Chefs Turn to Induction Cooking to Cool Sweltering Kitchens

During the recent summer heatwaves, restaurants, cafés and bakeries across the United Kingdom reported “furnace-like” conditions that forced some establishments to close or cut operating hours. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called for a statutory maximum working temperature, but no such limit exists. In response, a growing number of chefs are exploring electric induction hobs as a way to lower ambient kitchen heat and protect staff.

The Guardian

Induction hobs heat only the pan, reducing kitchen temperatures by as much as 10 °C compared with traditional gas burners. The technology is silent, eliminating the loud roar of turbo gas burners, and it eliminates the pollutants emitted by gas combustion. Chef Pang, who was initially concerned about preserving the “wok hei” of Chinese cooking, found that induction could reach 350-400 °C in a controllable manner while still delivering the desired smoke and flavour using carbon-steel woks. The reduced heat also eases the load on air-conditioning and ventilation systems.

The Guardian

A report from the Global Cooksafe Coalition estimates that restaurants can save thousands of pounds on energy bills by switching to induction. One gastropub reduced its energy use by almost two-thirds, cutting £9,000 in annual bills and projecting a total saving of £65,000 over ten years. Luke Burgess, owner of Scholé in Australia, calculated that cleaning time fell from 24 minutes per shift on a gas cooktop to 21 seconds on induction, saving over AU$30,000 (£15,700) in wages each year. The same report notes that carbon emissions at the gastropub fell by about two-thirds after the retrofit. Ellen Chew, founder of the Rasa Sayang restaurant in London’s Chinatown, observed that chefs no longer need to shout, creating a calmer work environment. Chantelle Nicholson, who installed electric hobs at her Mayfair restaurant Apricity in 2022, highlighted faster cleaning and reduced burn injuries; Apricity later earned a Michelin Green Star for its sustainability efforts.

The Guardian

Camilla Born, chief executive of Electrify Britain—a body funded by energy companies that campaigns for nationwide electrification—urged Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham to make electricity cheaper by removing levies and policy costs from bills, arguing that such measures would accelerate the switch for businesses and consumers. Born praised recent government moves on business rates but said the prime minister’s administration could go further. Ellen Chew told the Guardian that the quieter, cooler atmosphere created by induction is “a game-changer” for kitchen staff.

The Guardian

• “I used to have burn marks all up my arms from scrubbing gas hobs,” — Nicholson — Chantelle Nicholson, chef and owner of Apricity

The Guardian