Induction Vs. Gas Cooktops: What’s The Difference?

When choosing a new cooktop or stove, the choice between gas and induction cooking is profound. In fact the difference between these two styles of cooking could not be wider. Induction vs gas cooktop design uses two completely different methods to heat pots and pans, require very different maintenance steps, and offer a separate set of pros and cons for each.

What is the difference between induction cooktops and gas cooktops? Everything but the fact that they cook food.

What Are Gas and Induction Cooktops? The Basic Differences

First, let's take a look at the essential design of a gas cooktop vs an induction cooktop.

What is a Gas Cooktop?

A Gas cooktop is the most classic type of cooking commonly present in modern homes. You cook over an open flame, sustiained by a small, steady supply of natural gas lit by the pilot light when you turn on the stove. Gas cooktops have a heavy grate over the top of two to six burners where fire comes out and pans are heated above the fire to cook food.

What is an Induction Cooktop?

An induction cooktop uses elecromagnetic current to heat the pans, not the stove. They are always smooth-top - glass or ceramic - and require special conductive pans that are able to receive the heating current. The stove doesn't even get hot by itself, it only causes the pans to heat up using a special kind of electric signal.

Safety vs Disaster Prep

If you're looking for the safest possible family stove, the induction range is the ideal choice. Kids can't burn their hands or melt their toys on the stove because it takes special pans to receive the heat. The stove can't get hot on it's own.

However, if you want a stove that will work in a natural disaster or power outage, gas is the only way to go. Gas cooktops can be fueled and lit without access to electricity, so you can use them in bad storms and any situation where the house is out of power. But they are definitely not safe for children to be near unsupervised, as there is an open flame for every burner and unlit burners that are turned on create a dangerous gas leak.

Precision Cooking

If you want a stove that provides precise and perfect control over the heat applied to each pan, gas is still the favorite cooktop for gourmet chefs. This is because you can control both the size of the flame and the distance of each pan from the flame.

Induction stoves have a lot of pros, but precision is not one of them. It can be difficult to quickly turn down the heat once it has been generated through the pan itself, so precision cooking is not a strong point.

Cleaning and Maintenance

When it comes to mess and easy clean-up, the induction stove is the clear winner. It doesn't even create it's own heat, so you're less likely to get food burnt to the surface or accidentally melt your plastic utensils on a still-hot burner. However, they are much more delicate than gas cooktops and must be cleaned only with approved cleaners - or you'll scratch the lovely special heating surface.

Gas stoves are a notoroius challenge to keep clean, as scrubbing the whole grate is quite the chore. However, they are rock-solid reliable and easy to maintain with a little elbow grease and a weekly or even monthly cleaning routine.

Choosing the Right Cooktop for Your New Kitchen

If you are renovating your kitchen in the near future, choosing the right cooktop is an important decision. Do you want the latest high-tech stove that heats special pans with a new type of electric current? Or would you rather the classic preferred by survivalists and gourmets everywhere? It's a big choice between induction and gas cooktops. The expert kitchen designers at Edesia Kitchen & Bath Studio can help you select the perfect cooktop and other kitchen features to suit your cooking style and priorities. Contact us today for an initial consultation on your kitchen renovation plans.