Arabic version: بار نودلز في فريمانتل يختبر الطهي بالحثّ الكهربائي

According to ABC News, an advocacy group has opened a free electric noodle bar in Fremantle, Western Australia, to show people considering a move away from gas that induction cooking can still deliver wok-style meals. The Electric Noodle Bar is running as part of Fremantle Design Week.

Electrify Fremantle organiser Wilf Johnston said the event was designed to let visitors see, smell and taste induction cooking rather than only reading about home electrification online or in brochures. Chef Amanda Auwdina is preparing vegetarian noodle boxes for visitors interested in electric cooking.

The display includes a flat-bottomed wok on a standard induction hotplate and a curved induction wok burner for a round wok. Johnston said the curved burner could reach temperatures adequate for the sought-after wok flavour. He said his research indicated that 40 per cent of Hong Kong households now cooked with induction stoves and that the technology was also becoming more popular with businesses.

Electrify Fremantle is a volunteer group that encourages households to convert appliances to electricity, allowing them to be powered by renewable energy. Organisers hope the food will attract people who have not previously considered changing their home energy use, including passers-by visiting Fremantle to shop or have coffee.

Johnston said arguments for leaving gas included environmental benefits, easier cleaning and savings on the cost of maintaining a gas connection in Perth. Research by consumer organisation Choice found induction cooktops transferred energy into cookware with about 85 per cent efficiency, compared with 32 per cent for gas-powered cooking elements, and found induction cooktops were cheaper to run. Johnston said Albany’s gas network would be phased out over the next three years.