Induction cooktops available to borrow from Millvale Tool Library

Induction cooktops are very different from “grandma’s coils,” and a couple are available to try from the Millvale Community Library.

PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center donated two lightweight, portable induction cooktops to the Millvale Tool Library in April as part of Earth Week 2025.

“Induction cooking is a better choice for our planet, our health and our wallets,” said Wanda Wilson, PennEnvironment’s Western Pennsylvania advocate. “Anyone considering making the switch can borrow a cooktop to try it out.”

An induction cooktop can cost from $80 to $200, Wilson said. By using electricity and magnetism to heat pots and pans directly, they differ substantially from regular electric stoves, she said.

“The technology is drastically different and the efficiency so much better than ‘grandma’s coils,’ ” she said. “Induction is high performance, immediately responsive to on/off and level adjustments.”

According to PennEnvironment, induction stoves are a more sustainable alternative to traditional gas ranges because they don’t rely on methane, a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide and contributes to global warming.

Induction appliances can be up to three times more efficient than their gas counterparts and 10% more efficient than electric appliances, leading to energy savings on utility bills and faster cooking times.

Gas stovetops have been shown to increase indoor air pollution. A study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that more than 12% of childhood asthma cases could be attributed to indoor gas stove use.

“We now know that living with a gas stove increases a child’s risk of asthma. Just baking a cake can pollute your home beyond EPA standards,” Wilson said. “What can we do to protect our children? Ventilate when cooking with a gas stove. Use an induction cooktop and a countertop electric oven instead of gas if you can.”

Christopher A. Galarza, a local chef, demonstrated use of the cooktops at the library. A nationally recognized expert in electrification of commercial kitchens, he is founder and CEO of Forward Dining Solutions and co-founder of EcoChef.

“Induction cooking is essential to me — both professionally and at home — because it offers unmatched precision, efficiency and versatility. My mother has asthma, and every time she cooked on a gas stove, her symptoms would flare up,” Galarza said. “I think it’s important that more people will get to try induction and experience the power of clean cooking by way of this addition to the tool library’s collection.”

Bill Mocker, program and volunteer coordinator of the Millvale Tool Library, thanked PennEnvironment for its donation.

“Our members will now have the opportunity to use and try out induction cooktops in their homes as a green alternative to traditional electric and natural gas stoves,” he said.