Preference of Gas or Electric ranges?

[DADoES]

 
The two small cabinets at ceiling height over my grandmother's gas range (above the range hood), the handles on them are deteriorated/corroded, rough to the touch, I assume due to effects of the gas ... maybe moisture?  The kitchen was remodeled in 1998, cabinetry refurbished with new hardware.  None of the other cabinets have suffered the effect.

 

[frigilux]

Having both, I far prefer the electric range over gas.  I've been using the gas range more, lately, to balance the age/use factor, and that has only firmed my preference.  Handy in case of a power outage, though.  

 

Of this there can be no doubt:  My next electric will be induction.

 

[sudsmaster]

Since H2O is a byproduct of gas burning, it makes some sense. The additional moisture in a gas oven is supposed to have some beneficial effects for some types of baking and roasting.

 

[coldspot66]

I have to agree that induction stovetop cooking is in a class by itself. Born and bred on gas cooking, I now consider gas stove top wasteful. Induction is just as controllable as gas, and does not give off heat that is wasted.

I do have a 30" gas self-cleaning wall oven. I'll have to say I prefer it to an electric oven with exposed bake element. My wall oven is a Magic Chef from 1987.
Truth be told, it wasn't my favorite brand, but the only one that came in a 30" wall oven configuration at the time. I haven't even replaced a bake ignitor in it yet. With a gas oven, you can put a pan just about anywhere without being too close to an oven coil. When I bake pies, I put the pie pan on the floor of the oven for the first 10 min or so to set the crust, then move it up onto a rack. Things seem to top brown fine, even though the broiler is not on during bake. You can also put a pan close to the top of the oven without worrying about things browning on the top. It may not bake as fast up there, but you can always move the pan around.

 

[NYCWriter]

Interesting ...

... all these different perspectives.

So are gas users more likely to be Republican or Democrat?

And what about electric users?

 

[iheartmaytag]

So are gas users more likely to be Republican or Democrat?

Statistically I don't believe you will find a correlation, let alone a cause and effect, however, it does appear many republicans are full of gas, where as they tend to favor the electric chair over democrats.

The thing with a preference is that it is exactally that a preference. No answer is wrong no answer is right it is a preference the same as I don't prefer a black or white car. Others will say they would prefer a white car, though I feel each shows dirt more than other colors, there will be those that disagree. It is a preference.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Just my Professional Chef opinion but:

GAS all the way!  I find gas to be much more controllable and conducive to the my professional cooking style.  Of course professional kitchens are almost always gas.  I could see the point for electric in the home kitchen when ventilation or cooking style come into play. 

 

That being said I have had only HORRID experiences with electric commercial cooking equipment.  Much slower,  less desirable product, lower yields for baking and roasting and higher operating cost!  I will let the results on the finished plate, the time the customer has to wait and the cost of cooking it dictate my preference. 

 

Just a take from someone who knows. 

WK78

 

[danemodsandy]

Nick:

Interesting comment, and here's why:

I taught during the '80s, doing four or more cooking classes a week. One of the things I found in using all kinds of equipment was that for the home cook, a residential electric range gave results closer to a professional gas range than a residential gas range did.

Burners on a residential electric range at that time had a much higher heat output than those on residential gas ranges. Ovens were generally more even bakers - it takes a very high-quality gas range to overcome the basic problem inherent in gas oven design, which is that there must be airflow through the oven to support the combustion of the gas flame, causing temperature swings. Electric ovens suffer no such limitation.

The cooking school I headed used guest teachers as well, and many of them were professionals. To a man and a woman, they always pouted when they came in for the first time and saw that they'd be expected to cook on a Thermador electric coil cooktop. I would then tell them, "Just crank the burner to High and leave it there - you'll get what you're looking for."

In moments, they'd be happily searing away, mightily impressed that an electric range could perform so well.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Thanks Sandy

But those chefs had no need to pout.  If they could cook on gas using the electric coils on high as you said would yield similar results as cooking on a solid surface hot top(not to be confused with a flattop grill) for sautéing and other high temp short order cooking.   However I have never found ANY electric or gas home oven that can bake like commercial gas convection oven. 

WK78

 

[danemodsandy]

Nick:

I take your point about convection, but then most people don't have any idea what it can do, which means there's not really any strong mainstream demand for competent convection in home ranges. We did use convection in classes, but it was either a Farberware convection oven of mine (a surprisingly effective unit) or a Maxim unit that belonged to the store.

I agree that those pros had no actual need to pout, but trust me, pout they did. Like, "This is totally beneath me!"

Most learned, a few refused to get with the program.

 

[vacbear58]

@angus

For you there is a great way forward - INDUCTION

Whilst induction tops cost more than regular one (although the difference is getting more and more marginal at least in this country) and assuming you do not have a gas line, the cost and disruption of installing a gas line will massively outweigh the cost of an induction that you can just drop into the existing (hopefully) cut out - here in Europe they come in all shapes and sizes.

If you happen to have cast iron cookware then you are immediately good to go. If not then you may have to invest in some new cookware but again, at least in this country, induction compatible pans etc. do not cost much more than good quality regular lines. And unless you are going to buy very top end cookware, again you are still under the cost of installing a gas line.

I have had an induction top for the last 8 years, and even if I could have a gas (my home is all electric) I would not have anything but induction now.

Al

 

[tomturbomatic]

I still have my Farber Turbo oven. It turned out perfect pound cakes for years. It was my first "second" oven.

 

[vacbear58]

@ Angus again

Check out this current thread on AW, with GE videos about using induction tops

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?50421_7

 

[petek]

Induction's the way to go. You see a lot of the cooktops on sale these days for a lot less than they used to cost.. Same with the stand alone induction stoves. Some of the stand alones cost lest than the single cooktops

 

[norgeway]

It is a proven fact!

That the old gas ovens with a modulating control have almost no temperature swing, they stay exactly where you set them, and thats why they bake better.Most commercial ovens still use this type of control, usually a big old Robertshaw.

 

[kb0nes]

Electric, I wouldn't consider gas unless I was cooking outside.

Gas is too slow. The typical home gas burner is about 10k BTU and a good percentage of that heat goes up and around the pan. Years ago I had a pro-gas friend that said his range would smoke my electric in time to boil. With a large stock pot my electric was about 40% sooner to boil, he was amazed. The high end boutique gas ranges today all have 15-18K big burners so that will level the field a bit.

I believe that gas is messy. There is a large thermal plume rising around the outside of the pot with a gas flame under it. This tends to carry aloft the fine aerosol grease spatters which travel about the kitchen. Of the kitchens I have been in with gas ranges its funny that all the range hoods and upper cabinets seem messier then ones with electric cooktops.

I do clearly remember the odor of a gas stove when I walk into a house. This largely went away when the standing pilots were eliminated though.

In a commercial kitchen gas makes sense. The burners are huge, three or more times the output of a residential stove, just what is needed for fast professional cooking. Also with the continuous duty cycle gas is far cheaper then electric. At home the difference between gas and electric would be a tiny fraction of household energy consumption. Finally in a commercial kitchen there is a large high CFM hood to carry away excess heat, fumes and aerosol greases. I find comparisons stating gas is superior at home because its superior commercially are spurious at best. Its like the motorcycle kids that think slick tires make sense on the street because they are what the pros use on the track. Its an apples to oranges comparison.

Of course in the end we all likes-what-we-likes and nobody will tell us different. This discussion is like religion or politics, you can talk all you like and nobody will change their position. There is no wrong answer, both heat sources hold their own merits, the choice is up to the end user.

 

[nmassman44]

I have cooked on electric coil, electric smoothtop, gas and induction. Electric coil is what I learned to cook on and it does heat up fast and seems to be true to settings. The electric smoothtop Whirlpool I had took some time to get used to but once mastered not any issues except learning to shut the heat off the last 5 mins or so to cook with residual heat built up in the cooktop. Cleaning was another thing. I had to use that Cerama Brite stuff and a good scraper to get off any spills. The best electric coil range I have used is a GE Spectra, next was a Whirlpool coil with continuoes clean oven. Temps were spot on and I liked that stove very much. With gas I have used a Magic Chef that had pretty anemic burners yet the oven was ok temp wise and baking. A Bosch that I recently had that I wouldnt wish on anyone. Baking with the Bosch had alot to be desired and temps would swing a good 50 degrees below what it was set at. Cooktop burners were ok and I adapted to the beast.
The best gas range I have to say is what I have now and thats a GE. This range exceeds everything I expected out of a gas range. Oven temps are spot on and this is the first gas oven that I have used that uses the broiler as well as the bake burner for baking. Performance is much like an electric oven and temp swing is a mere 10 degrees. I have never seen a gas oven do what this one does. Most if not all of the ones I have used employed only the bake burner for Bake, Conv Bake, Conv roast. But the GE cycles the bake burner, then the broiler burner on low, to maintain a very even balanced cooking enviornment. The Convection bake mode pulses the fan off and on on low. Does the same on Convecion Roast but the fan moves at a higher speed and pulses as well. I have had the GE now for close to 2 months now. Cleaning the cooktop is very easy. The burners come up and I have pretty much a smoothtop to clean. Gas ranges have come a long ways I must say.
I have used induction as I have a hotplate that is induction and I use it mainly in the summer. Its fast and cool meaning no added heat in the kitchen. BUT I have to stand away from it since it interferes with my pacemaker/defibrilator. I get too close to it and I feel it in my heart thru the leads. It makes for an interesting experience.
Here is a pic of my GE stove.

 

[NYCWriter]

Phil ...

"At home the difference between gas and electric would be a tiny fraction of household energy consumption."

Not in New York City, where you'll find the most expensive electricity in the nation.

 

[akronman]

I'll join the fight

In lots of homes and apartments through the years, I've had BOL and TOL stoves/cooktops/ranges in gas and in electric. I'll take gas anyday. I have a sister-in-law who arrives for Thanksgiving and stares from 10 feet away at the flames, quite sure I will burn the house down any moment.

 

[kb0nes]

Matt,

I'll stand by my claim. For the average household cooking energy consumption is a tiny fraction of the total energy used by that household.

Money saved using gas vs electric cooking would barely pay for a couple extra lattes a year... Even in NYC