New addition to the family: Westinghouse Commodore

[norgeway]

Monarch Ranges...

Had open coil units till the late 40s!! and 3 heat switches!! but they were fast heating, My Norge has a speed heat unit on the left front,and it is by far the fastest heating unit ive ever seen, ...Lawrence, you are right, most Chefs do use gas, My problem with it was I had window AC then and I could not simmer anything because the drafts would blow out the burners!But I still say, the gas oven to my mind , bakes best.

 

[norgeway]

AND ...

John, you are also right, electric is much cleaner, but I think the main thing is, its what you get used to, if you grew up with gas, then, usually, thats what you like, I grew up in a house where my Mother and Grandmother were absolutely terrified of the thought of gas, they thought it was an explosion waiting to happen, I have had both, and have no trouble cooking on either, except for the adjustments on the gas ranges ive had being super sensitive.But I went back to electric.All the way around, especially in summer, it works better for me.

 

[henry200]

Sounds like the gas vs electric question is a matter of natu

I grew up cooking with an electric range but have used gas at times in subsequent years.  I've had success with both and my share of cooking failures with both as well.  The failures were more a matter of the quality/reliability of the stove than the fuel.  There are some differences in how one cooks on either gas or electric but a good cook adapts to what's available and makes the best of it. 

 

During combustion, natural gas releases a lot of water vapor and this "moist heat" can be advantageous for certain kinds of baking such as bread.  Dry, radiant electric heat has an advantage for some other types of baked goods.  Without adequate ventilation cooking with gas can quickly deplete the oxygen in a room and, particularly if the burners are not carefully regulated, dangerous levels of carbon monoxide can build up.

 

A good electric surface unit will boil water rapidly and provide a very gentle simmer.  Very high btu gas burners on some modern ranges will heat water almost as quickly.  By using a heavy steel or cast iron heat-diffusing disk over the flame (such as those provided with vintage O&M ranges) or on a stove equipped with a special smaller burner one can achieve a slow simmer without fear of scorching on gas as well.