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There are recipes and sticky situations where having a near instant heat switch is a real convenience, if not a real life saver. That said, if you've made it this far you probably aren't going to get much out of them. I love gas because I love cooking with a direct flame, but I think from an environmental perspective we're going to have to start making due without them

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Good points. I probably have a sixth sense for avoiding recipes that the stove can't manage.

I had no idea about the amount of leaking, but it makes sense. Unless you're actively checking every foot of gas pipe everywhere, chances are it's leaking here and there. But it's too bad. I learned while doing process control in a plant with steam heated processes, that you can run a lot of power down a gas pipe. I have a hunch that they could heat all of NYC from just waste heat.

Induction gives you most of the benefits of gas: instant heat control. It's even faster heating than gas, easier to clean, safer to use.

The hob itself costs more, and the cheapest pans aren't compatible. Gas is often cheaper to run.

Other than initial purchase price, a normal electric hob has no advantages.

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