The kitchen is called the heart of the home, where family traditions and memories are made. Because of the emotional attachment people have to kitchens and particularly cooking, this room is also turning out to be a special challenge in the drive for whole home electrification. As one new home builder told us, “There’s still a lot of customers that are just very attached to gas and still have hesitation around electric cooking in general.” Or as one kitchen appliance sales associate put it, “California is shifting toward electric, but most people are coming in and buying gas.”
However, new induction cooking products may be the answer to this dilemma. Induction cooking uses electromagnetic technology to heat cookware directly, delivering energy-efficient, precise, and faster cooking. This all-electric alternative provides a high-performance cooking option on par with gas without the adverse indoor air quality and climate emissions impacts. But just how much can a comparable alternative change the minds of California consumers? That’s what research for our Induction Cooking Market Transformation Initiative (MTI) aimed to answer.
Photo Captions (L to R): Chef Kimlai Yingling demonstrates safety features as she boils water with sales associates and consumers at The Appliance Outlet in Riverside, CA. Chef Kimberly Ayala poses with her daughter demonstrating how safe induction cooking is with children at South Bay Appliance in Gardena, CA.
Making induction accessible with demonstration
CalMTA has been engaging consumers around California to learn how best to raise awareness and acceptance for induction cooking through a series of community-based “Chefluencer” events where consumers can directly interact with cooking products. In all, 12 events were held in 2024 and provided insights into the final plan developed to take down the barriers keeping induction stoves and cooktops’ market share from growing. These events, managed by the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC), allow participants to engage with interactive cooking demonstrations from experienced chefs, sample delicious food, and ask questions about induction technology.
Continuing to test the power of Chefluencer demonstrations in 2025, CalMTA held three additional events in February, but this time at appliance store locations across the greater Los Angeles area. Chefluencers were able to actively engage with sales associates on-site, giving them the opportunity to watch the technology in action, ask questions pertaining to the induction models available in their stores, and deepen their knowledge around the benefits of induction cooking.
We especially wanted to know whether direct experience with induction cooking at in-person Chefluencer-style events could change public opinion. Turns out, they do! Across the set of 15 events, participants’ opinions of induction cooking rose in every instance.
CalMTA Chefluencer Customer Survey Questions: “Before today’s event, what was your opinion of induction appliances?” (n=268); “After attending today’s event, what is your opinion of induction appliances?” (n=265). These opinions do not include the responses from the three events in February 2025.
In-store experiences
The in-store approach to Chefluencer events intended to test the demonstration approach at the point of sale. Additionally, our previous research on the opinions of kitchen appliance sales associates toward induction cooking found a distinct preference for gas and a low awareness of available rebates. Some would actively steer customers away from induction. The in-store Chefluencer events held in February were an opportunity to help understand whether sales associate attitudes could also be changed.
We found that, in all cases, post-event opinions were very positive—even for those associates that had neutral opinions beforehand. More detailed information on all of our Chefluencer research is available in our Chefluencer Event Testing Strategy Pilot Assessment.
Photo Caption: Chef Katie Chin demonstrates to a customer how to make potstickers on an induction stovetop at Waadt Appliance in Lake Balboa, CA.
Seeing is believing
These events confirm the approach of Chefluencer events to affect public perceptions of induction cooking. CalMTA’s partnership with BDC to create these events aligns with Strategic Intervention #5 in our Induction Cooking Logic Model, to build consumer acceptance and awareness through marketing and education campaigns. By providing firsthand experience with trusted, knowledgeable hosts, these events directly address the barrier of low awareness and help overcome cultural preferences for gas cooking by showcasing induction’s performance, safety features, and sustainability benefits. The findings will help inform the Induction Cooking MTI’s entrance into the market, ensuring that future efforts effectively target and overcome this key barrier to adoption.
Research on consumer and sales associate awareness will continue throughout the year. CalMTA and BDC will be participating in United Stores’ Let’s Connect event in May 2025, where celebrity chef Katie Chin will demonstrate for independent retail store buyers how to cook delicious recipes on induction products and showcase induction cooking to the event audience.
A full assessment report on the outcomes, findings, and recommendations of the Chefluencer Event Testing Strategy Pilot is now available here.
