Chefs Fear Gas Stove Bans Could Kill Wok Frying and Other Traditional Asian Cooking

As some North American cities consider banning the sale of gas stoves, some chefs who cook with a wok are concerned that their food won't be the same without live fire.

In efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and at-home health risk exposure, government officials in Canada and the U.S. have been looking into placing a ban or limitations on gas stoves.

In Canada alone in 2020, at-home gas ranges emitted the equivalent of around 370,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to data from Natural Resources Canada.

That's the same as burning more than 400 million pounds of coal, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's calculator.

A proposed ban on natural gas hookups in Vancouver new construction was rejected in May. Mayor Ken Sim said that the move might stop home cooks from cooking traditional foods, which "doesn't sit well with me," according to the Observer.

“If the only option for people of Chinese descent or South Asian descent or Asian descent is to enjoy their food at a restaurant, as opposed to their own home, I find it incredibly problematic,” Sim said.

Many chefs agree that the proposed and in-place rules and regulations around gas stoves are well-intentioned.

But, Bay Area chefs interviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle also worry that a complete ban on gas stoves could effectively kill a traditional form of cooking.

Some chefs and home cooks, including Rebecca Cui based in Newmarket, Ontario, worry that they won't be able to cook traditional meals without fire.

Rebecca Cui based in Newmarket, Ontario, who attempts to emulate her mother's Chinese cooking at home, told Canada's National Observer the electric or induction cooktop only heats the bottom of her wok, rendering traditional techniques "useless" and making it difficult to cook for more than two people at a time.

George Chen, chef and owner of China Live in San Francisco, told the Chronicle that, as of January, around 40% of his menu uses a wok.

The wok combined with a hot gas flame, many chefs agree, is essential for achieving an even char and a smoky flavor known as wok hei.

“Why we would want to lose that is beyond me,” Chen told the outlet.

But not all chefs are opposed to a personal switch.

Jon Kung, a chef based in Detroit, told The Guardian he uses induction cooktops simply because he thinks they're better than gas.

"Induction stovetops are easier to clean, they’re more responsive, and they are just as powerful, if not more powerful, than gas," Kung said. "My induction burner can boil eight quarts of water within 11 minutes – it’s super fast."

Kung also disagrees with the idea that a lack of gas would render cooking Chinese food impossible. He uses an induction wok — a burner with a bowl-shaped surface that fits a wok — for all of his Chinese cooking.

"You can buy a curved induction wok burner specifically made for woks and it works better than cooking on a wok on a western gas range,” he told The Guardian. "That wok burner was literally made by Chinese people to cook Chinese food — when I cook in that it’s more of an authentic experience than cooking on a KitchenAid or a Viking range could ever be."