Now the growing craze of e-cooking

- After the government's 'Go Electric' campaign, the movement in this sector has increased but it has not seen any speed

Digitization as well as the prevalence of electronic devices at various levels has been increasing in the country for some time now. E-cooking has now been added to this list including e-shopping, e-payment, e-education.

The trend of cooking on electric stoves and appliances in the country is slowly increasing. In Delhi and Tamil Nadu, 18 per cent households are making food (e-cooking) using electric appliances. The findings are presented in a study by the Research Institute Council on Energy, Environment and Water. In Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Assam and Kerala, the use of electric powered appliances such as induction cookers, electric cookers for cooking rice and microwave ovens is slowly increasing. According to the study, 18 per cent households in Delhi and Tamil Nadu have switched to electric cooking. While in Telangana it is 18%. In Kerala and Assam, 18 per cent households have partially adopted the e-cooking method. The study is based on the India Residential Energy Survey. The survey, conducted in conjunction with the Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy, is based on data collected from a total of 18,000 urban and rural households in the 12 districts of the 21 most populous states.

The government launched the 'Go Electric' campaign for cooking in February this year. It aims to promote the benefits of cooking with electric appliances. According to the study, the penetration of e-cooking in urban households is 10.7 per cent while in rural households it is only 4.5 per cent. Thus the prevalence of e-cooking in rural areas has been limited.

Only 3% of households across the country have adopted e-cooking. Given the current price of LPG, e-cooking is cheaper for households that are subsidized on electricity. However, its use in urban homes is not growing rapidly due to the initial cost of purchasing equipment and the cumbersome process of cooking on an electric stove.

Although 4% of households adopt e-cooking, they still rely more on Nyugas and keep e-cooking equipment for use when needed. Cooking with electric appliances in urban areas is currently more prevalent in affluent households. Especially in Delhi and Tamil Nadu where electricity rates are lower than other states like Maharashtra.

Another important point is that today's youth consume more power based devices. E-cooking is more prevalent in households where both spouses work. While older people stay away from such appliances and cook in the traditional way. Thus, the e-cooking system has not yet become universally accepted.