»Biden administration gas stove ban proposal leaves New York restaurants smoldering«
Peter Petti, the executive chef of Sojourn, a New American restaurant on the Upper East Side, will have stainless steel pots of pasta water boiling while searing salmon and steaks, with all 12 burners lit on the gas stoves. Almost everything on his menu, from a 30-day dry-aged New York strip to a chocolate dessert flambéed with brandy, is prepared on the range.
“Some dishes require two or three pans on the burners,” said Petti, 45, who has been cooking with gas since he began his culinary career as a line cook at Eleven Madison Park in the early 2000s.
However, the Feds cannot withstand the heat.
According to Consumer Reports and the National Restaurant Association, gas stoves are currently utilized in 37% of US households and 76% of US restaurants. On Monday, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that it was exploring a statewide ban on gas stoves. The safety committee noted recent findings indicating that gas stoves release excessive quantities of pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide, and are connected to malignancies, respiratory ailments, and cardiovascular difficulties. But the city’s chefs and restaurateurs are outraged at the prospect of a ban and the devastation it may cause to their businesses.
Peter Petti, chef at Sojourn, claims that cooking using a gas stove enables him to be efficient behind the line during the dinner rush.
“The majority of restaurants in New York City use gas. It is the most prevalent range in high-volume kitchens, according to Petti, who spoke with The Post. “Gas lets us do our job efficiently.”
Natural gas or sometimes propane is sent to the cooktop burner of a gas range to fuel a flame. Electric coil stovetops, which are normally only available in homes and are notoriously sluggish to heat and react to temperature fluctuations, and induction, which uses electromagnets to heat cookware, are alternatives to gas. Induction can be quite quick, bringing a pot of water to a boil in two minutes or less, compared to five to eight minutes on gas or electric coil stove tops. However, induction requires some adjustment and cannot be utilized with all cookware.
Patti stated, “There are some kitchens that use inductions, but there is definitely a learning curve.” “You would have to close in order to reset your kitchen and re-file with the fire department – there’s a lot involved.”
Last year, chef Eric Ripert told The Times that he converted his house kitchens from gas to induction stove tops since it is the most environmentally friendly approach.
Once chefs become accustomed to induction, which is already prevalent in Europe, they adore it, according to several in the business.
Chef Rachelle Boucher of California, who owns Kitchens to Life, a West Coast consultancy that teaches cooks how to convert their kitchens from gas to electric, told The Post, “It’s instantaneous control cooking.”
The fact that you can reach over and touch anything without igniting it is an added plus, she explained.
Darryl Harmon, executive chef at Slate and Clinton Hall in New York City, has employed both induction and gas ovens in restaurants.
Thanks to Harmon
Chef Eric Ripert of the three-Michelin-star French restaurant Le Bernardin in Midtown Manhattan recently installed and adores induction stoves in his two homes.
“It is so much more accurate than observing a flame. Ripert told the Times, “You can really focus on your cooking and pay attention to what’s inside the pan, rather than what’s underneath.” His restaurant kitchens are still powered by gas, and Ripert has stated that he will not switch to electricity until repairs require it.
“It would be costly to replace stoves that are still functional, but if my gas stove broke, I would consider it,” he told The Times.
Electric coil stove tops are the least desirable non-gas alternatives, according to chefs, because they are slow to heat up and cook food unevenly.
Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, remarked that many restaurants cannot afford to make the changeover.
“The cost to convert equipment to induction and ensure a commercial kitchen has an adequate electrical load can be complex and prohibitively expensive for many restaurants,” he wrote in an email to The Post.
Chef Darryl Harmon of the local chain Clinton Hall said that gas feeds not only stovetops in commercial kitchens, but also ovens, fryers, and griddles – the latter two of which are essential for preparing the restaurants’ signature burgers and french fries.
Sammy Musovic, proprietor of Sojourn, in front of his Upper East Side restaurant. Musovic asserts that converting his gas appliances to electric would be an expensive renovation some years after the epidemic wreaked havoc on restaurants’ finances.
“It is difficult to sear [a burger] on an electric griddle. “[Or] you’re attempting to re-heat a fryer but you don’t have enough fryer power,” Harmon told The Post. You would have to invest at least $200,000 to acquire new ovens.
After enduring the plague for years, many eateries believe they will not survive the move from gas to induction.
“We are just regaining our footing, and now the Biden administration wants to hurl this at us? The proprietor of Sojourn Social, Sammy Musovic, stated that the behavior was unacceptable. It would be disastrous for small businesses if we were tossed this without any assistance or program to complete it.
»Biden administration gas stove ban proposal leaves New York restaurants smoldering«