Choosing between gas, electric, or induction cooktops?

Buying a stove has never been more challenging than it is today. Everyone demands high safety standards, suitability to their needs and budget, and reduction in monthly fuel bills. However, selecting the right stove from the myriad options available in terms of stove types and designs is no easy feat.

1. Choosing between gas, electric, or induction cooktops?

Buying a stove has never been more challenging than it is today. Everyone demands high safety standards, suitability to their needs and budget, and reduction in monthly fuel bills. However, selecting the right stove from the myriad options available in terms of stove types and designs is no easy feat.

The stove market offers a diverse range of options.

Just by browsing through popular forums and online communities such as webtretho.com, voz.com, lamchame.com..., one can see the confusion among consumers when it comes to choosing a stove. For example, searching the keyword 'buying a stove' on webtretho.com yields 92,800 results, while lamchame.com provides 65,700 results. These discussions revolve around queries and advice on which stove to buy and from which brand. Many consumers are uncertain about the differences between induction stoves, halogen stoves, and infrared stoves...
Nowadays, stove choices extend beyond gas and electric stoves. Names like induction stoves, infrared stoves, halogen stoves, and induction cooktops have started to flood the Vietnamese market in recent years, especially during times of gas price hikes or accidents related to gas stove usage.
Apart from traditional stoves like electric stoves using coil wires and gas stoves with blue flames, the market offers sleek glass-top stoves with touch-sensitive temperature controls and no visible burners or flames. Some stoves feature timers, automatically shutting off when the pot is not placed properly on the burner or when water in the pot boils over. Some stoves can even be used for grilling meat and dry foods. Others come with warnings not to touch when the stove surface gets too hot... Of course, all these convenient features come at a hefty price, with some stoves costing over 50 million dong.
But are these stoves worth the price tag? What stove options does the market offer, and what are the pros and cons of each? What's the alternative to gas stoves? Does using electric stoves increase electricity bills? How does an infrared stove differ from an electric stove?
When deciding to purchase a stove, there are several factors to consider, such as the choice of fuel (electricity or gas, comparing fuel costs), budget for stove investment, frequency of cooking, number of people served, convenience (quick, easy to clean), and suitability for kitchen design.
In terms of types, there are four basic types of stoves: gas stoves, electric stoves, induction cooktops, and halogen stoves. Here's a detailed analysis of each type of stove, along with price and brand references:

Gas Stoves
Gas stoves are currently the most popular type of stove in households. The reason is that they are inexpensive (starting from about 1 million dong, you can buy a double gas stove) and gas fuel is widely used.

Built-in gas stove
Advantages:
• Provides instant heat (and can be immediately turned off).
• Can be used with most cooking utensils, pots, and pans.
• Allows precise, visual flame (heat) adjustment and cooking at very high temperatures. That's why professional chefs often choose gas stoves.
• Economical price.
Disadvantages:
• Wastes up to 60% of heat energy to heat the air (according to Wikipedia).
• Not environmentally friendly. Kitchens using gas stoves need a complete ventilation system such as exhaust fans, smoke pipes, and open doors to prevent CO poisoning.
• Gas stove flames can singe flammable objects around the stove, leading to a higher risk of explosion than electric stoves.
• During cooking, stove heat radiates, causing discomfort for the cook, especially in hot summers; using a fan may extinguish the flame.
• Risk of gas leakage leading to explosion or gas poisoning.
• Gas stoves with grates and flame rings are harder to clean than electric stoves.
Price:
Gas stoves are classified based on cabinet design: built-in gas stoves and freestanding gas stoves; classified by the number of burners: single gas stoves, double gas stoves, and more. The stove price depends on the number of burners, the material of the stove top, whether it's a built-in or freestanding gas stove, and its features, brand.
Single gas stoves are often used for highly mobile purposes like hot pot cooking, camping. The price of single gas stoves typically ranges from 250,000 VND to 1 million VND.
Double gas stoves and above: priced from 750,000 VND to over 15 million VND (glass-top built-in gas stoves).

Choosing a built-in gas stove: Nowadays, users tend to choose built-in gas stoves for a cleaner look and to enhance the kitchen's aesthetics. According to noithatphuongdong.vn, depending on usage needs, we can choose between two or three cooking zones, or two cooking zones and one grilling zone; when buying, pay attention to the size of the kitchen cabinet cutout and the stove top size for compatibility. Most built-in gas stove tops are made of stone or toughened glass, heat-resistant and 8mm thick. This glass top is easily replaced with counterfeit, low-quality products, so when buying, make sure the seller commits or test by hitting the glass with a hammer. Each stove set is labeled with series number, model, manufacturer, year of manufacture, place of manufacture, gas volume, or maximum continuous consumption in 1 hour. For example, a 12kg gas cylinder, the stove consumes 0.5kg/h of gas, meaning if you burn the stove at maximum flame with all burners, the gas cylinder will be empty after 24 hours.

Brands: The gas stove market has many brands, including domestic brands, imported brands, and those brought in through unofficial channels. If buying imported products, choose brands with official distributors in Vietnam for peace of mind. Some common brands: Giovani, Fagor, Faber, Sena, Napoli, Bella, Teka, Malloca, Rinnai, Toji, Paloma... Note, counterfeit gas stoves usually come in two types: one is fake imported labels from genuine gas stoves stuck on counterfeit gas stoves; two is counterfeiting components like flame dividers, glass, thermal sensor components... The trick of counterfeiters is to buy a genuine gas stove, then buy handmade or Chinese-made components and assemble them according to the genuine stove model.
Depending on the price, gas stoves will have features such as: automatic gas shut-off; IC ignition; automatic cooking and shutdown timer; temperature adjustment for cooking; automatic gas amount or flame size adjustment for gas savings (the flame only covers the bottom of the pot without reaching out); protection against water depletion in the pot; automatic flame shutdown when there's no pot above (meaning when we lift the pot off the stove, it will shut off the gas); water overflow alarm...

Conventional Electric Cookers

Hi-Light 4-zone electric cooker

Electric cookers use electricity as the input energy source but have different heat generation methods: conduction, radiation, and induction, so there are different types of electric cookers: conventional electric cookers, halogen cookers, and induction cookers.
Conventional electric cookers use contact coil windings (the most common and cheapest type) or ribbon windings placed in a ceramic disc under a heat-resistant glass panel to heat cooking utensils at a very fast speed (Hi-Light technology cooking stove - image below). Electric cookers with glass tops are easy to wipe, clean, and look luxurious but are also quite expensive. Maximum power (for double stoves and above) ranges from 3000 W to over 7400 W (depending on the number of cooking zones; cooking ring).

Advantages:
• Lower risk than gas stoves. Since it uses electricity to generate heat, conventional electric stoves do not rely on gas pipelines or gas cylinders, eliminating the risk of gas leakage leading to explosions or gas poisoning.
• Can maintain temperatures very low. After cooking, the stove surface remains hot for quite some time, so you can turn off the stove a little earlier or leave the pot on the stove, saving and keeping food warm.
• Not picky with cooking utensils.
• Most modern electric stoves have heat-resistant glass ceramic surfaces that are elegant and very easy to clean. Particularly, only the cooking area of the stove is hot, while the surroundings remain relatively cool.
• Touch control panels allow for precise and easy temperature control.
Disadvantages:
• Requires high, stable power supply.
• Takes time to heat up and cool down the stove after prolonged cooking. (Do not touch the cooking surface after cooking).
• Standing near the stove for a long time may feel hot due to the heated surrounding environment.
• Glass ceramic stove tops are prone to scratches and breakage if not handled carefully.
Price: 
Like gas stoves, conventional electric stoves come in single stoves for highly mobile purposes and double stoves and above. Glass-top electric stoves are more expensive than metal-top stoves, and stoves with more burners are pricier. Glass-top stove prices range from about 10 million VND to over 25 million VND.
Brands:
Bosch, Teka, Fagor, Electrolux, Ariston, Nardi, Fotile, Malloca.

Halogen Cooker
Halogen cookers (also known as infrared cookers, radiant cookers) are also electric cookers, but they operate on the principle of infrared radiation transmitted through halogen bulbs hidden beneath a heat-resistant glass surface (radiant heat). The heat-resistant glass surface turns red, and heat is transmitted at the speed of light, so you don't have to wait for the stove to heat up the pots and pans. Halogen bulbs, filament bulbs but filled with halogen gas, generate more heat and have a lifespan of about 3 years, longer than filament bulbs, so you don't have to replace halogen bulbs frequently. The cost of replacing bulbs is about 30,000 VND/bulb (Chinese bulbs, with a lifespan of 2,500 hours and no distinction between expensive or cheap stoves). Single cookers have a maximum power of about 2000 W.

Halogen cookers often have a glowing red cooking surface

Advantages:
• Lower risk than gas stoves.
• Not picky with cooking utensils.
• Cooks faster than gas stoves and electric stoves by 50% (according to eHow).
• Can grill food (fish, squid, meat...) directly on the cooking surface.
• Very safe stove. The stove surface is cool, with only the actual cooking area getting hot.
Disadvantages:
• As a high-end type, it is expensive (for double stoves and above).
• Glass ceramic stove tops are prone to scratches and breakage if not handled carefully.
• If cooking utensils are not placed properly on the stove, it can cause glare.
• Noisy. Since the stove uses a cooling fan, it can produce noise during use.
Price:
Halogen cookers are more expensive than conventional electric stoves. Currently, on the market, single models are priced from 300,000 VND to 3 million VND, with few double stove models available in Vietnam.
Brands:
The halogen cooker market today mainly consists of single cookers and products originating from China, Thailand, or products where Vietnamese enterprises import components for assembly. Popular brands include Gali, Rubiluck, Fuji Cook.

Induction Cooker
Induction cookers (also known as induction stoves, induction cooktops) use magnetic fields based on the Foucault current principle to heat cooking utensils, then heat the food inside while the stove surface remains relatively cool. This is the fastest cooking method and can precisely control the temperature like gas stoves. Of course, induction cookers - dubbed the iPad of the kitchen - are expensive and very selective with cooking utensils. High-end induction cookers usually have 'Induction' written on the cooking surface.

Induction cookers (induction stoves, induction cooktops) often have 'Induction' written on the circular cooking surface

Advantages:
• Less risk compared to gas stoves.
• Quick cooking.
• No wastage of heat into the environment. Electricity is directed into a special coil to generate electromagnetic induction, causing electrons at the bottom of the pot to oscillate, directly generating heat at the contact area, thus maximizing heat efficiency.
• Very safe stove. The stove surface generally remains cool, with only the cooking area in contact with pots and pans being hot.
• Easy to clean and maintain.
Disadvantages:
• Expensive (for double stoves and above).
• Selective with cooking utensils: only compatible with steel, iron utensils with ferromagnetic properties. To utilize existing pots and pans, many users purchase an iron plate to place on the induction stove, then place pots and pans on it for cooking. However, it's advised that once done, you've essentially turned the induction stove into a conventional electric stove – meaning the heat efficiency and quick cooking features of the induction stove are lost.
• Heavy cooking utensils (typically pots, pans used for induction stoves with three-layered bottoms or more, are quite heavy to handle).
• Power outage precautions.
• Noise (due to the cooling fan).
• High replacement, repair costs.
• Stove surface susceptible to scratches, leaving grease marks if hot grease is not promptly cleaned.
Price:
Single induction stoves are reasonably priced for many consumers, ranging from 300,000 VND to 1.2 million VND/piece, with a power output of about 2000 W. The downside of this stove is its lack of flexible temperature control.
Double induction stoves and above have power outputs ranging from 3400 W to over 7000 W. Most of these stoves have touch control panels, allowing for flexible temperature adjustment and various modern features such as child lock, automatic pot detection, timer, etc. European-imported stoves are the most expensive, ranging from 21 million VND to nearly 60 million VND/piece (depending on the number of burners, brand, features). Stoves imported from China, Taiwan, or assembled by Vietnamese enterprises from imported components are cheaper, ranging from 13 million VND to about 20 million VND, with some very expensive models priced over 30 million VND, as they come with a 'bonus' set of pots worth nearly 20 million VND.
Brands:
European-imported induction stoves such as Electrolux, Teka, Fagor, Bosch. Induction stoves imported from China, Taiwan... such as KitchMate, Munchen.

4. Hybrid Cooker
To prevent users from having to discard their favorite cooking utensils due to using induction stoves, many manufacturers have created hybrid cookers: electric stoves combined with induction stoves, gas stoves combined with induction stoves, and there are also gas-electric combination stoves on the market. In general, these hybrid cookers combine the advantages and disadvantages of electric, induction, and gas stoves mentioned above, and depending on your needs, you can choose the most suitable type of hybrid cooker for your situation.

A Fagor hybrid electric-induction stove

Some suggestions from VnReview, summarized from market surveys on stoves and from consumers:
- Hybrid electric-induction stove: preferred because the stove is completely clean, easy to clean, and can use various types of pots without worrying too much about whether they can be used on induction stoves. However, with this solution, you need a backup stove in case of power outage.
- Gas-induction hybrid stove; Electric-induction hybrid stove: basically the same and cannot eliminate the risk of safety hazards when using gas stoves - which is why many people are turning to electric and induction stoves. Moreover, when you still use gas stoves, cleaning the stove is still as difficult as when using conventional gas stoves, while the hybrid type with additional features will be more expensive than regular gas stoves. Only choose this type of stove when you are committed to using induction/electric stoves primarily, and gas stoves as a backup in case of power outage, or if you have cooking utensils that are not suitable for induction.

Overall, there is increasing interest in induction stoves as a top choice to replace gas stoves. Although induction stoves are clearly safer than the 'slow-burning bomb' gas cylinders indoors, consumers still have many concerns beyond the initial large investment, such as whether induction stoves are convenient, whether the food cooked is delicious, whether they cost more (in terms of electricity costs) than gas stoves, whether they affect the health of users, which brand of stove to buy, etc. In other words, whether to buy an induction stove or not is a question that needs careful consideration.