This research explores the behavioral dimensions of clean cooking adoption in rural India, focusing on how energy reliability, costs, and gendered labor dynamics shape household decisions. Despite electrification and LPG expansion, biomass remains the dominant cooking fuel, posing health risks and reinforcing women’s disproportionate labor burdens. Through a comparative study in a tribal region with weak grid infrastructure (Barwani, Madhya Pradesh) and rural Tamil Nadu, which has reliable electricity, this study investigates how women perceive, experience, and interact with modern cooking technologies. Using household surveys, expert interviews, focus group discussions, and participatory demonstrations with electric cooking appliances, the research examines key adoption drivers, including cost, usability, and behavioral factors.