What would it take to get an award-winning chef trained on a traditional gas range to switch to new induction technology?
A few years ago, Samin Nosrat — author of the bestselling cookbook "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" and star of the accompanying Netflix series — would have refused point blank to change the tools of her trade. But after discovering that the carbon monoxide levels in her kitchen were "off the charts high" because of the gas stove she was using, she knew that, after nearly 25 years cooking professionally, it was time to switch to an electric induction range.
"My own [gas] range at home, which was … I think close to 30 years old, was killing me, literally," Nosrat told The Cool Down. "Anybody who's ready to replace their range at this point, for any reason, should really strongly consider induction."
"And if you think … the quality of your cooking will suffer," she said, "it's just a totally different experience. … Now it's just a part of my life that I don't even think about."
In an exclusive interview, Nosrat walked us through the five reasons she loves cooking on her Copper brand induction stove these days. (Nosrat is now an adviser to the company.)
1. Complete temperature control 💪
"As a cook, there are certain things I really appreciate about the very low and gradual options on the [induction] stove — things like when I put it on a simmer, it just stays at a simmer. There's no sort of variation that often I've always had with the gas flame," Samin told us.
Induction technology works by using electricity to create a magnetic field that only reacts with specific pots and pans (essentially, those made of metal that a magnet would stick to). This makes the heating process super precise — and way more efficient than a gas stove. Dials with accompanying numbers (like a clock face) are used to set the stove or cooktop to specific temperatures.
"I can trust that when I put it at a number, it's gonna stay at that number. And also when I change it, it immediately responds in a way that often there's a lag with gas," Nosrat said.
2. No toxic fumes in the kitchen ☣️
Right before Nosrat switched from her gas stove to an induction stove, she had the air quality in her kitchen officially tested. The levels for carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide showed massive spikes. She was told, "Every time you cook, [it's like] you're standing in front of the exhaust of a car."
Take a look at how dramatically the carbon monoxide concentrations decreased after Nosrat installed an induction stove 👇
Whereas induction stoves and cooktops don't produce air pollution inside your kitchen, gas ranges pose serious health risks, even beyond carbon monoxide poisoning — for example, a recent study found that about one in eight American children with asthma have it because of pollution from their home's gas stoves.
For Nosrat, making the switch means "my nervous system can rest knowing that I'm not being poisoned every day from my cooking."
3. Insanely easy to clean 🧽
One of the best parts about induction cooktops is their smooth surface — they're "so easy to clean," Nosrat mentioned. Rather than all those grooves and grates on a gas range, with induction, you can just wipe down the cooktop with a paper towel or sponge.
4. You might not even need an electrical upgrade ⚡
Switching to an induction stove can sometimes require electrical upgrades, especially if you're swapping out a gas stove. Nosrat wanted to avoid added costs and possible construction headaches, so she switched to Copper's innovative induction stove with an on-board battery.
🗣️ Which of these factors would most effectively motivate you to buy an induction stove?
🔘 Healthier indoor air 🏠
🔘 Superior cooking results 🍳
🔘 Helping the planet 🌎
🔘 I wouldn't buy an induction stove 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
This setup allows the whole thing to plug into a regular 120-volt outlet since the battery can store more than enough additional energy to handle bigger cooking jobs, so it was a quick swap without changing her electrical panel.
5. Cooking is just way faster 🍳
"Boiling is just a dream on induction in a way that sometimes you'd put a huge pot of pasta water on a gas stove and come back 20 minutes later" (for a large pot), and it still wouldn't have boiled," Nosrat told us. But with induction, "things come to a boil in a moment — like in a flash. In fact, often it's way faster than even my electric kettle."
"That kind of stuff is really time-saving, just knowing that I have this little power tool in the back of my pocket," Nosrat said. "Even the other night, my friends had to get to the airport and we were rushing and we went and bought some prepared foods and I was like, 'no, no, no, I'm going to boil some broccoli.'"
The friends told her they wouldn't have time — they wouldn't make their flight.
"Trust me, we have time," she responded.
Given that you can boil water in as little as 30 seconds on induction, "we finished in plenty of time to get them to the airport." Larger volumes of water may take longer, but in all testing The Cool Down has encountered or conducted on our own, induction has always been faster than gas.
"That part of the efficiency is really wonderful, as an efficiency-obsessed person," Nosrat said.
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