Organic-Luxe It’s Not Your Daddy’s Cooktop A new generation of chefs are defining today’s gourmet appliances and the most consistent demand in home kitchens is the replacement of gas cooktops with allelectric induction. Induction technology offers precise temperatures without toxic fumes or risky open flame, have lower operating costs, require less ventilation and are easier to clean. Gas cooktops, in comparison, produce unsafe pollutants sometimes even when not in use, are a fire risk for tenants, children and the elderly, and require much more labor intensity for chefs. Aggressive carbon neutrality campaigns in many cities, states, countries, and institutes of higher education have awakened an entirely new generation to recognize that gas cooktops require the combustion of a fossil fuel in our homes. Since the 1930s, the gas industry has used advertising campaigns to convince Americans that cooking with a gas flame is superior to using electric heat. Like the tobacco industry’s glamorization of smoking cigarettes, these sleek industry campaigns worked to portray gas stoves a coveted symbol of class and sophistication, and it worked. The truth is that gas cooktops generate carbon monoxide, formaldehyde (a carcinogen), nitrogen dioxide (NO2, a respiratory irritant and asthmagen), and other nitrogen oxides into our homes.
Technology has also evolved, and cooking over gas is viewed as outdated with very little temperature control. Gas cooktops require constant supervision and an open flame. TikTok influencer chef Jon Kung, who boasts over 1.5 million followers, adopted induction years ago because it keeps his kitchen cool and his air cleaner. “Open flame gas cooking is a liability for landlords and short-term rental investments,” states Denise van den Bossche, a luxury home specialist who has sold many high priced short term rental investments. A former Chapter Chair of the US Green Building Council and Legacy LEEDÔ Accredited ProfessionalÒ, van den Bossche continues, “But the toxicity of fossil fuels indoors is a significant health concern and even when not in use, gas cooktops can leak low levels of carcinogens such as Benzene, which causes leukemia.” Today’s homebuyer is more educated than generations in the past, a fact which could be playing a significant role in the switch from gas to induction. Millennials, the largest generation in US history, accounted for 48% of all homebuyers in 2022, according to the NAR Generation Trends report. Collectively the most educated generation, 84% of these homebuyers have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher, which may correlate with the second highest income and buying power. Gen Xers will inherit $30