which overall showed that it was a pretty safe technology that's been with us for a surprisingly long time and more commonplace in other parts of the world. I considered gas which I had used at the homes of friends and relatives, however, I'm very sensitive to negative changes in air quality and I've found using gas to be a contributing factor to that. So I've been pretty happy with my choice. Biggest drawback with induction I had initially was having to find pots and pans that worked consistently. I had some cheaper pots and pans that claimed to be induction friendly that were not or at least not very good. Once I got better ones, I've found it is more responsive than gas and isn't as hot to use in the summer as regular electric or gas.
posted by Ashwagandha at 4:17 PM on August 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
One could dig into the physics of induction stoves and opine on why they wouldn't be a danger, but the easier route is just to note that millions of induction stoves have been around decades longer than cell phones and no ill effects have been documented. Just as cell phones have been accepted as safe, induction stoves have an even longer safety record.
Like you, I have gotten away from gas because of household air pollution. An induction stove is a good replacement because it has the instant adjustability of gas. I also like the fact that the cooktop is safe to the touch. You can put your hand on the cooktop the instant you remove the pan and it won't burn you. The glass may be too hot to hold you hand on the surface but it won't instantly burn you.
And because the top stays relatively cool, there are never any crusty drips to clean up. You can wipe up any spills with a soapy sponge as soon as you remove the pan.
posted by JackFlash at 5:40 PM on August 19, 2020
Like you, I have gotten away from gas because of household air pollution. An induction stove is a good replacement because it has the instant adjustability of gas. I also like the fact that the cooktop is safe to the touch. You can put your hand on the cooktop the instant you remove the pan and it won't burn you. The glass may be too hot to hold you hand on the surface but it won't instantly burn you.
And because the top stays relatively cool, there are never any crusty drips to clean up. You can wipe up any spills with a soapy sponge as soon as you remove the pan.
posted by JackFlash at 5:40 PM on August 19, 2020
Adding my voice to the chorus of went-from-gas-to-induction-and-I-hurt-myself-less. Coming on five years with my cooktop, and I haven't once burned a finger or set a kitchen towel aflame.
I'll also note that I love not having to worry about the pilot light of my old stove, or about accidentally not getting the burner all the way off and gassing myself.
posted by minervous at 5:55 PM on August 19, 2020
I'll also note that I love not having to worry about the pilot light of my old stove, or about accidentally not getting the burner all the way off and gassing myself.
posted by minervous at 5:55 PM on August 19, 2020
No hidden dangers that I've ever heard about, and I did an absolute ton of research when deciding to go induction vs. propane for a remote cabin.
But for me, it came down to this: Deep-fry one single time on an induction stove and you'll be hooked.
posted by yellowcandy at 10:26 PM on August 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
But for me, it came down to this: Deep-fry one single time on an induction stove and you'll be hooked.
posted by yellowcandy at 10:26 PM on August 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
One of my parents' cats hated the noise. That's about the only downside I've experienced.
posted by kjs4 at 10:38 PM on August 19, 2020
posted by kjs4 at 10:38 PM on August 19, 2020
I have an implanted pacemaker. The warnings that came with it said to stay 2ft away from induction stoves. So, thoughts it's mostly benign, there could be issues in unusual circumstances. YMMV.
Aside from that, I think it's great technology.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:24 AM on August 20, 2020
Aside from that, I think it's great technology.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:24 AM on August 20, 2020
But for me, it came down to this: Deep-fry one single time on an induction stove and you'll be hooked.
And when you do your deep frying, lay paper towels down on the cooktop, including between the pot and the burner. The temperature won't be affected and the paper towels won't catch fire, but they will catch all the spatters!
posted by HotToddy at 7:20 AM on August 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
And when you do your deep frying, lay paper towels down on the cooktop, including between the pot and the burner. The temperature won't be affected and the paper towels won't catch fire, but they will catch all the spatters!
posted by HotToddy at 7:20 AM on August 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by saeculorum at 11:02 AM on August 19, 2020 [6 favorites]