The switch to all-electric cooking for deli food prep moves the market closer to its goal of net-zero carbon emissions
By Isobel Whitcomb, Ashland Climate Collaborative
The Ashland Food Co-op recently made a big change to its back line in the kitchen, where food prep for the deli happens. It removed the last of its gas range appliances and installed the first of three induction ranges. The highly efficient electric appliances heat pots and pans directly using magnets. In making this switch, the co-op is moving one step closer to its goal of “carbon neutrality” (net-zero carbon emissions) by 2030.
Gas stoves run on methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps 80 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. At every step in the journey from gas well to kitchen, methane leaks into the atmosphere.
“Lowering methane use is one of the obvious ways that we would like to lower our carbon footprint,” said Chris Byrne, sustainability manager at the Ashland Food Co-op. Now, for the first time, the co-op’s back kitchen runs entirely on electricity.
The co-op is no stranger to induction cooking. In 2021, the business replaced its gas burner in the employee break room with an induction countertop. Last year, the co-op did the same in its Community Classroom, replacing a massive Viking range with a full induction setup. The newest kitchen upgrade involved removing a six-burner range, two stock pot burners and a large braising pan.
So far, the co-op has installed an induction stock pot range and plans to install two more. The store has also installed an electric braising pan that does not use induction.
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, Byrne hopes that the new induction stoves will improve indoor air quality. Gas stoves are a leading indoor source of nitrogen dioxide. Exposure to this gas can make people more likely to develop respiratory illnesses and chronic lung conditions such as asthma, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Research suggests gas stoves also emit dangerous levels of the carcinogen benzene.
The new equipment has been a welcome addition to the co-op: The stoves make cooking remarkably time-efficient, Byrne said. Because the new appliances heat pots and pans directly, rather than creating a flame or heating an electric coil, they can bring a pan to the desired temperature within seconds and even boil water in as little as two minutes. They also help keep the kitchen from heating up. Unlike a conventional electric burner, the surface of an induction stove stays cool, so it releases very little heat into the environment. (See this helpful video for how that works.) Finally, induction stoves offer better control over temperature than either gas or conventional electric stoves, Byrne said.
“A cast iron pan on an induction cooktop is my favorite way to fry an egg,” he said. “I understand the bias [toward gas stoves,] but I honestly believe that induction is a superior cooking experience.”
Curious about induction cooking? Thinking about installing an induction stove in your own home? The Ashland Food Co-op’s Community Classroom is planning to host demos. Email sustainability@ashlandfood.coop for more information.
Isobel Whitcomb is a development assistant at the Ashland Climate Collaborative (ashlandclimate.org).
