What to know about gas, electric stoves and induction cooktops

The type of stove you have in your home is determined by multiple factors. Chief among them is what type of hookup — gas or electric — you have and whether you can change that.

Renters and others in multiunit condos or townhouses have little choice. If you do have the luxury of choice, you may consider your cooking habits, your budget and your household.

Now, another factor may soon force many people's hands when it comes to stoves: government bans.

As my colleague Shannon Osaka reported Tuesday, Richard Trumka Jr., one of the commissioners of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said in an interview that the U.S. agency was considering a ban on gas stoves — or at least standards around the amount of toxic fumes such stoves can release into American homes. Several cities have already enacted bans on gas stoves in certain new residences.

The CPSC chair, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, walked back Trumka's comments in a statement Wednesday, saying, "I am not looking to ban gas stoves and the CPSC has no proceeding to do so." But Hoehn-Saric did reiterate that the agency would look at ways to reduce emissions created by gas stoves.

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It's clear this is just the beginning of the fight, as lobbyists, legislators and advocates will probably be duking it out for some time on whether gas stoves will go the way of the dodo. But the contention is more than theoretical. Whatever happens will have a practical impact on the lives of home cooks. So what do you need to know about the differences between gas, traditional electric and induction cooktops? Let's compare.

Gas: Gas stoves rely on a combustible mixture of oxygen and gas that flows more or less depending on how you turn the control knob. The cookware is heated by the open flame.

Traditional electric: Also known as radiant cooktops, these appliances rely on the slow process of conducting heat from a coil to the cookware. Those coils may be exposed, as you’ll find in older models, or under a smooth ceramic glass surface.

Induction: Induction cooktops employ copper coils under the ceramic to create a magnetic field that sends pulses into the cookware. This causes the electrons in the pot or pan to move faster, resulting in heat.

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Gas: This is the crux of the bans being enacted and considered. "When a gas stove is on, it releases not only fine pieces of particulate matter that can invade the lungs, but also nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde — all of which have been linked to various health risks," Osaka writes. In terms of climate impact, more gas hookups make it that much harder to move away from fossil fuels. And research shows that gas stoves emit the greenhouse gas methane. As far as other safety issues, the open flames and accessible knobs of gas stoves can be of special concern for households with small children and pets.

Traditional electric: Traditional electric models don't emit indoor pollutants. Because of the heat coming off the coils, though, anything in contact with the burners can start to get hot or even catch fire. Most electric homes still rely on fossil fuels but leave open the possibility for a shift to renewable energy sources.

Induction: Like traditional electric, induction cooktops release no indoor pollutants, and in the future, they may be fueled by renewable energy. These cooktops don't get very hot, as they heat only compatible cookware, although some residual warmth from the cookware can be transferred back into the ceramic surface.

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Gas: Gas stoves are very responsive, easily moving between temperatures. You can see it as the flame shrinks or grows as you turn the knob. Gas does pretty well maintaining a simmer, Consumer Reports notes, but is not as steady in general as electric.

Traditional electric: Traditional electric models typically take longer to heat up or cool down. Because of the potential for residual heat, you sometimes run the risk of burning foods when switching from high to low heat, which is why some experts recommend switching burners if you need to drop the temperature quickly. Once you get to that lower temp, though, Consumer Reports says electric ranges in general excel at maintaining a simmer.

Induction: Similar to gas, induction cooktops are very responsive to changes in the heat setting. Consumer Reports finds that water boils 20 to 40 percent faster than it does on the best gas or electric burners. Induction maintains a simmer well; however, you may find yourself needing to use a slightly higher temp than you’re used to, as induction is so responsive that a low setting can be cooler than you expect.

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Gas: Gas stoves can be a bear to clean, thanks to the grates and cavities underneath.

Traditional electric: Radiant models with exposed burners pose some of the same challenges as gas cooktops in terms of cleaning. Ceramic cooktops are much simpler to wipe down, though the residual heat means you may get more food burned onto the surface after spills.

Induction: Induction cooktops are just as easy to clean as other ceramic-topped models. You’re less likely to have to deal with food encrusted on the surface since they don't get nearly as hot.

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Gas: This applies to all types of stoves: You can find models across a wide range of price points, and the most expensive options are not always the best. Price depends on where you live and your retailer, so it pays to shop around. If you’re looking for a point of reference, Consumer Reports recently released its list of top-performing ranges of all types for this year. The No. 1 gas model from LG goes for $1,698 to $2,447.

Traditional electric: These are more often among the lowest-priced stoves, though not across the board. The favorite from Consumer Reports is made by LG and runs from $698 to $1,299.

Induction: While a high-end induction model may be two or more times the price of a comparable gas or traditional electric option, at the entry level you can find induction cooktops for less than $1,000, putting them more in line with other ranges. A Frigidaire that goes for $1,093 to $1,549 was the third-place induction range from Consumer Reports, while the top-ranking model from LG comes in at $2,298 to $3,500.

Especially if you are switching from gas to induction (or traditional electric), you have to consider the price of changing your lines and other hardware, although there are some government incentives that can help cover the cost of the appliance and the conversion. If you don't have cookware that is induction compatible, that would be an additional cost, though many common pans, including cast-iron, some stainless steel and some nonstick, already are. (You can always confirm by seeing whether a magnet sticks to the bottom of the pan.) Aluminum, pure copper, glass and ceramic are not.

While induction is more energy-efficient than older gas or electric stoves because the direct transfer of energy means no heat is lost to the air, keep your energy bill expectations in check, Paul Hope, the home and appliance editor at Consumer Reports, told me. You may see modest savings but nothing dramatic, especially as cooking appliances account for only about 2 percent of your household energy usage.