Berkeley’s All Electric Building Ordinance Is Good News For Proponents Of Induction Cooking

    Berkeley became the first city in the state of California and the nation to ban installation of natural gas lines in new low-rise buildings. In July, the Berkeley city council unanimously passed an ordinance requiring new buildings to be all-electric, which means that no new gas hookups will be installed in single family homes, town homes, or small apartment buildings. As the state develops regulations for commercial buildings and high-rise apartment buildings, the city will move towards including those as well. 

     Berkeley has always been ahead of the curve with its forward thinking environmental and health related laws. In 1977 it was the first city in the United States to ban smoking in bars and restaurants. Earlier this year Berkeley banned single-use disposable food packaging, requiring restaurants to use takeout containers made of compostable material. The new ban on natural gas is based on concerns regarding climate change and fire safety, which is an especially high risk in a city built in an earthquake zone. A Climate Action Plan was adopted by Berkeley in 2009 with the aim of reducing emissions 33 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050 and a commitment to using 100 percent renewable electricity by 2035. In addition to reducing carbon emissions, the switch to electricity will also lower local air pollution by reducing combustible gases in buildings. It also greatly reduces the risk of kitchen fires. 

     Following Berkeley’s lead, other cities and towns in California are investigating banning new natural gas hookups in favor of electric heating and cooking. It is estimated that close to 60 municipalities within the state are in some stage of investigation or implementation of such regulation. For example, the state’s third-largest city, San Jose, has set a goal of having 47 percent of all homes run on electric by 2030. Rather than banning gas, the city plans to create financial incentives to build with or convert to electric appliances and heaters. 

The switch from natural gas to electric involves the use of high-efficiency heat pumps for heating and cooling and the use of induction cooktops and electric ovens for cooking. While these appliances can be more expensive to purchase than gas appliances, the cost is offset by the fact that natural gas connections and internal gas lines do not need to be installed in new buildings. Induction cooking has found a home on cruise ships, where no open flames are allowed on board, and it is also ideal for a restaurant or home in an older building where use of gas may be in violation of local fire codes without a major renovation or overhaul of the property. 

There are many pervasive myths about induction cooktops, including a widely held belief that the magnetic current it generates can be hazardous to one’s health. There are also misunderstandings about what types of cookware are compatible with an induction range and it has been falsely claimed that only a specific brand of cookware can be used with a particular brand of appliance. 

     Induction cooking heats a pot or pan directly thanks to an electric current directly under the cooktop that is transferred magnetically to cookware, heating it directly. Cookware with a high iron content is necessary; this includes cast iron, stainless steel, and most enamel cookware. The best way to tell if a cooking vessel is induction compatible is to place a magnet on the bottom of it; if the magnet sticks, the pot or pan can be used on an induction burner. 

     There is a learning curve to using induction because cookware heats very quickly, so without proper instruction or practice a new user can find that her timing is off in the kitchen or she may overcook or burn a dish the first time around. With that in mind, we spoke with Rachelle Boucher, a San Francisco-based private chef, cooking teacher, consultant, and self-described “appliance whisperer” who brings cooking appliances to life through immersive experiences. 

World Wine Guys: How did you get into private cooking and teaching?

Rachelle Boucher: My adventurous career as a private chef began with “The Force.” Literally. While working at a cooking school and kitchen store, I was “scouted” to be a private chef. I had no idea who it was for. When I got the address, I knew who I was about to meet:GeorgeLucas,filmmaker, legend and my childhood hero.No pressure.While working with him I discovered my passionfor being in people’s kitchens, cooking for families, creating incredible events, and most importantly teaching people of all ages and backgrounds to be empowered in the kitchen. I naturally gravitated to the luxury appliance industry and spent decades as a corporate chef, trainer, and consultant working to explain convection, induction, speed cooking, steam cooking and more. 

     I currently cook for some secret celebrities and have a rapidly growing business as “the appliance whisperer.” I create custom presentations, activities and hands-on workshops for appliance brands, architects, designers, developers and end users to help them choose, use and enjoy modern cooking appliances and technology. It is a quite sensational way to make a living.  

     I began to teach induction cooking about 15 years ago. As a national corporate chef for a luxury appliance company, I worked with various brands. I worked hands-on through the evolution and now the revolution of induction cooking. I am an induction advocate by choice. 

WWG: As a Bay Area resident, what are your thoughts on Berkeley’s natural gas ban?

RB: As a cooking teacher and chef, I was excited to hear about the natural gas ban in Berkeley. The future is here. Yet, I understand and empathize with those who think that “gas is best” and that electric cooking is terrible. By choice, I am a huge advocate for induction cooking and electric homes. I hope to help cut through some of the noise with education, advocacy and great cooking, of course. 

WWG: Without getting too “geeky,” can you explain how induction cooking works?

RB: Everyone cooks differently. I respect that. Cooking is filled with history, habit and emotion. Yet induction cooking is burdened with more disinformation than any other cooking technology. Unlike traditional electric cooking which heats up a hot coil or burner and radiates heat indirectly to a pan, induction heats the pan directly. The induction “hob” creates a magnetic field which excites the ferrous metal in the pan creating friction. The pan becomes the heat source. The technology has been around for decades. It is fast, it is responsive, it is safe, and it is fun to use. As a private chef, I often bring my own induction hob with me. 

WWG: Can you tell us about the classes you teach introducing users to induction? 

RB: I have so much respect for anyone who is cooking or trying to cook. I care about my clients and “meeting them where they are” in their cooking process. Boiling hot dogs? Sure. Making sous-vide salmon? Check. I teach based on what the client needs. I bring architectural firms such as Gensler or Huang Iboshi to live luxury kitchen showrooms for hands-on cooking and eating events that are both insightful and delicious. For developer Jay Paul of the stunning 181 Fremont building in San Francisco, I created an intimate “Kitchen Warming Experience” for their residents in a multi-million-dollar penthouse. We had a blast. I work directly in homes, teaching clients to make the most out of the cooking technology that they have. This experience takes a lot of pressure off the architects, builders and developers. Now that many buildings are converting to electric, the pressure is on to make sense out of induction. 

 WWG: What are some of the benefits of cooking with induction as opposed to gas or conventional electric? 

RB: In my life as a private chef, I am most happy when I see three things in a kitchen. A Miele dishwasher, combi-steam oven and an induction cooktop. In my vast cooking experience, the benefits of induction cooking are massive. The level of control, high to low is something that I am constantly amazed by. Boiling water happens before your very eyes, like a magic trick. When the heat is turned off the cooking stops without having to remove the pot from the burner. The direct heat is so efficient that the amount of residual heat that fills the room is negligent. Pot handles stay cooler, humans and rooms stay cooler. No live flame means no fire danger. The amount of grease, heat and indoor air pollution is greatly reduced. The footprint of a cook top is smaller and gives a cleaner look. There is no need for a massive hood, even with the high heat and strong scents of ethnic cooking. 

     With most models, such as the exceptional Miele induction cooktop, heat sensors will shut off the burner when your pot boils dry. If your pot boils over, it will “see” that as well. There are timers that you can set and “boost” modes for even faster short-term cooking. Finally, it is so easy to clean. I smile when I clean the cooktop. I do. 

     There are even some “app driven” technologies that are incredibly exciting. When I was a chef ambassador at the Boston Seafood Show, I could not have done crispy skinned salmon plus three other dishes all day for three days, cooked to exact perfection every single time with such ease without my Hestan Cue Smart Cooking System.  Check out their Facebook community if you want to see people having a blast with induction. 

WWG: What are some of the obstacles or challenges that new induction users need to overcome? 

RB: The biggest challenge to induction right now is the perception that gas is better. Like any technology, older or cheaper versions of induction may have turned people off. Cost is a factor as well. Induction cooktops and ranges are more expensive than gas, and electricity is currently more expensive. Yet the cost of running a gas line is huge and induction is so fast that you can cut cooking times by a lot. Plus, the ventilation hood that you need can be much less expensive. 

      You do need ferrous metal in your cookware. This is much less of an issue than people think since most of today’s cookware is induction compatible. If a magnet sticks to the bottom of your pot it is good to go. Also, induction tops are glass and can be scratched or even broken but it is extremely hard to do. All cooktops can be scratched. 

      I do respect that there is a learning curve. I have cooked side by side with thousands of people while they got used to not seeing a flame, learning not to turn a pan on “high” all of the time, burning some stuff, covering the controls or locking it out, trying to turn it on without a pan in place (it won’t), and just learning to master the “bells and whistles.” I understand. I can tell you that those thousands of students were simply amazed at what they learned.  

WWG: Do you have any good examples of “reluctant converts” who learned to love using an induction cooktop? 

RB:I have had many reluctant converts. I do what I call “translating traditions” with them, taking important dishes and techniques and testing them on induction. One very skeptical client from the very forward thinking zero-energy home builder, Acre Designs, wanted to make a caramel. Before her eyes, we made a golden caramel in about a third of the time. One 78-year-old Chinese grandmother worried about wok cooking. We used my huge, flat bottom iron wok to make her long beans and shitake recipe while steaming a whole striped bass and pot stickers. She was so inspired that we created and taught an entire Chinese New Year cooking class together! 

Even my own tribe can be a hard sell. My culinary BFF, private chef Tiffany Friedman was not having it. After years of messing with old induction units in various homes that were not at all powerful or intuitive, I shared a chef ambassador opportunity with her on the Fisher Paykel induction range. As a hard-core chef, I knew that she would be truthful, and I knew that she would be impressed. “Yeah, I loved it. I was really surprised. It was so powerful and responsive. It has knobs as opposed to touch controls, so it was intuitive. The heat control was so accurate. I used my Le Creuset cast iron grill to char-grill vegetables while melting chocolate for hours without a double boiler,” was her reaction. Yes, even Chef Tiff fell for my love of induction cooking. As I say to my clients, “Let me know how I can help. Let’s cook.”