Following successive heatwaves this summer, some restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in the UK were forced to close or reduce their operating hours due to dangerously high temperatures for staff. Tens of thousands of kitchen staff are thought to have continued working in "furnace-like" conditions, despite calls for a maximum working temperature.
A growing number of chefs are now advocating for a move from gas hobs to electric induction cooking as a solution. Induction cookers only heat the food in pans, which can reduce kitchen temperatures by as much as 10C. This also makes air conditioning more effective in crowded kitchen environments.
Beyond temperature reduction, induction cooking offers other benefits, including increased efficiency, reduced running costs, and improved safety by avoiding harmful pollutants emitted by gas cookers. A report from the Global Cooksafe Coalition indicated that restaurants could save thousands of pounds on energy bills, with one gastropub cutting energy use by almost two-thirds and saving £9,000 on bills.
Chefs like Jeremy Pang of the School of Wok and Ellen Chew of Rasa Sayang restaurant in London have found that electric induction can achieve high cooking temperatures and improve the kitchen atmosphere by being quieter. Chantelle Nicholson of Apricity restaurant also highlighted the ease of cleaning and reliability of induction hobs, noting concerns about gas cooker pollutants linked to asthma.