Afraid of gas stoves?

[fan-of-fans]

Does anyone have a fear of gas stoves/ovens? I think I do have a slight fear of them. I had a few relatives who had gas appliances have minor explosions when lighting them, which may cause part of it. Also when I was in school we once watched a safety film where a lady that lived in a cottage tried to get a boy to light her pilot on her stove. They wound up having a fire of some sort that had to be put out.

For some reason the idea of having an open flame in the house scared me also.

I guess I could get used to cooking with gas but it would take a while, and a lot of courage to light one with pilot lights especially.

 

[mayguy]

Nope, I've grew up with gas stove, and have it now days in my home. never had a fear of it.

 

[vintagekitchen]

I used to have that fear..

Growing up, most of thw family was afraid of gas appliances, after a gas line explosion in a town my grandparents lived in years ago.

I remember my grandparents house shopping finding the perfect home, perfect price, perfect location, then finding out it had gas cooktop, wall oven, and furnace, and saying no way.

I was terrified when I started as a teenager working in commercial kitchens, surrounded by gas appliances. Then I worked for years in a restaurant with its Original 1940s kitchen, all gas. After dealing with those monstrosities, and losing my eyebrows more than once, nothing made for home use scares me, lol.

Actually once you get used to it, gas isnt anything to be scared of, just use good common sense. In some ways it can be safer than electric. If a gas range leaks or the pilot goes out, you can smell it. Once I was badly shocked by an electric stove after a mouse chewed a wire, and once my grandmother's stove nearly caught fire due to the same thing. No warning on those issues.

I still prefer electric. Cleaner and cooler.

 

[wayupnorth]

Nope, always brought up on gas stoves installed right. Hated the way older ones whoomped thru the manual lighter tube in the oven. My gas oven is on now. It clicks, lights and its right up to temp AND works when power goes out.

 

[danemodsandy]

Not Afraid of Gas Stoves....

....I just hate them with a pluperfect purple passion.

 

[washdaddy]

Never have had a problem with gas. Was raised with it- Gas heat, stove, hot water heater, clothes dryer.

Gas appliances have come a long way. They now have electronic ignitions instead of pilot lights. So lighting burners isn't the issue that it use to be.

Like Kevin mentioned earlier-- if a gas leak develops or if the apppliance should malfunction you can smell the odor of gas very quickly. If an electric appliance malfunctions you are liable to getting zapped or perhaps starting an electrical fire.

Each source has its pro's and con's. You just have to decide which one is favorable for you.

 

[lamont]

LOVE my 1940's Estate.

No electric parts to break, no electric needed to cook dinner(important in the Snowbelt..Dealing with Thundersnow as I type), instant temp changes..

Plus, I have a 25,000 BTU large skillet burner that actually gets hot enough to Wok cook on correctly.

If your old manual pilot is whoompfing, run a piece of weed trimmer line down the pilot tube..you have a blockage.

I grew up with Gas appliances and as long as they are on Natural Gas and not Propane, I love them. I consider propane gas stoves one step above an electric hotplate.(propane underrates burners by about 20%)

 

[dustin92]

Fear of gas stoves? No. Complete hatred? Yes! I was mildly terrified of the huge commercial beast I cooked on all summer at the camp I work at, only because it had not been maintained properly- the pilot lights would go out if you breathed wrong, and it nearly blew the pans off of the burners when it finally lit. On more than one occasion I singed the hairs on the back of my hand while lighting the front burners. Thankfully it was repaired and works fine now. I still hate it and refuse to use the ovens for any kind of cooking, because it is so uneven. Never had any explosive results with gas stoves at home, but I much prefer electric.

 

[vintagekitchen]

gas ovens..

They are terrible arent they? At the restaurant we kept having servicemen come out, who kept saying they were fine. We finally gave up, left them set at 500 degrees and remembered which areas inside were cooler and which were hotter. Horrible way to cook. Love me a nice even electric oven.

 

[gusherb]

Never been afraid of gas stoves, dryers, water heaters, furnaces etc. I have had a few furnaces blow up on me though, made me jump out of my skin but never was afraid even after that, just learned to stand to the side when lighting them.
I'm honestly actually slightly afraid of electric appliances, especially electric dryers since those are more prone to catching on fire then their gas counterparts *cough GE cough*.

 

[laundromat]

To me,growing up with a gas stove was common in my neighborhood as well as gas dryers,gas heat and , in some cases, gas refrigerators. I have scars to prove it . Thanks to my deep interest in washing machines and John LaFevers generosity, I received a beautiful coppertone GE 40" Americana and a nice Westinghouse roaster. I had only used a cheap GE stove and hated it. Once I learned how much more control I could have without scorching or boiling over,and the better,more even heat distribution electric ovens have over gas,I was converted permanently. In my life, gas has been dangerous. It blew up rows of townhomes, killed numerous folks from fume leakage and is dirty fuel. It might be a bit cheaper but not that much.

 

[askolover]

I've never been afraid either...the blue flame has always fascinated me...does that make me a pyromaniac? Everything in my house is gas...Stove, waterheater, dryer, furnace, backup heat, pool heater, grill. Never had a problem. Gas is safer than electricity. You will smell gas leaking LONG LONG before there is enough concentration to explode...electricity can start a fire unnoticed at any time inside a wall or attic. My parents converted to gas stove 20 years ago and after Ice Storm '94 my sister became a convert as well...guess you could say my whole family is full of gas.

 

[tolivac]

I can use either with no problems.Either one can burn you or your place down if you do something wrong or something goes amiss with the machine.Remember, either one produces heat!!

 

[jeffg]

What I fear far more than gas stoves is trying to cook properly with electric stoves. They have certain uses (great for low simmers etc), but just try to find a single high-end home (e.g. worth over $2M) with an electric stove in the kitchen. It simply ain't gonna happen. For serious cooking there is only open flame.

 

[tolivac]

I don't think I will have to worry about buying a 2mil house!Are folks buying 2mil homes REALLY interested in cooking?Think they would have a maid doing it or eating out!

 

[norgeway]

I have used both..

And I personally have never used anything that baked as good as a old match lit Caloric I once had....now for surface cooking , I prefer fixed heat electric, although I never had a major problem with gas, but with my pushbutton Hotpoint, I know at a glance exactly what heat I have and what it will do, with gas or infinite heat electric, I was constantly fiddling with the knob...but I never understood people wanting gas top and electric ovens, I thought just the opposite!

 

[vintagekitchen]

serious cooks?

Im from a family of serious cooks, and for 3 generations we have seriously cooked on electric. I have used commercial gas ranges in restaurant kitchens since I was 16. And I still prefer electric.

I cannot think of one thing I have cooked on a gas range that was any more difficult on an electric range, and I do far more than just simmering.

As for those high end homes, half of the owners have never been in the kitchen. Its not about functionality, its about showing who can spend the most money. And commercial gas ranges are expensive.

If you prefer gas, then by all means, use it. But dont assume having it makes you a better or more serious cook, anymore than having a ford instead of a chevy makes you a better or more serious driver. Julia child was one of the greatest cooks of the previous century, a grand woman. And yes, at home she had a commercial gas range. On all her shows, what did she cook on? Electric.

I don't care for elitist views, especially where the kitchen is concerned. I have eaten 5 star meals cooked in expensive copper pots in grand kitchens, that didnt impress me half as much as simple country dishes cooked in a battered and beaten collection of pots and pans in a kitchen that about to fall off the house. Its only a poor workman who blames his tools for a badly done job, as they used to say. And the same goes for ingredients. Prime rib cooked badly, does not taste better by virtue of expense, than hamburger cooked properly.

 

[norgeway]

A fine kitchen...

Does not always make a fine cook!! You are right...I prefer my aluminum cookware over stainless for many things, I know All Clad is the in thing now, but just as I want a vintage stove, I want vintage cookware.likewise, I dont want granite counter tops, or a faucet over my stove..etc...

 

[warmsecondrinse]

JeffG, dear...

"What I fear far more than gas stoves is trying to cook properly with electric stoves."

I used to be just like you for years. But there's nothing to fear. Cooking on an electric stove is like riding a bike, riding a horse, or driving a stick in that it's not hard; it just takes practice....lots & lots.... as in more practice than those 3 examples combined. HOWEVER, there's no actual reason to be afraid ;-)

Gas stove, gas dryer, gas heat, gas hot water...some neighbours actually had gas driveway lamps where I grew up. I'll always prefer gas for all the usual reasons If I have my way I will always have at least 2 gas burners, a gas oven that can be lit with a match, and gas hot water.

Why? Hurricane. Gloria.

I spent 8 days w/o electricity. I handled it w/little problem because I had my hot shower and I had my morning coffee. No, seriously. I've chopped wood and hauled water up 3 flights to a roof-top cistern to have drama free coffee & hot shower in the morning.

That said, I won't turn down the chance to play with an induction burner should I ever get one

Jim