The following post was written by Ellie Goldberg, a Green Newton Advisory Board member and an advocate for healthy children, safe schools and sustainable communities (www.healthy-kids.info), and published in Medium on October 7, 2018.
The more we know about the dangers of gas, the happier we can be about induction cooking. It is safer, cleaner, healthier and smarter than gas.
Gas pipelines leak methane, a powerful greenhouse gas contaminated by fracking chemicals. And gas stoves release toxic chemicals such as benzene into our homes where it can increase respiratory inflammation and neurological problems. And gas companies charge us for the lost gas!
“…reliance on natural gas continues to put New England families and businesses at risk…” Gas explosions show how dangerous the fuel is. It’s time to break our addiction to fossil fuels. Conservation Law Foundation, Bradley M. Campbell, Oct 6, 2018
No Gas. No Worry. An Induction cooktop uses a magnetic field to create heat. When there is no pan on the burner, nothing gets hot. If you leave a burner on, it can’t cause a fire or explosion or burn your fingers. Spills are easy to clean up. Nothing burns or sticks on the surface.
It’s Fast. It’s Efficient. Induction heats only the iron or stainless pot and the food. It boils water twice as fast as gas. It uses 30 to 50% less energy than a gas burner. (And an induction burner uses less electricity than a conventional electric burner.)
Optimal control. An induction cooktop can maintain a temperature with greater precision than gas for all types of cooking—steaming, sautéing, frying, simmering, and even melting chocolate for fondue.
Gas is the past. On September 13, gas explosions and fires displaced 8600 households in the Merrimack Valley. It will take months for Columbia Gas to replace the damaged pipelines and connections or switch residents to a different energy source.
Switch the Source. BU Professor Nathan Phillips immediately started a widely acclaimed Gofundme campaign, “Clean Cooking Now,” to provide portable electric induction cooktops and stainless and iron pans to bring immediate relief to families and businesses.
And thanks to Mothers Out Front teams from across Massachusetts and HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), Lawrence and North Andover families and businesses are getting more than 500 portable Tillreda Induction Cooktops donated by IKEA.
Emissions Control. Why rebuild last century’s infrastructure? We do not have to live with the health hazards or fear of explosions and fires for ever. All of us can reduce the risks of gas by promoting safer, cleaner, healthier and smarter options.
https://medium.com/@ellie.goldberg/cooking-with-clean-energy-84a6de053ddc
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