A Low Carbon Life | Post 1 2017 | Friendship and Induction Cook Tops
Food, in the world of my friend TBS, is used to celebrate and it is used to commiserate. It is her hobby and her responsibility. It is one of the joyful ways she and I connect. It is part of our history.
After long years of preparing food in a kitchen of dubious functionality, TBS has finally had the time and the space to think about a renovation. Part of the renovation is the considerable pleasure of choosing new appliances so I suggested she get an induction cook top. After all, in home sustainability circles, induction cook tops are widely considered to be the way of the future; they have the speed and controllability of gas, are efficient and can be powered with renewable energy. Needless to say, TBS had already decided this was her cook top of choice. I was very pleased but then she went on to tell me some things I didn’t know about induction cook tops that I think are worth sharing.
First, and these are things that I did know, induction cook tops are more expensive than other sorts of cook tops and they need saucepans that respond to a magnet. Second, and this was the deal breaker for TBS, induction cook tops need their own electrical circuit and an electrical switchboard of a certain capacity (high). Her house is unsuitable so it is back to gas for her.
I decided to read a bit further about induction cook tops, in relation to sustainability, as well as more generally. As far as sustainability is concerned, induction cook tops use a lot of energy but are still the most energy efficient form of comparable cooking. I don’t fully understand how both high energy use and efficiency can apply so I will park the matter for a later post.
As far as more general knowledge about induction cook tops is concerned, there is considerable variation in the amount of heat they can deliver. The small portable ones, unsurprisingly, have very little ‘grunt’ while some of the best induction cook tops can draw on the total combined power of the whole appliance and cook very fast and hot For those who like to cook like TBS, this is a very desirable feature.
Finally, I look forward to our transition to a low carbon life with all the pleasures we currently know.