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Gas stoves pollute homes with benzene, which is linked to cancer (www.npr.org)

submitted 1 year ago by anthoniix@kbin.social to c/news@kbin.social

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Benzene is among the pollutants gas stoves emit into homes, Stanford University researchers show. The toxin is linked to a higher risk of leukemia and other blood cell cancers.

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[–] wahming@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's sad news. Gas stoves cook so much better for Asian style cooking.

[–] admiralteal@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Induction woks can do absolutely everything a typical home wok on a range can do.

If you're talking about the massive jet engine cookers they have in commercial restaurants then sure. But we're not talking about commercial gas stoves, we're talking about home stoves.

[–] wahming@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've heard that before. I'm currently using a high quality induction stovetop, and I have to say it still cooks differently. It probably doesn't make a difference for western cooking, but it does for Asian cuisine.

[–] earthling@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Heat is heat. Why does it matter?

Edit: This guy doesn't seem to mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooNzRrHA9VY

[–] wahming@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/01/j-kenji-lopez-alt-induction-gas-stove-electric-coil/672897/

To quote famous chef Kenji Lopez:

So certainly, some types of wok-cooked dishes, particularly ones that rely on that smoky wok hei flavor that comes from the aerosolized oil actually igniting in the gas flame, like a Cantonese-style chow fun. Or fried rice, for example, would have that sort of smoky flavor that you can’t get out of induction. But for most wok cooking, you don’t need it. There’s plenty of homestyle dishes that don’t have that flavor. For my Wok book tour, I brought around an induction wok cooktop. And it works just fine.

People have this idea that you can’t cook on a wok without a gas flame. But most of the recipes in my book work just fine without one. There are very few specific recipes where that gas flavor—that smoky flavor of burnt oil—is an important part of the seasoning of the dish.

What I often recommend to people who have electric or induction is, if you want to cook something like a beef chow fun, the way you can do it is to get a portable butane-gas range. And the few times that you want to make that dish, you can pull that out, put it under your hood, or take it outside. And then you have a little portable gas thing, even though the rest of your kitchen is all induction.

[–] admiralteal@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

To achieve wok hei requires WAY more heat than you get on any conventional range, gas or otherwise.

To do it with a portal butane range, you'd need to modify it for much higher output. He's right to recommend this for a home cook, but you aren't going to get the kind of wok hei a cantoneese pro chef talks about on it -- it will just be easier to use a real, proper, round-bottom wok than on the typically-flat tops of gas ranges.

Look up what actual wok burners look like. It is not similar to the flame you get on a gas range. It's a totally different thing.

[–] wahming@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

And... I see the issue. Those wok burners you refer to are pretty much standard issue in asian houses. I just looked up 'gas ranges' and chuckled at them. No wonder you can't cook anything on them.

[–] stevo@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

something to note about portable propane stoves. they are sold in different BTU ranges. i purchased the highest BTU version available specifically for wok and searing use.

searing is great so far and i hope to have a good wok soon. 🤠