Chef Sanjay Kumar chooses induction

The owner of Daana Original Food restaurant in Curtin, Sanjay Kumar, never set out to run cooking classes.

When he eventually started them, due to popular demand, induction cooktops were an obvious choice.

He is so satisfied with the induction cooktops that he uses for classes and at home that he hopes to install induction cooktops in the restaurant kitchen.

The Challenge

“When I started planning my cooking classes, safety was front of mind,” said Sanjay.

“I wanted people of all ages to be able to participate, and induction was clearly the safest option because it eliminates the risks of an open flame or burning hot stove.

“Budget was also a factor, and the upfront cost of portable induction cooktops was about the same or cheaper than conventional hotplates.

“I was confident that induction would be the right choice because I’ve been using it at home for 10 years. The cooktops are so simple and safe to use that my daughter started using ours when she was 8 years old – touching and swiping the controls was just like the iPad to her!

The Action

“There’s a large range of portable induction cooktops available, which made it easy to find something that met our requirements and our budget.

“Induction cooktops have made my classes easier to run. The cooktops are reliable, precise and consistent. I can tell my students “Turn the stove to 6” and know that they will all have the same temperature.

“The cooktops heat the pots so quickly, and that really makes a difference when you have limited time available – like in a cooking class.

“One quality of the induction cooktops that we have really appreciated in our classes is that they are so easy to clean. The last thing you want to do after a 3-hour class is clean 10 dirty gas burners!

“There’s nothing you can’t cook on an induction cooktop. You have to get used to how quickly your pot heats up, but you adapt to it very quickly.

“The key thing is having high quality pots and pans. Induction technology allows me to cook any of my favourite traditional Indian dishes.

The Benefit

“Our students love the induction cooktops. Some participants already cook with induction at home. Some are thinking of changing and some are a bit more sceptical.

“Overall, students are amazed by the experience of cooking with induction. I’m pretty sure that some students will upgrade to an induction stovetop at home, having tried it in my class.

“One day we will switch our restaurant cooktops from gas to induction. They’re safer, cleaner and require less maintenance than a regular cast-iron 6-8 burner gas stove.

“There’s also a cost saving with induction. For me, it’s not so much the cost of the energy – electricity versus gas – but the cost of labour.

“Gas stoves take time to clean and maintain properly – you need to make sure that the jets don’t get clogged otherwise your stove doesn’t work as well, and that’s a health issue too.

“Many people in the industry don’t even know about the health risks associated with a gas stove that’s not burning properly. It’s a bit like a car – if it isn’t tuned and working properly it’s emitting more gas into the environment, and you don’t want to be breathing that in.

“When we get our induction cooktop we’ll probably switch our other appliances – like the fryer – to electric too. We’re already working towards switching our hot water system to an efficient electric heat pump.

“Going all-electric is definitely the way of the future. I hope that more chefs and restaurant owners will see the benefit of making the switch when the time is right for them.”