Lets have a discussion on ranges...

[whirlcool]

After years and years of cooking on electric stoves we went with gas this last time. We really like it. The heat is instant.
What you see is what you get. If you need a quick change of temp, it can do so easily. With electric you have to wait for the "cool down" time before the new setting takes effect.

Our stove also has a convection oven. We really love it. Biscuits and cookies and cakes all raise higher than in a regular oven, and are lighter in texture too.

 

[petek]

Living better electrically

I've not much experience on a gas stove and always had electric other than a short spell in one Vancouver apartment years ago.
I don't care for the glass cooktop on this one though and preferred the coils, too much fuss to keep it clean so we usually don't LOL.

I really like the convection oven and probe though. I use the convection feature all the time because it negates the need to preheat the oven even for baking bread. It reaches temperature very fast with the convection fan/heater and both elements going.

 

[panthera]

In terms of resistive electrical elements

the absolutely most horrible ones are those solid plates which are so common here in Continental Europe and which are frequently marketed as "top of the line" in the US.

Slow to heat, slow to cool, always (but always) too hot or too cool, no way to monitor the actual temperature of the damn things, impossible to clean properly.

The only way to cook a heat sensitive custard or touchy sauce on them is to use two: turn them both on at the same time (about 20 minutes before you need them, run one on the hottest hot and the other at the simmer temperature. As soon as the sauce reaches the point where you just need to keep the temperature, switch it to the other plate.

My biggest fight with my first boyfriend here in Germany (who never cooked anything) was his insisting on buying us on of the damn stoves with them when we had gas! Of course, he also wanted the sink in the damn middle of the kitchen, 'cause that's the way "it is always" done when the connections were on another wall...

GE just seems to do it right with their stoves in the US. One of the few things they still manage to make well.

 

[58limited]

Ken D.

The Chambers uses rock wool insulation.

You are absolutely right: where there is fire, there is air exchange. The Chambers uses dampers. When the flame is lit, the dampers are open to provide air exchange and venting. When the gas is turned off, the dampers close to seal the oven. It is pretty efficient, the oven can retain enough heat to cook with for hours.

 

[mixfinder]

Slice it clean

Living with a smooth top has led me to believe they require less maintenance than coil burners. That said, nothing drip down to a burner bowl so if its ugly and brown you're looking at it. It is important to remember overspray of starch laden steam, grease from sauteing and splatters land on a "clean" burner and then when its fired up it burns as well. I make it a habit to wipe off the stove and the bottom of the pan if its been sitting on the counter, before cooking, use pans larger than I need to prevent splatters and boil overs and clean the top as needed after each time I cook. Using an electric skillet and not frying at the stove saves hours of cleaning the backsplash and stove from spattered cooking grease. I have an occasional mess and use a single sided razor blade in a holder to slice it off. Then a quick swipe with stove top cleaner and its done. The stove top cleaners leave a residual film to help make future messes easier to clean.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I do love my smooth top. The only thing there that I would have done differently. NEVER will I get blackon black again. You see ever splatter, every speck of dust, every finger print.

Now my friend has white on black smooth top and doesn't have the complaints I do.

Mine also has the convection which I love.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Unvented gas-burning appliances.

pipe

Not to be bithcy, but

"My grandmother has had them for 30 years and never had a problem" doesn't mean there CAN'T be one..........

http://www.advancedenergy.org/build...quality/dangers_of_vent-free_gas_heaters.html

 

[toggleswitch2]

I'm sticking to my guns on this one "And I am unanimous in that"

http://www.epinions.com/content_2641666180

 

[toggleswitch2]

more

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5030166_ventless-gas-heaters-work.html

 

[toggleswitch2]

.

In 1996, six states prohibited these unvented heaters (California, Alaska, Montana, Minnesota, New York, and Massachusetts), as did all Canadian provinces except Manitoba and British Columbia. Today, they are prohibited in only one state: California.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/energy-solutions/avoid-unvented-gas-heaters

 

[iheartmaytag]

Toggles, I don't understand--are you trying to make a point?

Kidding, I agree with you. Electric is clean, efficient, and safe.

I have a vented gas fireplace with a really old heating unit. I wanted to replace the unit with one of those realistic gas burners. $1,800 was the starting price. I bought a ceramic electric unit instead.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Listen suck the fumes down from a gas stove all you want.
But unvented heater gas heaters?..MERCY MERCY MERCY. Just put me in your Last Will and Testament NOW, please.

 

[spookiness]

My 10 year old MOL GE Gas Range

is the best stove I've ever lived with. Everyone who's ever cooked on it loves it.

However when I do a kitchen remodel, I will probably have a built-in electric oven and a gas cooktop.

 

[hunter]

Electric!

I have an electric smoothtop range with a convection oven and built in warming drawer and like it. My mom has a gas stove with enormous cast iron racks -- and to me, that gives you all the disadvantage of electric with none of its advantages. Tremendous thermal inertia in those racks!

I also had the opportunity to buy a Miele electric rotisserie oven for 1/5 the retail price as it was in a display in a store and did not have the 'mastercook' computer in it (if I want electric convection, I can simply set the control and blast the stupid 'program in what you're cooking bs'). I have been incredibly impressed by its extremely even heat. Being euro sized, it has a smaller cavity than US ones, on the other hand, it baked a 12x12 fruitcake and 2 6x6 ones recently with no difficulty.

 

[toggleswitch2]

BTW since electric ovens here with no visble (lower) bake/roast element are a relatively new phenomenon, how do they work and how does one replace an element?

Maytag just puts them uinder a vented metal cover just as it would a gas buner.

In the "real" style, how is the heat kept from following the ouside of the oven cavity and charring the insulation?

 

[ptcruiser51]

Gas here

I learned on my OL's 1959 Frigidaire electric countertop range. Burned/boiled over everything. I've always had gas since. Currently a 1960's Imperial countertop that has seen better days but I have no complaints. Ditto for the wall oven. One thing no one has mentioned is the ability to cook and boil water for some heat in the event of a power outage! Once we went 17 hours without power in a blizzard, I would have frozen otherwise. Yes, I do keep a kitchen window slightly open if I'm not using the exhaust fan.

At the Home DePot where I work gas outsells electric about 25 to 1.

 

[jamiel]

I have to laugh---the house I bought had a unvented heater in the basement. I insisted that it be removed before I bought it...threw a hissy fit...really must have been humorous.

I had a fright when I was about 7 years old at my great-grandmother's house. She had unvented gas heaters throughout a huge old Victorian in Tulsa, OK. The house was so big that it had an elevator...anyway, I was roughly 7 and my brother was roughly 3. We got put to bed (up the elevator...) and I woke up to see the heater glowing and I got completely freaked out...my parents couldn't hear me and my brother had to go down and get them.

I give them a wiiiiiide berth.

 

[rickr]

What do I use??

My grandmothers 1937 Roberts & Mandor gas range. It has been here since I can remember, and has and still cooks wonderful meals. The family is coming for Thanksgiving again this year...

 

[rickr]

My kitchen ceiling, still nice and white

The kitchen was painted last in 2002,and should not need repainted for at least 10 more years. I do not fry much of anything however. Makes a mess, and fried foods are not good for you.

 

[gansky1]

Good Cooks Go Electric!

This is a pic I snapped quickly the other day when I moved the 59 Frigidaire inside. I'm doing the fall cleaning, painting woodwork & doors, etc. so things were a bit of a jumble but I've done some more detailing and touched up the small chips, etc. so it's even more stunning now!

 

[toggleswitch2]

Nice fan Rick. And I do love your kitchen.

Looks like you have a powerful exhaust fan/hood!

Cooking for 5 people every day probably hastened my momma's grease factor! Even coffee and tea those days was made stove-top!

Mother didn't fry much except for cutlets and meatballs, but she sure did broil plenty!

 

[jeffg]

For performance, I prefer a gas stovetop with an electric oven.

Second choice is a gas stovetop with a gas oven.

I avoid electric stovetops if possible.

 

[kenwashesmonday]

58limited wrote:
“The Chambers uses rock wool insulation”

I always assumed it was stove bricks because those ranges are so darn heavy. No fun moving those things! What makes them so heavy then, cast iron?

Ken D.

 

[norgeway]

Toggles!!!!

If you are so worried about me using unvented heaters....let me have about 8 thousand dollars and Ill put in a central system, they are not my first choice, just what I could afford,if I had my way ,my favorite heat is hot water baseboard....NO ONE in the south installs it now, and the boiler alone would be close to 10,000...

 

[toggleswitch2]

Sweetums: You KNOW if I had it you'd have it yesterday. And you wouldn't even have to earn it!

:-O

This the the REAL reason for home-equity lines of credit. Home improvements that add to the value of the home.

You could get a vented space heater (Console or wall-heater type) and use it 75% of the time just turning on the unvented ones during a major cold-snap.

There are also heat-pump heating/cooling window air-conditioners that would make good replacements when your A/C units die...

And finally Mitsubishi Mr.Slim split-systems heat and cool econmically. Up to four indoor room units can be linked to ONE outdoor uit..........

When there is a will, there is a way!

 

[toggleswitch2]

my favorite heat is hot water baseboard....

Well here it is, without a boiler. There are better, more powerful options. Remeber heating in this countyr requires a maximun of 10 watts per square foot of room area.

Drawback (high heating costs in most parts of the coutnry) is that these units are electric.

"Retains heat" means simply a time-shift. The liquid hets up slowly and continues to release heat after the power has been shut off.

Hans, to me my health comes first (before money) and I would not puposely (overly) expose myself to toxins. I don't want to say any more here, in that I'm coming across as mighty pushy (ME? IMAGINE? LOL)

As always, fondest regards.

This has been a test of the emergency boradcast systesm. Had this been an actual emergecy, you would have been informed of where to tune in in your area for instructions. And we now return to our regularly scheduled programme..............

http://www.amazon.com/Q-Mark-HBB1254-Hydronic-Baseboard-Heater/dp/B000JNLDVI

 

[mayguy]

I grew up with gas, I worked in a restaurant cooking with gas, when I moved on my own, OMG I about died with electric cooking. I had no control of the heat, and had to learn it. I've learned to "put up with" electric cooking for 6 years. When I brought my new home, it came with gas, I was in heaven! It was a basic Frigidaire and did the job. Lived there for 3 years then moved in with my partner who had an Apt. with a Kenmore electric stove, Ughh.. God the oven burnt everything! lived in the Apt for 3 years and did not bake much.

We brought a house together, and it came with electric Maytag oven, That did do a better job then the Kenmore.

I always wanted gas again with convection oven, and got myself a Maytag Gas convection oven 2 years ago. I ripped out the 220v service, ran new gas line. My electric bill dropped about $8 a month, gas maybe went up $2? I love cooking on gas, and I have better control of the heat, and simmers well, and I'm able to melt chocolate.

Thing I do like about gas, you can still cook when the power is out!

I do a lot of baking with this oven, today will be making dinner rolls for Thanksgiving dinner.

(FYI, the center of the pans may seen lighter due to the bright halogen light bulbs on my range hood)

 

[toggleswitch2]

If you want to cook (in an oven) during a blackout, AVANTI (Turkish-made) makes a very nice 20" & 24" wide gas range with TOL features, such as a waist-high broiler in the oven cavity and sealed burners.

The oven has a classic 50's hole in the bottom, (*LOL*) for a match during blackouts. One just holds in the oven knob to "prove" ignition, and off we go............

Ditto broiler/grill burner, but no hole needed.

Still dont know why gas tops and electric ovens in a one-piece 30" freestanding unit are so much money here.....

 

[mayguy]

"Still dont know why gas tops and electric ovens in a one-piece 30" freestanding unit are so much money here....."

I think there's no demand for them yet.... Give it a few years down the road, then it may come down with rest of the guys.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Keynesian economics:

Supply creates its own demand.

I say INEXPENSIVE supply creates its own demand. LOL