We are pleased to invite you to the 10th session of the Talk Series – Phase IV on Modern Energy Cooking titled “Multi-Fuel Cooking Assessment for Indian Dishes.” This session will be conducted online on 9^th April 2026 and is being organised by the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) Programme, UK, through its in-country partner Finovista.

India’s cooking landscape is shaped by diverse culinary traditions and varied cooking techniques, with households often preparing multiple dishes simultaneously using a combination of cooking processes such as boiling, pressure cooking, sautéing, roasting, and deep frying. While LPG has become the dominant modern cooking fuel in India, it also represents a significant fiscal and energy security concern, with the country importing nearly 60% of its LPG requirements. Despite a very successful implementation of the Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojna (PMUY) scheme in India, it is estimated that approximately 37% of households still cook with unclean fuels, causing household air pollution (HAP) and also contributing to the ambient particular matter concentration.

Over the last decade, India has witnessed a rapid expansion of electricity access and improvements in grid reliability, creating new opportunities to explore electric cooking as part of India’s broader clean energy transition. To better understand the practical viability of electric cooking technologies within Indian cooking contexts, a comparative multifuel study was undertaken by MECS and Finovista to evaluate the performance of LPG against a range of electric cooking appliances. The study assessed commonly used technologies, including Electric Pressure Cookers (EPCs), induction cooktops, infrared cooktops, and electric deep fryers across parameters such as cooking time, energy consumption, operating cost, usability, and food quality. A set of commonly consumed dishes, including rice, tuar dal, khichdi, aloo gobhi, boiled potatoes, and pooris, was selected to represent everyday cooking practices and diverse cooking processes. Controlled cooking trials were conducted to generate comparable performance data across fuels and appliances.

The findings demonstrate that modern electric cooking appliances can deliver significant energy efficiency gains and lower operating costs compared to LPG in several cooking applications. Some of the major findings are:

• Electric Pressure Cookers are the most efficient eCooking device, where nearly 54 % of energy can be saved while cooking dishes.
• Dishes like dals, rice, sabzi and khichdi on EPC cost around 0.80-1.80 INR, making cooking cost 50-54% cheaper than LPG.

The multifuel cooking study provides clear, evidence-based insights into how India’s dominant cooking fuel—LPG—compares with a range of modern electric cooking devices when assessed across time, energy use, cost, usability, and user experience. The results reaffirm that no single electric appliance can fully meet the diversity of Indian cooking needs; however, a combination of electric appliances can significantly improve energy efficiency, reduce household cooking costs, and support India’s transition toward cleaner, modern kitchens. This session aims to unpack the insights emerging from the multifuel study and explore their implications and viability for India’s clean cooking transition. By bringing together policymakers, researchers, appliance manufacturers, utilities, and clean cooking practitioners, the discussion will examine how evidence from controlled cooking trials can inform technology design, consumer adoption strategies, and policy frameworks that support a gradual shift toward efficient and modern cooking solutions.