Gas stoves are latest flashpoint in the culture war. Here’s what Sonoma County chefs have to say about it

“It’s hard to go from high heat to low heat with electrical appliances,” he said. “It’s definitely more challenging and I’ve burned a lot of things, but I’ve found ways to deal with it.”

However, induction burners differ from a standard electric cooktop. They generate heat through electromagnetism and are more efficient because they waste very little energy. Induction cooktops cost more than regular electric or gas stoves and sometimes require the purchase of new cookware needed for the stoves to work. Heat is created when magnetic pots and pans – such as cast iron or some types of stainless steel – come into contact with the magnetic coil under the smooth surface of the cooker.

This contact presents a challenge, particularly in restaurant kitchens where chefs have a knee-jerk instinct to pick up a frying pan while cooking. With induction, the heat dissipates as soon as the pan is removed from the surface.

“I try to teach cooks to leave the pan on the stove and stir with their tongs or a spoon, but the natural process is to grab the pan and turn over whatever’s in it,” Bush said.

Having an all-electric kitchen with limited burner capacity has forced Bush to completely rethink how he plans and executes a menu. He relies heavily on cold foods like oysters, crudo, and poke. Instead of bordelaise, a classic French pan-fried sauce, he uses chimichurri to accompany steaks.

“It’s changed me as a chef from being dependent on the equipment I need or want to finding new ways to create great food and great taste,” Bush said. “It’s personal growth through adversity.”

Induction has advantages for some applications and many restaurant kitchens use it for its precision, but not exclusively. Water boils faster. Schwartz says it’s great for cooking and braising.

“From the pastry aspect, the inconsistencies of the gas completely disappear,” Corsino said. “That early experience (with induction) changed the way I teach now because I saw the value when the technology was in its infancy.”

Corsino students learn on a variety of kitchen appliances, including portable induction cooktops. That exposure, he says, could lead some to choose induction cooktops for dorm rooms or influence their kitchen design decisions when buying a home. Still others may have their own restaurants and help lead the industry toward the increased electrification he hopes to see.

Technology, infrastructure not ready

Bush and Schwartz have no problem with induction itself. They’re both highly skilled chefs who often use technology to push culinary boundaries, so they’re far from Luddites. What’s holding back progress, they say, isn’t chefs’ unwillingness to try something new, but rather young technologies and outdated infrastructure.

“It seems like the cart comes before the horse,” says Schwartz when it comes to all-electric kitchens. “It would be different if there was a state-of-the-art cooktop (for commercial use) and they said, ‘Now let’s do this.'”

Bush knows all too well the technological limitations of induction for cooking volume in restaurants. He estimates he’s sold at least 20 induction cooktops since opening Oso.

“They just don’t last as long as gas stoves,” he said. “The buttons eventually fail, they burn out, they have a pretty short lifespan.”

There is also no warning if they go on the Fritz. He runs out induction cooktops mid-service, bringing the kitchen to a temporary standstill while they pull out the faulty burner and bring in a new one that Bush always has ready.

Replacing them is costly and there is the problem of waste generated by non-functioning equipment, which has its own environmental impact.

Additionally, Bush believes Sonoma County’s current infrastructure is insufficient to support fully electrified restaurants.

“Restaurants draw an incredible amount of energy; Everything about this place is lit and just buzzing,” he said. “If we had 10 induction cooktops, that would require another PG&E substation in the middle of Sonoma.”

Maybe someday the resources will be there, but Bush hopes city and county governments don’t incur costs that they pass on to people like him.

“They keep piling on infrastructure (improvements) that should have been planned for a long time ago by anyone who wants to open a business,” he said.

If restaurants are eventually forced to push into a gasless future, Schwartz is pragmatic.

“The heartbeat of a chef is adapting to change,” he said. “To be able to do that, you need an experienced chef.”

You can reach staff member Jennifer Graue at 707-521-5262 or [email protected].