By Daniel Adaji
A video trending on TikTok claimed that batteries alone in electric stoves can produce flames and heat cooking pots faster than gas stoves.
The post was made by @khanya_officials on TikTok, with 62.2k followers and 213.7k likes. The video, was posted on September 29, 2023, had already garnered 7.2k likes and 5.7k shares across various social media platforms.
“This is the newly invented battery stove that does not need gas to work. All you need are two batteries, the batteries can last you for years. “They can heat your pots faster than gas stoves, and they are good for camping and power cuts like low-shedding,” the video claimed.
Claim
Batteries produce flame and heat capable of heating cooking pots faster than gas stoves.
Findings
To verify the claim, NatureFact ran a query on Microsoft Bing with several keywords, such as “batteries vs. cooking gas flame and heat” and “Battery heat faster than cooking gas.” The query returned results with several links to articles that discussed the difference between the heating capacity of batteries and cooking gas.
According to Kitchenaid.com, gas ranges employ an open flame, while electric ranges utilize metal heating elements.
“Both have their benefits: gas stovetops are highly responsive, allowing you to move between heat levels quickly, while electric ovens tend to have dry, even heat that’s ideal for baking and roasting. “Because gas heat can be cranked up quickly, expect to get your creations into the oven faster than an electric range,” the articles stated.
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Another publication, essentialhomeandgarden.com, stated that:
“To get the oven up to temperature, an electric oven will heat the coil inside to distribute heat throughout the oven. This involves going from a cold coil to a superheated coil before it can give off sufficient heat, making it slightly slower to get up to temperature.
“However, once the flame is lit in a gas oven, the heat begins instantly and can be easily adjusted based on the size of the flame, allowing for faster cook times and higher temperatures. Alternatively, an electric coil will hold its heat longer between cooking time,” the document noted.
NatureFact also contacted a physicist, Fausat Haruna, who is in her private practice. She noted that batteries could produce a spark in certain conditions: when they are short-circuited or when they are being charged and overcharged.
Fausat added that most batteries do not produce a visible spark during normal use and designed to prevent electrical discharge to avoid accidents and damage to the battery.
“As a physicist, from my experiences, I can say that battery life depends on several factors, such as the capacity of the battery, the type of device, the usage pattern, the temperature, and the age of the battery,” she said.
Fausat holds that batteries cannot replace other energy forms like gas because batteries store energy from other sources like electricity, which in most cases is generated from non-renewable energy sources like coal, oil, and gas. Batteries can only store energy that has been generated from other sources, and they tend to have limited storage capacity and require a long time to recharge.
“While batteries are useful in applications that require small amounts of energy and where mobility is important, gas is better suited to situations where large amounts of energy is required over an extended period,” she said.
NatureFact concludes that the claim is false. Battery in electric stoves is not capable of heating cooking pots faster than gas stoves.
Verdict: FALSE
