LPG at ₹942: What Can a Microwave Take Off Your Gas Stove?
Domestic LPG rose twice in 2026. What a microwave can cook instead of your gas stove, what each job costs in electricity, and why it works best alongside induction.
Photo: Samsung
Basgo saysReheat, milk, steam: yes. Tadka, rotis: induction.
In March, fear of a cylinder shortage sent Indians rushing for induction cooktops, which sold out on quick-commerce apps. In June, domestic LPG went up for the second time in three months. If you’re looking at your gas stove differently this year, here’s an honest look at what a microwave can take off it, and what it can’t.
What a cylinder costs now
In Delhi, the 14.2 kg domestic cylinder went from ₹853 to ₹913 on 7 March 2026, then to ₹942 on 7 June. It was still ₹942 in late October. Other cities pay more: about ₹994 in Hyderabad and ₹1,031.50 in Patna. That’s around ₹66 per kg of gas in Delhi.
What a microwave can take off the stove
These jobs move over easily and save the most gas:
- Reheating: leftovers, dal, sabzi, rice. The biggest everyday win.
- Milk: many models have a pasteurise preset that heats milk without it boiling over.
- Steaming vegetables in a covered bowl with a spoon of water.
- Curd and dough: models with yoghurt or dough-proofing presets keep a gentle warmth for hours.
- Baking and roasting with a convection model: cakes, tikkas, roast vegetables.
- Indian auto-cook menus: presets for dishes like rice, dal and paneer. Check the list covers what you actually cook.
What it can’t do
A microwave can’t temper a proper tadka, make rotis on a tawa, deep-fry or pressure-cook. For those, the gas-light combination is a microwave plus an induction cooktop, which is what Indian kitchens bought in March.
The running cost, decoded
Microwave boxes lead with output power, the heat reaching your food (usually 800–900 W). Your meter sees the input power, about 1,350–1,400 W on a typical 28–32 litre model. In grill or convection mode that rises to 2,100–2,400 W.
At ₹8 a unit:
- A 3-minute reheat costs about 55 paise.
- A 30-minute convection bake costs at most about ₹10 (the heater cycles on and off, so usually less).
Is it cheaper than gas? Rough maths
Our assumptions: LPG holds about 12.8 kWh of heat per kg, a good gas stove gets roughly two-thirds of that into the pan, and a microwave gets about two-thirds of its electricity into the food. On those numbers:
- Gas: ₹66 a kg works out to roughly ₹8 per useful kWh of heat in the pan.
- Microwave: ₹8 a unit works out to roughly ₹12 per useful kWh in the food.
So per unit of heat, gas is still a little cheaper at a ₹8 tariff. If you pay ₹5–6 a unit, the two come out about even. The microwave’s advantages are elsewhere: it heats only the food, not a pan and half the kitchen, so small, frequent jobs waste less, and every job it takes saves the cylinder for cooking that genuinely needs a flame.
Before you plug in
A convection microwave in heater mode can draw over 2 kW, and an induction cooktop another 2 kW. Run both together in an older flat and you may trip the main switch. Check your sanctioned load (it’s on your electricity bill), and don’t share one socket strip between them.
Which microwave for stove duty
- Convection, not solo, if you want it to cook rather than just reheat.
- 25–30 litres for a family of three to five.
- An inverter model reheats and defrosts more evenly.
- Indian presets that match your food, and a clear warranty.
Our air-fryer microwave guide has the prices.
Honest verdict
A microwave won’t replace your gas stove, and per unit of heat it isn’t cheaper. What it does well is take over reheating, milk, steaming and baking, the small daily jobs, and save the cylinder for real cooking. Pair it with induction and an LPG price rise hurts a lot less.
Questions people ask
Did LPG cylinder prices go up in 2026?
Yes, twice. In Delhi, the 14.2 kg domestic cylinder went from ₹853 to ₹913 on 7 March 2026 and to ₹942 on 7 June, and it was still ₹942 in late October. Prices vary by city: around ₹994 in Hyderabad and ₹1,031.50 in Patna.
Is cooking in a microwave cheaper than LPG?
Per unit of heat, not quite. On rough maths at ₹8 a unit of electricity, gas still delivers heat a little more cheaply. But for small jobs, like reheating a bowl of dal or warming milk, a microwave heats just the food, and a three-minute job costs about 55 paise. It saves the most on small, frequent tasks.
What can a microwave cook in an Indian kitchen?
Reheating, boiling and pasteurising milk, steaming vegetables, making curd and proofing dough on models with those presets, and with a convection model, baking and roasting. Many models carry Indian auto-cook menus for dishes like rice, dal and paneer.
Can a microwave replace my gas stove?
No. It can't temper a tadka properly, make rotis on a tawa, deep-fry or pressure-cook. For a gas-light kitchen, pair a microwave with an induction cooktop, which handles all of those.
How much power does a microwave draw?
Check the input (consumption) figure. A typical 28–32 litre convection model draws 1,350–1,400 W on microwave and up to 2,100–2,400 W in convection or grill mode. Running it alongside an induction cooktop can exceed what an older home connection allows, so check your sanctioned load.