POV: How to Set up Induction as a Renter (part 1)

Why Induction is Difficult for Renters

A big obstacle to adopting induction, and ESPECIALLY in the Bay Area, is the fact that so many people are renters. In fact, as of 2023, in San Francisco alone, an estimated 64% of people rent.

On top of renting, many renters share homes and apartments with others - whether they are friends or strangers off Craigslist. For example, in the not-so-distant past, I shared a house with 5 others, for a total of 6 people.

Suffice it to say, rolling into a shared home or apartment and placing a wooden slab and array of induction hobs on top of the gas range, without the buy-in of housemates who enjoy cooking on gas, is not a great idea.

Compromises need to be made.

If you want to switch to induction and your housemates are reluctant, you may need to play the long game. Building exposure to the technology and helping others warm up to it will be key.

But that doesn't mean YOU can't use induction right away.

Setting up a personal induction station:

Since starting to work on electric kitchens at BDC in 2022, I've been exclusively cooking on induction in my shared home.

While the main range is still operating and my housemates prefer to use it, I purchased an island cart and a single hob in this configuration:

While many folks might find this unrealistic cramped, it's a much less stressful way for me to cook personally.

I love to cook, and I love food. But I can get overwhelmed by all the ingredients, prep, and cookware intrinsic to the kitchen.

Having a contained space makes it easier for me to think deliberately about my process. The space is open and clean enough to prep healthy meals, but it also constrains me to think clearly about my cooking process. The island also has an extendable leaf for when I hypothetically need more space - but to be honest, I never do.

How this can help move you closer to your goal:

It's also helped to expose my housemates to induction. They can see how quick, fast, and easy it is to use - and clean!

I'm planning on having a few induction meal parties with the house - perhaps a fondue party, or a strawberry dipping party - to get them familiar with the technology and hopefully win them over. I will say I haven't done the greatest job at inviting my housemates to use the unit, as I was nervous about what they would think. But I think they'd have fun with it.

Getting familiar with one induction hob using this setup has been helpful in thinking about what I might want personally in the long-term and how to negotiate with my landlord about replacing our gas range.

Even if the landlord says "no", hopefully I would have won my housemates over to induction. Plan B would be putting a wood block over the gas range, and then plugging a two-element induction hob on top.

Note: My setup lacks ventilation; I have two windows next to my setup, though, that I use while cooking. Ventilation is something you still need when cooking on induction to help with the particulates emitted from cooking your food. However, the great news is that there are no gas emissions from induction - the kind of emissions that result in a higher incidence of childhood asthma.

Stay tuned

I'll be writing future articles for renters on the ins and outs of transitioning to an all-electric kitchen!