On YouTube, the home improvement account This Old House (@thisoldhouse) conducted the ultimate head-to-head matchup — gas vs. induction cooking, and induction came out the clear winner.
Induction uses an electromagnetic field to transfer currents directly to cookware on a glass surface. This Old House did a side-by-side test to see how induction technology stacks up against a traditional gas burner, timing to see which boils a kettle of water faster.
It wasn't even close. The kettle on the induction burner whistled in just two and a half minutes. The other kettle had barely begun to simmer.
They used a thermal imaging camera to see that the heat generated by the gas burner was lost to the surrounding air. By comparison, the induction burner delivered targeted heat directly to the bottom of the kettle.
According to This Old House home technology expert Ross Trethewey, induction is 80 to 90% efficient compared to gas, which is only 30 to 40% efficient.
"Wow, that's impressive," said host Kevin O'Connor.
Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?
The video also demonstrates induction's safety. O'Connor places his hand directly on the active induction cooktop, but it remains cool to the touch.
"Do you think it's the future?" asked O'Connor.
"I really do," said Trethewey. "We're seeing electrification movement across the United States. It's happening."
Trethewey discusses the future potential of induction burners mounted underneath countertops to create "completely invisible" stoves.
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"That's going to be super sleek," said O'Connor. "Opens up a lot of possibilities for where they go and what they look like."
Induction stoves are not only faster and safer — they're cleaner, too.
Gas-burning stoves are bad for home air quality and can cause childhood asthma. Burning gas also releases planet-warming pollution. Switching to induction is a win-win for your family's health and the planet's.
Induction brands like Copper offer affordable and sleek ways to avoid these dangers. While they may cost more upfront, a high-performance induction stove can save money on utilities. Additional savings are available from the current 30% federal tax credit through the Inflation Reduction Act.
If you want to make the switch, you should likely do so sooner than later, as the federal incentives may not be available forever. President Trump has stated that he wants to eliminate the subsidies. While this would ultimately require an act of Congress, the future of the incentive is uncertain.
Commenters on the This Old House video shared their experiences upgrading to induction.
"We switched from gas to induction this summer and we love it!" said one commenter. "So fast, safe, and easy to clean!"
"I can't see us going back," added another. "Now our utility bill is much lower on induction than it ever was on gas or electric resistance!"
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