Electric cooking refers to using electricity to cook food. Instead of burning fuel, electric cooking appliances convert electrical energy into heat directly, or heat cooking vessels such as pots and pans using electromagnetic or infrared energy. This means cooking without open flames, smoke, or fuel smoke by-products inside the kitchen.
Key Facts
- Electric cooking appliances vary widely from simple hotplates to advanced induction hobs, infrared hobs, and electric pressure cookers.
- Some electric cooking technologies are very energy-efficient because they heat cookware directly meaning most of the electricity goes into cooking the food. For inefficient electric cooking technologies like hot plates, a good percentage of the heat goes into heating the air or the stove.
- For induction cooking, one may need a compatible cooking pot for best performance.
- Initial cost for electric cooking appliances (especially high-efficiency ones) may be higher than traditional stoves or simple cookpots. However, over time, savings from fuel, health, efficiency, and speed often outweigh the upfront investment.
Benefits of Electric Cooking
- Cleaner & healthier indoor air: Because there is no burning of wood or charcoal, there’s no smoke or soot. This improves indoor air quality, reducing respiratory risks and indoor pollution.
- Energy efficiency: Many electric cooking methods deliver heat efficiently to the food, reducing wasted energy and lowering electricity consumption overall.
- Faster cooking and time savings: Electric cooking often heats up quickly, boiling water or cooking food faster than traditional fires or older electric stoves.
- Safety: No open flame. There is less risk of fire, burns, or accidental smoke. Appliances tend to have safer surfaces, and many ‘turn off’ automatically if cookware is removed or when the set cooking time is finished.
- Ease of cleaning & kitchen maintenance: Without soot or ashes, kitchens stay cleaner. Smooth-surfaced cooktops or sealed electric units are easier to wipe down than traditional stoves or fire-based cooking areas.
- Reduced reliance on firewood or charcoal: Using electricity from clean sources such as hydro reduces pressure on forests, deforestation, and costs/time of fuel gathering