Author, Jojo Zhang
Note: The following highlights key concepts from a Feb. 2021 EEBA webinar about the role induction cooking plays in healthy homes. The conversation includes induction cooking experts Rachelle Boucher, the founder of Kitchen to Life, Alex Siow, the director of Monark Premium Appliance, Brady Seals, the carbon-free building manager at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), and EEBA CEO Aaron Smith. The entire webinar can be viewed in its entirety here.
The Science and Health Behind Induction Cooking
One in four homes in the US burns fossil fuel for cooking. Since, on average, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, it is critical to look at how this impacts home health and indoor air quality. For example, gas stoves emit as much as 230 parts per billion nitrogen dioxide. As a result, air pollution levels created by gas stoves are more dangerous than outdoor standards under 100 for an hour of exposure. A solution to this problem is to replace these fossil fuel burning units with electric induction cooking alternatives, which have higher BTU (British Thermal Unit) and feature built-in ventilation systems that eliminate unhealthy air.
How induction cooking works: Electric magnets direct energy to the cooking vessel through magnetic power banks. This process not only saves energy and reduces indoor pollutants, it also faster than the traditional cooktops.
While some might think induction cooktop is more expensive than gas stoves, it is less costly in many countries. Recently, countries in Europe and Asia have been moving to mainstream induction cooking.
In the US, switching to induction can also reduce the need to replace gas pipelines that are over 46 years old and expensive to maintain. But, if gas stoves continue to be used, pipelines will continue to be integrated into building designs, which will be detrimental to the climate and the economy. Additionally, gas-fired cooking contributes to US greenhouse gas emissions, which are equal to 10% of the total global emissions.
As for health, gas-fired cooking exacerbates indoor air pollution, which can be as much as 100 times worse than outdoor pollution. Children who live in homes with gas stoves experience a 42% higher risk of asthma than those who live in a house with an electric stove.
Español:
Nota: A continuación, se destacan los conceptos clave de un seminario web de EEBA de febrero de 2021 sobre el papel que juega la cocina de inducción en hogares saludables. La conversación incluye a los expertos en cocina de inducción Rachelle Boucher, fundadora de Kitchen to Life, Alex Siow, director de Monark Premium Appliance, Brady Seals, gerente de edificios libres de carbono en Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) y el CEO de EEBA, Aaron Smith. El seminario web completo se puede ver en su totalidad aquí.
La ciencia y la salud detrás de la cocina de inducción
Uno de cada cuatro hogares en los EE. UU. usa combustible fósil para cocinar. Dado que, en promedio, los ciudadanos estadounidenses pasen 90% de su tiempo en el interior. Es fundamental observar cómo esto afecta la salud del hogar y la calidad del aire interior. Por ejemplo, las estufas de gas emiten hasta 230 partes por billón de dióxido de nitrógeno. Como resultado, los niveles de contaminación del aire creados por las estufas de gas son más peligrosos que los estándares exteriores por debajo de 100 por una hora de exposición. Una solución a este problema es reemplazar estas unidades que queman combustibles fósiles con alternativas de cocción por inducción eléctrica, que tienen BTU (unidad térmica británica) más altas y cuentan con sistemas de ventilación incorporados que eliminan el aire nocivo.
Cómo funciona la cocción por inducción: Los imanes eléctricos dirigen la energía al recipiente de cocción a través de bancos de energía magnéticos. Este proceso no solo ahorra energía y reduce los contaminantes en el interior, sino que también es más rápido que las estufas tradicionales.
Si bien algunos piensan que la estufa de inducción es más cara que las estufas de gas, pero en muchos casos es más barata. Recientemente, los países de Europa y Asia se han estado moviendo hacia la cocina de inducción convencional.
En los EE. UU., cambiar a la inducción también puede reducir la necesidad de reemplazar las tuberías de gas que tienen más de 46 años y cuyo mantenimiento es costoso. Pero, si se siguen utilizando estufas de gas, se seguirán integrando tuberías en los diseños de edificios, lo que será perjudicial para el clima y la economía. Además, la cocina a gas contribuye a las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de EE. UU., que equivalen al 10% de las emisiones globales totales.
En cuanto a la salud, la cocina a gas exacerba la contaminación del aire interior, que puede ser hasta 100 veces peor que la contaminación exterior. Los niños que viven en hogares con cocinas a gas experimentan un 42% más de riesgo de asma que los que viven en casas con cocinas eléctricas.
炒锅漫谈
关于电磁炉烹饪及其在全电动、零能耗家庭中的作用的思考
注：以下内容是2021年2月EEBA网络研讨会的关键概念，关于电磁炉烹饪在健康家庭中的作用。对话者包括电磁炉烹饪专家瑞桥.布乔儿（Kitchen to Life的创始人）、亚历克斯.西奥（Monark Premium Appliance的主管）、布莱迪.西尔斯（Rocky Mountain Institute（RMI）的建筑经理）和EEBA首席执行官亚伦.史密斯。 整个网络研讨会请点击这里完整观看。
电磁炉烹饪背后的科学与健康
在美国，每四个家庭中就有一个燃烧化石燃料进行烹饪。由于美国人平均90%的时间是在室内度过的，因此关键是要看这是如何影响家庭健康和室内空气质量的。例如，煤气炉排放的二氧化氮高达10亿分之230。因此，煤气灶产生的空气污染水平比室外标准的100以下的一小时暴露量更危险。 解决这个问题的办法是用电磁炉代替这些燃烧化石燃料的设备，这些设备具有更高的BTU（英国热量单位的简称），并具有消除不健康空气的内置通风系统。
- 关于电磁炉烹饪是如何工作的：电磁铁通过磁力库将能量导入烹饪容器。这个过程不仅可以节约能源，减少室内污染物，而且比传统灶台更快。
虽然有些人可能认为电磁炉比燃气灶更贵，但在许多国家它的成本更低。最近，欧洲和亚洲的国家已经开始转向主流的电磁炉烹饪。
在美国，改用电磁炉还可以减少更换超过46年历史、维护费用昂贵的燃气管道。但是，如果继续使用燃气灶，管道将继续被整合到建筑设计中，这将对气候和经济造成损害。此外，燃气烹饪对美国温室气体排放的贡献，相当于全球总排放量的10%。
就健康的角度而言，燃气烹饪加剧了室内空气污染，其污染程度可能比室外污染严重100倍。住在有煤气灶的房子里的儿童比住在有电炉的房子里的儿童患哮喘的风险高42%。
Chinese New Year Recipe: Steamed Whole Fish
The following is the author Jojo Zhang's family recipe. Jojo is an international student and EEBA 2022 intern. Read more about her here.
INGREDIENTS
▢1 whole fish, gutted and descaled, about 400g/14oz
▢2 stalk scallions, sliced
▢1 piece of ginger, sliced
▢1½ tablespoon cooking oil, sunflower, vegetable, peanut, etc.
▢1 dried chili, sliced
▢3 tablespoon soy sauce
▢1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
▢1 pinch of ground white pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Wash the fish thoroughly, then pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut the fish at a 45-degree angle several times on each side. Lay it onto a plate that fits in the wok/pot, which you’ll use to steam.
- Put ⅓ of the scallions and ginger into the cavity of the fish. Scatter the rest under and over the fish.
- Place a steamer rack (or a small bowl) in the middle of a wok. Add water to the pot (lower than the rack/bowl) and bring it to a full boil.
- Put the fish plate on top of the rack (bowl). Cover the wok with a lid—steam over high heat for 8 minutes (add two more minutes if your fish is larger).
- Take out the plate (use oven gloves to avoid burning). Carefully remove the cloudy liquid.
- Heat oil-dried chili and Sichuan pepper in a small pan over low heat. As soon as the oil starts to smoke, pour it over the fish (you may either pour the spices onto the fish or discard them).
- Add light soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, and white pepper to the same pan. Heat up until it bubbles. Pour over the fish.
- Serve once finished and enjoy it when hot!
SPEAKERS
Chef Rachelle Boucher is a celebrated national cooking appliance trainer, private chef, influencer, and event expert with over twenty years of experience creating custom training programs and hands-on workshops for appliance brands, architects, designers, developers, and end-users. She helps them choose, use and enjoy modern cooking appliances and technology. Chef Rachelle has exceptional local, national, and international relationships with cooking appliance manufacturers, dealers, architects, designers, builders, and industry groups, including ASID, AIA, NKBA, NARI, and experts in related fields. In addition, she is working to bring electric kitchens to the forefront with her partner Robert Roth with their new venture, “Kitchens to Life” whose mission is to “Elevate the electric kitchens conversation, educate stakeholders about today’s remarkable cooking options, and facilitate the adoption & enjoyment of electric kitchens for performance, people & planet."
Brady Seals is a senior associate in Rocky Mountain Institute’s Building Electrification program, where she works at the junction of air quality, buildings, and human health. She engages stakeholders in rapidly transitioning to clean energy solutions that deliver environmental, health, and economic benefits. Her most recent publication is on the health effects of gas stoves. Before this role, Brady spent 11 years working to accelerate the transition of cooking with solid fuels to clean cookstoves in over 16 countries.
Alex Siow founded Zephyr Ventilation in 2000 and was responsible for all new product development for the company working with major global manufacturers and appliance brands such as Elica, Jenn-air, Maytag, and Amana. Before departing the company in 2007, Zephyr became one of the premium ventilation brands under his leadership and won numerous design and innovation awards within the residential ventilation category.
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
induction, cooking, ventilation, electric, home, gas, cooktop, kitchen, building, technology, air, appliance, cook, chef