Amid intense summer heatwaves, a growing number of professional chefs across the United Kingdom are turning down the heat in their kitchens by replacing traditional gas hobs with electric induction cookers. This technology can lower ambient kitchen temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Celsius, offering much-needed relief to restaurant staff who frequently operate in stifling environments.
Recent successive heatwaves created dangerous working conditions in many British food businesses, forcing some restaurants, cafes, and bakeries to temporarily close or reduce their operating hours to protect employees. Despite ongoing campaigns from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to establish a statutory maximum working temperature, no such legal limit exists in the UK. As a result, tens of thousands of kitchen workers have continued to labor in what many describe as furnace-like conditions.
Induction hobs present a highly efficient solution to this persistent problem. Unlike gas burners, which release vast amounts of ambient heat into the room, induction cookers transfer electromagnetic energy directly to the food inside the pan. This targeted heating dramatically reduces heat loss, which in turn eases the workload on commercial refrigerators, ventilation systems, and air conditioning units. Induction cooking also removes the harmful indoor air pollutants emitted by gas combustion, which have been linked to respiratory issues such as asthma.
Despite these benefits, many culinary professionals have historically resisted moving away from open flames. Jeremy Pang, a third-generation Chinese chef in London and the founder of the School of Wok, admitted he initially worried that electric cooking would make it difficult to achieve "wok hei"—the traditional "breath of the wok" characterized by precise smoke and heat mastery. However, Pang discovered that induction hobs could easily and controllably reach extreme temperatures between 350C and 400C. By using carbon steel pans with oil, he successfully replicated the authentic smoke and flavor traditionally generated by gas, without the overwhelming ambient heat.
The financial and environmental incentives of making the switch are also substantial. According to a report by the Global Cooksafe Coalition, transitioning to induction can save restaurants thousands of pounds on energy bills. One gastropub analyzed in the report managed to reduce its energy consumption by nearly two-thirds, saving £9,000 annually. The establishment is on track to recoup its retrofitting costs within three years and save an estimated £65,000 over a decade. Switching can also benefit the climate: the pub’s carbon emissions also fell by about two-thirds.
For Ellen Chew, the founder of Rasa Sayang in London's Chinatown, the transition brought an unexpected operational benefit: quietness. Traditional turbo gas burners generate a loud roar, but induction hobs are completely silent. Chew noted that the atmosphere in her kitchen has transformed, eliminating the need for chefs to shout over the noise. Diners sitting at her restaurant's chef's table have also commented on the remarkably calm environment. She was also concerned about studies showing that gas cookers emit harmful pollutants and have been linked to asthma. “To me, electric is clearly the way forward,” she said. Highlighting similar sustainability achievements in the industry, the restaurant Apricity recently won a coveted Michelin Green Star for its green initiatives.
Chet Sharma, the chef-patron of London's Bibi restaurant, echoed these sentiments, stating that hot kitchens virtually disappear with induction because there is no wasted heat. He noted that the technology keeps utility bills low while keeping kitchen staff much happier and more comfortable throughout their shifts.
To accelerate this transition across the wider economy, Camilla Born, the chief executive of the energy-industry-funded campaign group Electrify Britain, has called on political leaders to make electricity cheaper. Born urged Andy Burnham to lower electricity costs to encourage businesses and consumers to phase out gas. While acknowledging recent positive steps taken by the prime minister regarding business rates, Born argued that the government must go further by removing levies and policy costs from existing electricity bills to speed up the deployment of electric heating and cooking systems.
Leaping flames, searing heat, copious sweat and scorchingly inventive swearing – restaurant kitchens are never a place for the faint-hearted, but this summer they have been sweltering in successive heatwaves to a dangerous degree.
Now a number of chefs are calling for one route to cooling kitchens that may be deeply unpopular with some of their colleagues. Swapping gas hobs for electric induction cooking can reduce temperatures by as much as 10C, as induction cookers only heat the food in the pans. They are more efficient, can reduce costs, are safer as they avoid the harmful pollutants emitted by gas cookers, and make it easier for air conditioning to work in crowded kitchen environments. But up to now many chefs have been reluctant to make the change.
