As part of the City of Irvine’s sustainability goals to reach carbon neutrality, the Environmental Programs division hosts an Annual Induction Cooking Workshop and Demonstration.
The event, co-hosted by Mayor Farrah N. Khan, featured local award-winning Chef Katie Chin, who demonstrated how to make various ethnically diverse dishes using all-electric induction cooktops, as well as discuss the benefits of switching from a gas range to all-electric.
Some benefits of induction cooking are:
- Better indoor air quality - there is no gas combustion releasing toxic gases
- Increased kitchen safety - there is no open flame and only the pan heats up, not the entire stove top
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions - using electricity, especially powered by clean sources like carbon-free or renewables, reduces greenhouse gas emissions
- Precise cooking temperatures and techniques - digital controls allow for an exact setting that's repeatable
- Easy to clean - there are no grates or nooks, it's a flat surface that cools quickly for an easy wipe
- Efficient - only the cookware is heated so no energy is wasted heating the air around the pan like an open flame
Keep in mind that induction stove tops require specific pans—if a magnet sticks to the pan, it will work on induction. Learning techniques from a professional like Chef Katie Chin can shorten the learning curve and get you to the best part of cooking faster: eating!