True confession: I would have a hard time giving up a gas stove. As an enthusiastic home cook—with an admittedly mixed track record of success—I love the intuitive sense of temperature control and elemental feeling of cooking over a flame that gas provides.
But the ecological toll is enough to make me consider going electric. And someday I may not have a choice. New York City, where I live, recently started phasing in a ban of natural gas hookups in most new construction—including renovations that require a building permit. It’s one of many cities across the country to do so. Some 70 percent of New York’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, and a study published in January found that gas appliances leak methane into our homes even when they’re turned off (in fact, even more than when they’re turned on).
Switching to electricity could be healthier for you, and depending on how your local grid gets its energy— wind and solar, great, fossil fuel–burning plants, not great at all—better for the environment.
It’s a conundrum that many will likely be considering soon. Kitchens and bathrooms consistently vie for the title of most remodeled room in the house, according to the National Association of Home Builders. And in our annual kitchen and bath issue, writer Jared Brey, inspired by his experience moving into a Philadelphia row house, makes the case for going all electric. We also chat with culinary TikTok phenom Jon Kung, who tells us to embrace induction cooktops, which are even more energy efficient than regular electric burners.
Even if you’re not replacing your stove right now, we’re offering other ideas for updating your hard-working spaces. Three kitchen case studies—one of which will make you see why I love an “everything island”—offer inspiration, and in our Modern World section, we look at a range of products, from streamlined sinks to on-trend tiles. Plus, we get advice on picking the right candle for your bathroom from the cofounder of the amazingly named fragrance brand Boy Smells.
Whether you’re taking on a renovation or just making your bathroom smell like a Kacey Musgraves song—see Boy Smells’ scent Slow Burn—we have you covered. And now, I’m off to joyfully ruin an omelet.
Head to the March/April 2022 issue homepage