Are gas ranges on their way out?

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Gas for cooking, electric for baking --for me. We've had both, electric, electric smoothtop and gas cooktops and I'm firmly in the gas camp, at least until induction becomes affordable. We've had gas cooktops since about 1990 and I have yet to see ANY film or residue on my walls or cabinets, I've never seen or heard that from anyone else. The kitchen wallpaper has a white background so it certainly would be noticeable, and the paper has not been changes since before the introduction to gas in the kitchen.

Last fall I dropped in a new siemen/bosch gas cooktop and could not be happier. Very easy to cook on, full grates across the top for sliding pans, a diamond shaped layout to allow big pans the space they need, and high output and simmer burners. All for $399. Plus it's easy to clean, what's not to like?

I'd love an induction model but the price is still way too high for what it does, plus my dad has a pacer, so it's ruled out. All in all you'd be hard pressed to get me to use a conventional electric cooktop, smooth or otherwise.

On the other hand you'd have to pry my Electrolux electric oven out of my hands I love it. Neatest oven I've ever seen or owned.
 
I do like gas cooking. But I also have no problem with electric either.

The main problem I have is the cost of Propane. It's cheaper to run electric and had my house been equipped with an electric range, I'd probably be ok with it. In fact, the only two appliances that run on gas are the stove and furnace. The water heater and everything else is electric.

Currently, my modern gas GE range is having issues. The oven thermostat went bad and you have to adjust the temprature just right or you will destroy whatever you are cooking. Burned cookies are nothing new. It's so hard to find a good cooking temprature. It always seems too hot. Also, the electronic igniters work some of the time.

I think, in the future, an electric range (probably vintage) will do my worthless GE gas range in.

~Tim
 
Why more and more women are changing to electric cooking

If you don't believe me believe this guy
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This is a great thread!! So many options out there.

I bought a JennAir semi-commercial gas convection range two years ago. It replaced a GE coutertop gas cooktop and electric wall oven, neither of which were anything to write home about. Personally, for various reasons, I think they both sucked.

It has 17,000 and 18,000 BTU burners in front, and 6,000 and 9,000 BTU burners in back. Far bigger than the standard 9,000/12,000 standard burners most gas ranges provide. The two front multi-tier burners will boil large stock pots of water faster than any electric stove can. But there is a price to pay: it puts out more heat than the furnaces of hell, unlike a smoothtop range that just heats the pot, and not the air around it. Cooking on it in the summer is possible only with the air conditioner on. The cast iron grates retain so much heat that you have to remove a pot from the stove to stop boiling quickly, or try to slide it to another burner, which isn't as easy as it sounds across the heavy cast iron grates. The cooktop control is second to none, as far as boiling all the way down to simmering, but only the simmer burner can give you a true simmer. The rest of them produce too much heat even at their lowest settings, but that works well for general cooking. I guess that's why they call it a "simmer burner".

The broiler is nothing short of perfect - no electric oven I've ever used can broil as fast or as much so quickly as this thing can. But again - it puts out more heat then the furnaces of hell, especially when the cooling fan that cools the electronic control panel comes on, which is about 5 minutes after the oven heats up.

The convection oven itself if fairly quick, even, easy to use and dead accurate, but at temps above 325 degrees or so, it heats up the room like a small furnace - and I have a big kitchen. Timing is tricky - it seems to cook everything far quicker than standard cooking times given, though the temp is dead accurate throughout the cycle. The oven cleans well inside, takes about 3 hours per cycle for heavy soil, but we won't talk about the heat this thing puts out while it does it.

Cooktop cleaning isn't awful, and it's not great. It's just okay. An electric smoothtop is far easier to clean than this thing after cooking/frying or even boiling! Its burner surface shows every streak, spot and mark. The range is stainless with a black burner surface. It shows every speck of dirt, grease or grime, though the cast iron grates are surprisingly easy to clean.

Bottom line - it cooks very well, does what it's supposed to do, but even with high end ventilation, this thing puts out some major heat, and that's just not an issue with an electric smoothtop range in my experience. It's much, much easier to burn yourself using its cooktop then it is an electric one - as it heats up handles, lids and everything around it, so it's not for everyone.

Performance does come at a price! I can't say I would buy it again, can't say that I wouldn't - always fun to try new "toys". I have both a gas line and 220 supply at the stove, so I can have whatever I'd like there. But I like it, a lot. And I pretty much cook every day - not the "heat and eat" type at all. But it takes some getting used to, that's for sure.
 
Pete, here's Julia's take on it

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Isn't it great that there is choice?

Personally, I have enjoyed using a gas range. However, we've cooked with electric since 1997 - because any type of respiratory problem is made worse by having an open gas flame in the house.

(We do use gas for heating and water heating - but both draw exterior air in for combustion).

I now have a Kitchenaid electric smoothtop that I like. I do sometimes miss the infinite adjustability of the gas range though - but the superior heating of the electric makes up for it.
 
I only know electric. I have only used one gas stove in my life, but that stove was not the best representative for gas stoves. Old, worn, didn't work particularly well.

I'd be interested to spend time with a good gas stove, but I'm not sure it would really make much of a difference for me--I don't really need the fast variation of heat.

One supposed plus to electric is ease of cleaning. However, my experience has been with old-style burners, not smooth top, and in some ways, I think this style might be as bad or worse than a gas stove. A smooth top would be quite easy to clean--but they (at least once) were said to hold too much heat (making the limited heat variation of electric stoves an even bigger problem). Maybe this has been fixed. The other concern I have is with the stories I hear about the tops cracking or needing replacement at huge cost.

Another stove technology that hasn't been mentioned yet that might be worth considering is wood stove. From what I hear, possibly a pain to use, but some swear by the baking ability for bread. Plus, it will work during a power failure--both for cooking and heating one's home.
 
A point worth thinking about that's been hinted at earlier: how much does stove type really matter to most people in this era when many people's idea of "cooking" is hauling out the frozen dinner and nuking it?
 
That may be so

for the vast majority, Lord Kenmore, but around here, most of us cook, at least once in a while.

Cooking is likely to become even more optional in the years ahead, and perhaps become a hobby for a super elite. But, what do I know? I had chicken ramen for lunch, because I've been busy with my spring cleaning this week.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
My mom had a lisk roaster for years. Did they all have that

Yes, all Lisks are supposed to have the inner tray. I've seen many for sale without the tray. The tray makes a world of difference with a Lisk (or Reed - a similar brand) roaster. Of the four I have, one is so small it just barely holds two Cornish hens and on the other end I have one big enough for a 20 lb. turkey (they were made in even bigger sizes). I first used it this past Thanksgiving and the turkey was finished about an hour faster than the cooking time listed on the turkey wrapping. The turkey was moist and well browned.

The oven of the Chambers range was specifically designed to be used with Lisk roasters.
 
I should have been more clear--I was thinking more of "average" people, not AW.org members. "Average" people are the ones who buy the vast majority of stoves. I don't have raw numbers, but I get the feeling that many people seldom cook now. I personally know few people who do much cooking, beyond--at most--super fast meals.

If we went by AW.org people do, I'd bet we would see many who do cook regularly. (We'd also certainly see more vintage stoves being used!)
 
A poor workman blames his tools...

An old saying, but it holds true for cooks as well.

Every cooking appliance has its pros and cons. I happen to prefer gas for range top cooking, and electric for the oven. It's what I have set up in my current home.

As far as energy concerns go, I have read that cooking consumes a fairly small fraction of overall energy usage. Space heating and cooling consumes far more energy. And I think the average clothes dryer probably consumes more energy in a week than does cooking.

I would like to try induction electric at some point, but until the cost comes down and I beef up my collection of induction-ready cookware, it's not going to happen any time soon.

And to tell the truth, with a full time job and another 8 hours of night school each week, along with myriad home projects ranging from a car collection to a large garden/landscaping, I find myself cooking mostly with the microwave anyway. I love to cook but after a while convenience trumps the basics.
 
cooking consumes a fairly small fraction of overall energy u

Yes, I think this is probably true. I've heard this from at least one energy use expert.
 
in all cases...

things have pros and cons.

In some ways, I most miss my 24 " apartment size electric stove. Oh, I hated its lack of self cleaning. And I hated its coil elements. BUT!!

You can buy canning elements for coils.

We do a lot of home canning, and they DO help. I CAN use my electric smoothtop for the canner but I always am worried it'll break. (Kitchenaid tells me that you can use a pot up to 50 pounds on one burner but I still have my fingers crossed).

So there are advantages of everything as well as disadvantages.

When a neighbor of mine had propane (where I was then living had no natural gas) he could barely bring a pot of water to boil with it - I don't know if it was less btu output or his stove being either not well made or badly configured.
 
I may be partial, but my preference is Electric.

I grew up with an electric range, both grandmothers have always had electric ranges, but one used to have a gas range in the basement for canning, I have only used gas at a friends house and also when cooking for functions at church and at the firehall, even with the commercial gas ranges I still prefer electric, Often times when cooking in those palces I will use electric roasters for my simmering and an electric skillet for browning and frying just to avoid using the stove.
Currently in the main kitchen we have a MOL Kenmore smooth top and in the summer kitchen I have a Frigidaire Flair, I do most of my stove top cooking on the Flair, as I like the coil burners much better than the smooth top,
 
~We've had gas cooktops since about 1990 and I have yet to see ANY film or residue on my walls or cabinets, I've never seen or heard that from anyone else.

Are you cooking for a family of five, six to seven nights a week? With two top burners and the oven or broiler every night?

Coffee every morning?

Reheating lunch on the stove (before microwave ovens)?

The film is quite visible when one REALLY cooks!

Take a good look over gas pizza ovens in a restuarant. You will clearly see what I am talking about.

If you think electric cooking is hot you haven't had gas cooking in a LONG time............
 
Toggles . . .

I'm in and out of plenty of homes on a regular basis and have never noticed any problem films aside from grease buildup in the mortar joints of tile or stone backsplashes, which is inevitable if someone cooks a lot.

I'd suspect the film you're seeing has much more to do with what is being cooked than the fuel being used. Italian cooking has a lot of sauces and oils, which is why it smells so very good. All those odors are by-products of food which is being atomized into the air as part of the cooking process, and some of what's in the air is going to be deposited on the walls or ceilings if it's sticky. Having a good range hood helps with this.
 
With pilot lights now passe in favor of electronic ignition and the use of a hood there really shouldn't be any more of that film problem.. I remember noticing that yellow film on the kitchen walls in the homes of friends who had gas. Similar to a nicotine film on the wall.
 
~Italian cooking has a lot of sauces and oils, which is why it smells so very good.

To you. Some people detest garlic.

~I'm in and out of plenty of homes on a regular basis and have never noticed any problem films.

Well then, (giggling) there is no possibility of it existing because it just isn't on your radar. (Ducks and runs).

Perhaps your friends know how to clean and paint frequently.
:-) <eyes roll>!

Did you know that crap dog and cat foods are loaded with onion and garlic? Tricks the animals into eating any old garbage. DUCKS AND RUNS REALLY FAST WHOOSH!
 
I use my gas cooktop about what I think an average family might use theirs today. I use it in the AM for some breakfast maybe 60% of the time, rarely cook anything on the stove for lunch, and use a burner or two for dinner most nights. So for me the "film" is a non-issue. I've never in my adult life used a gas oven so I have no comment on the effect these have in generating a film. Suffice it to say I have no issues with gas for cooking.
 
I won't get into the argument because I think it is all too opinionated and complex.
I do love the videos of the original "Gas" commercials. These were amazing stoves that proved themselves over the years.
Electric is great....Gas is great.
Both are great..and this is my final answer.
Brent
 
Induction

There is an article on induction cooking in the Dining Section of today's New York Times. It is titled "Is Induction Cooking Ready to go Mainstream?" It starts:

"Lisa Simpson had been a professional cook, so when she remodeled her kitchen she was counting on a big, powerful gas range. But that would have meant installing a huge propane tank on her rural peoperty outside Seattle...

So Ms. Simpson went to an appliance dealer, cooked a few dishes on a six-burner induction range and fell in love.

'It was like I had driven a VW Beetle my whole life and someone suddenly handed me the keys to a Ferrari,' she said."

There is a sidebar by the author titled "A Week With an Induction Burner." She used an All-Clad unit which sells for $800. It is just a plug in 115 volt unit. A quart of water boiled in 4 minutes 49 seconds, while the same amount set over the power burner on the gas stove took 47 seconds longer. "The induction burner's relative coolness was remarkable. The handle on the pan barely warmed."

What are Power burners rated, 13,000 to 16,000 BTUs? A plug in electric element is limited to about 1500 watts on a 15 amp circuit and that is close to the wattage of a healthy 6 inch element on an electric range and probably close to the All-Clad unit the author is using. My Vollrath induction unit is rated at 1800 watts so I have it on a 20 amp circuit.

She states, "You cook based on the numbers 1-10, the last of which could also have been marked insanely hot."

Some of the people interviewed in the article complain that they have trouble controlling the heat. They are used to cooking with gas. What I don't understand is why they don't just turn down the input until the pan goes from a hard boil to a gentle boil or a simmer like with gas. I wonder if they are more accustomed to looking at the flame than the food. I think the speed freaks them out, too. I am accustomed to cooking on electric units so it's not hard for me to think in percentages when it comes to heat settings. High is 100%, Medium high is about 50%, Medium is 25%, Low is 12% and Simmer is around 6% or less. This came in very handy when I started cooking with my Vollrath induction unit which measures input with settings from 1 to 100. I knew that a stainless steel skillet could not go on anything higher than medium heat and between 25 and 30% was fine for starting frying, but many people would be thinking about all of that power between 100 and 30 and get in trouble trying to use that, just like they do when they put a pan over HIGH on an electric stove and turn their back on it. Both of my units can also be set thermostatically and I have fried perfect French Fries that way. The 3000 watt unit has heat settings measured from 1 to 20. Again, if you think of percentages of 100, it's not hard to find the heat setting you want. Medium High is 10, Medium is 5, Low is 3 or 2 and Simmer is 1.

I also remembered the directions for heat setings from our General Electric range booklet which stated that stainless steel pans required one setting lower than an aluminum pan and that has proven true, especially with skillets. So when a recipe says to start a skillet over medium high heat, I use medium and avoid burning or sticking.
 
Gas burners have soul.

Almost as good as induction are the thick old coils of GM Frigidaire electric stoves. There was and is simply nothing like them. Why the "smartest men in the room" thought that discontinuing these powerhouses will be always beyond me.

bajaespuma++4-7-2010-09-54-4.jpg
 
Ken, I have that cooktop in stainless steel with the matching french door oven!

Actually once Frigidaire went to infinite heat switches there was no more need for the fat Radiantubes. They were designed to carry both resistance wires and the third wire within one shell to make for a more or less uniform heated surface when 5 fixed heats alternated between one and two wires being supplied with current for the different heat settings. You should see the heating pattern of Frigidaire's previous surface units! Once GE and Hotpoint interwound the two coils in each surface unit, they achieved pretty even heating patterns and were among the last to leave the 5 heat switches for infinite switches.

I had no experience cooking on the fat Radiantubes, but found out that if I paid attention and switched to the lower heat at the proper time, there were no problems. They are a little slower out of the gate. I replaced the two front units on my 1954 double oven Imperial with two 208 volt surface units from an apartment range of similar age when stoves could be ordered for 208 volt service. Running the 208 volt elements on 230 gave them a good increase in speed. The 6 inch unit with a cast iron pan did superb stirfry dishes with incredibly intense heat.
 
Ken!

That was my mom's range! Served well for 35+ years. I seem to remember those coils took a long time to heat up and forever to cool down.

Are those kitti ears I see in the lower right corner?
 
Gas/Electric

I think it is a matter of preference. I myself can cook on anything. I have even made a cast iron kettle lasagne on a campfire and also garlic bread. Just give me a heat source. lol

My parents always had a gas cooktop and wall oven. My mom, when she renovated the kitchen now has a gas cooktop and an electric convention oven. I do not recall any film from the gas wall oven or stove. Of course there was always a powerfull range hood, (which I think you need for all types of cooking). And back then, there was a family of five with a lot of cooking going on. I think there was more film from cigarette smoke from my dad and myself back then. lol

But, when we bought our house, the wall above the stove did get a film on it, so there is some truth to it.

Now.... the big Garland commercial stove at the school, would always have a lot of soot on the bottoms of the pots when cooking. But....the stove just need to be tuned up to burn more clean. Ever since that was done, the pot bottoms were clean.
 
A Recent Inductee

At my urging two friends have installed induction cooktops in their kitchens. Comparing a table top induction burner to a built in unit is like comparing a home gas range to a restaurant model. Both are cases of apples and oranges. The one thing that will prove true is an induction cooktop uses less energy, is faster, safer and easier to clean than either gas or electric. It is immutable truth.
 
My experience

leads me to rank cookers this way, from best to worst:

1) Induction. My 2000W unit boils water faster than either gas or resistance electric. It also does sauces, eggs and milk perfectly because the thermostat doesn't have to compensate for the mass of the burners.
2) Professional gas, not the overpriced domestic stuff.
3) American electric after 1952 and before 1970.
4) Solid fuel - once you learn the zones, there's a lot to be said for a wood burning range
5) European style solid steel burners. Slow to heat up. slow to cool down. After 27 years in Europe, I still hate them and, if you ask in any appliance store, they're the reason people buy so much induction. The prices here are the same for standard resistance glass-ceramic and induction.

Lawrence, you can buy induction specifically for stir-fry and boy, is it worth it!
 
Various cut and pastes from the web

I cooked with gas all of my childhood (I was mom's sidekick in the kitchen), and for the first few years of my married life. I experienced an electric stove in college & liked it. Now I have a solid surface one, which is my preference.
What DebitNM said above, is right on. But, some people still prefer the gas. Mom still loves hers & it definitely comes in handy when the power is out - she lives in hurricane territory. One other consideration is that the gas gradually deposits greasy brown/black discoloration on the ceiling & walls. hastening the need to clean/repaint. Much like burning candles on a regular basis does.

What Placename said + I have asthma and have to vent my propane range at the cottage or end up with twitchy bronchi.

"I've never had a greasy mess on my walls, cabinets or ceiling. Maybe this is the difference between cooking with electricand cooking with gas." Gas cooking creates a large updraft which carries the grease.
 

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