The choice between gas and electricity cooking in the European hospitality industry is a much-debated topic. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, which can vary from country to country depending on energy costs, environmental regulations and kitchen preferences. Below is an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of both systems, with insights per country.
Table of contents
Cooking on gas
Benefits
- Direct heat control: Gas stoves offer instant temperature control, which is essential for precision cooking.
- Higher temperature capacity: Ideal for techniques such as stir-frying and searing.
- Low initial costs: Gas equipment is often cheaper to purchase.
Cons
- Security risks: Risk of gas leaks and fire hazard.
- Environmental impact: Higher CO₂ emissions compared to electricity from renewable sources.
- Maintenance: Regular maintenance required to ensure safety.
Belgoo Beer 
Madagascar Vanille
NOOR & NOOR
Jeanne Gennar, Coffee with a Soul
Chef & Knife
Kyzoe Hosting & Design
Belgian Master Butchers
Cooking on electricity (Induction)
Benefits
- Energy efficiency: Induction hobs are up to 50% more efficient than gas hobs.
- Safety: No open flame. Hob cools down quickly after use.
- Easy cleaning: Smooth surface without burners or grills.
Cons
- Higher initial costs: Purchase and installation can be more expensive.
- Required infrastructure: Electrical adjustments may be required.
- Specific pans needed: Not all pans are suitable for induction.
Which wine with game with sweet garnish?
Although this is not necessary, a sweet garnish is often served with game. And then the question arises as to which wine to...
Why does a freezer defrost when the ambient temperature is below 10°C?
One of the editors of the NRC science section came across a remarkable observation while selecting a new freezer....
(Re)designing a restaurant kitchen: 9 tips and mistakes
Setting up a restaurant kitchen properly is a big job. Get good advice on this. Your daily business operations are...
Eat healthier in your company restaurant with this 4-step plan
You can design a company restaurant in such a way that it entices employees to eat healthier!
These are the 7 sins in service provision
Within the service industry, which includes hospitality, negative behaviors are described as 'the seven sins of service'. Try...
Country-specific insights
Belgium
- Gas: Common in the catering industry, especially in traditional kitchens.
- Electricity: Growing interest in electric cooking, especially in urban areas with more focus on environmental friendliness and sustainability.
Bulgaria
- Gas: Widely used, especially in traditional catering establishments.
- Electricity: Increasing adoption of induction in urban areas, partly due to EU regulations and environmental targets.
Cyprus
- Gas: Natural gas is affordable, available, and widely used.
- Electricity: Induction is becoming more attractive, especially in urban areas, due to safety and energy efficiency.
Denmark
- Gas: Limited use; electricity is the norm in the catering industry.
- Electricity: Induction is popular because of its sustainability and focus on energy efficiency, supported by a large share of renewable energy.
Germany
- Gas: Traditionally popular, especially in older catering establishments.
- Electricity: Growing popularity due to incentives for renewable energy and subsidies for electrical equipment.
Hotel-Restaurant De Kommel
Weilandshof
The Mastercooks of Belgium
Bulls of the Princess
Estonia
- Gas: Less common; electricity becomes the norm.
- Electricity: Electric cooking, especially induction, is widely used thanks to the focus on sustainability and green energy.
Finland
- Gas: Rare; electricity dominates.
- Electricity: Induction cooking is the standard in the catering industry due to high energy efficiency and availability of renewable energy.
France
- Gas: Widely used in the catering industry because of the traditional cooking methods.
- Electricity: Cheap electricity from nuclear power is encouraging the switch to electric cooking, especially in urban areas.
Greece
- Gas: Traditionally preferred in the catering industry.
- Electricity: Induction is slow to catch on, but the focus on sustainability is growing.
Hungary
- Gas: Dominant in traditional catering establishments.
- Electricity: Slow adoption of induction, although EU regulations encourage sustainable choices.
Ireland
- Gas: Still popular, especially in Dublin and rural areas.
- Electricity: Induction is becoming more attractive due to subsidies for sustainable energy and higher gas prices.
Italy
- Gas: Gas remains dominant for traditional cooking methods, especially for pizza and pasta.
- Electricity: Slow adoption, partly due to high electricity costs and classic kitchen preferences.
Croatia
- Gas: Widely used in the hospitality industry, particularly in traditional settings.
- Electricity: Increasing interest in induction, especially in modern catering industries.
Latvia
- Gas: Widely used, especially outside urban areas.
- Electricity: Electric cooking is gaining ground, especially in urban areas.
Lithuania
- Gas: Affordable and therefore still dominant.
- Electricity: Induction on the rise, especially in modern hospitality establishments in urban areas.
Luxembourg
- Gas: Still widely used in traditional catering.
- Electricity: Induction is growing due to focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.
Malta
- Gas: Standard in traditional catering industry.
- Electricity: Induction cooking is slowly gaining popularity due to energy efficiency.
The Netherlands
- Gas: Historically popular, but declining due to policies to reduce gas consumption.
- Electricity: Induction is increasing rapidly due to subsidies and a national transition to sustainable cooking.
Austria
- Gas: Traditionally popular in catering establishments.
- Electricity: Induction cooking is gaining popularity thanks to a focus on sustainability.
Baking in mirror image for Sinterklaas and speculaas lovers
Although speculaas is available all year round, sales of these finely spiced cookies peak...
Living room restaurant competes with traditional restaurant in 5 areas
A home restaurant is a dining establishment set up in the private home of a chef or host/hostess, where guests can enjoy a...
Catering supply will become a growing problem in 2025
Stricter regulations and decreasing accessibility make it increasingly difficult to get the necessary products and ingredients to the store on time...
Search for employees will remain a challenge in 2025
A persistent and structural shortage of employees will continue to be a significant challenge for the hospitality sector in 2025. This problem, which...
Fifteen Mastercooks at the 1.000 best restaurants in the world
No fewer than 28 Belgian restaurants are among the 1.000 best in the world according to "La Liste", the gastronomic ranking of...
Poland
- Gas: Widely used, especially in traditional kitchens.
- Electricity: Increase in induction cooking, stimulated by EU environmental policy.
Portugal
- Gas: Widely used, especially in rural areas.
- Electricity: Induction cooking is growing, especially in modern restaurants in urban areas.
Romania
- Gas: Affordable and widely used.
- Electricity: Growing interest in induction, stimulated by sustainability.
Slovenia
- Gas: Popular in traditional catering establishments.
- Electricity: Induction is growing due to the emphasis on energy efficiency and EU regulations.
Slovakia
- Gas: Widely used in traditional kitchens.
- Electricity: Induction cooking is gaining popularity, partly due to EU regulations promoting sustainable energy.
Spain
- Gas: Widely used, especially in rural areas and traditional cuisines.
- Electricity: Induction is becoming increasingly popular, especially due to energy efficiency in urban areas.
Czech Republic
- Gas: Common in traditional catering establishments.
- Electricity: Induction is becoming increasingly popular due to EU environmental legislation and sustainable initiatives.
Sweden
- Gas: Less common; electricity is the norm.
- Electricity: Induction is very popular due to the abundance of renewable energy and attention to sustainability.
NOOR & NOOR has decades of experience in setting up and running catering businesses, specialty stores and providing various services, both B2B and B2C.
To carry out its activities, NOOR & NOOR relies on innovative insights and ideas from young marketers and micro-influencers for the management of your social media.
NOOR & NOOR works closely with specialized partners for the technical aspects of the assignments, but also with you for accurate and recent content.
The main activities of NOOR & NOOR are Social Media Management. Then building and managing websites and web shops, SEO Content Writing or writing search engine related articles, Virtual Assistance en Link Building via this website.
Summary observations
Northern and Western Europe
Countries such as Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany are shifting strongly towards electricity (especially induction cooking), stimulated by sustainability initiatives and renewable energy sources.
South Europe
In countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece, gas remains popular due to tradition and availability, although induction is on the rise in modern restaurants.
Eastern Europe
Natural gas remains dominant in many Eastern European countries, but the shift to induction is increasing due to subsidies and EU regulations promoting green energy.
Small EU Member States and Islands
Countries such as Malta and Cyprus still rely on gas, but the benefits of induction cooking are becoming increasingly attractive, especially in new construction and modern catering establishments.
Conclusion
Gas cooking remains traditionally firmly entrenched in many European kitchens due to its direct control, higher temperature capacity and lower initial costs.
However, electricity – and induction cooking in particular – offers significant advantages in terms of energy efficiency, safety and sustainability, making it an increasingly popular choice in European countries with strong environmental policies and good access to renewable energy.
Share this blog post!
Do you know other professionals, hobby chefs, colleagues, friends and/or acquaintances who could also benefit from our blog articles? We would really appreciate it if you would share this blog article in your network. You can easily do this using the social media buttons below. Thanks in advance!
