Range War

[maytagbear]

I am getting very, very tired of the "Gas is terrible, Electric is best" wrangling here.

Could we agree that it depends a lot on the interest and skill and care level of the cook?

Even though I am a dedicated Gas cook, I freely and fully admit that I have had really delicious meals cooked on Electric ranges.

Gas cooking does not automatically equal crap food, nor does cooking with Electricity.

It also, I believe, depends to an extent on the range itself. A tired, sad thing in need of anything from cleaning to full restoration, might not be capable of truly delicious food.

So, how about it?

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[norgeway]

AMEN....

I do think a spirited discussion is fun,but truthfully at the end of the day, it comes down to what ever you like, Just as with cars, I personally would not own a GM product..I like Chrysler, but some folks think they are awful...so there you have it...To me our discussions are all in fun,,John Lefever dosent care for gas, I like it, but he is a good friend and we are not really arguing,its more friendly banter! Did not mean to upset anyone,,

 

[rp2813]

I understand the virtues of electric, and appreciate most that pot handles don't get hot as they do with gas.  I prefer gas for my cooktop and electric for my oven.  Gas ovens heat up a kitchen like blast furnaces, even when used in conjunction with an exhaust hood.  I think the fact that in the restaurant kitchens of the world's greatest chefs you'll find gas-fired stoves almost exclusively speaks volumes about which type is preferable among the pros.

 

If I were to own an electric stove again, it would have to be one that offered at least one infinitely adjustable burner.  Using a pressure cooker on an electric stove is a total PITA otherwise.

 

Induction is great, but I don't want to replace all of my cookware or be limited to just one type, and have to carry a magnet with me when shopping around for a new piece.

 

[toploader55]

For what it's worth (My two cents,)

I have been a Chef (or cooking for) 40 years.

At age 7, I watched my Grandmother who was a Fabulous cook and baker go from Gas to Electric and back to gas. She never missed a beat.

Yes, I've only cooked with Gas commercially, but at home, I've pretty much always used electric. And I can't think of one meal I've made using electric, I was disappointed with nor my guests. I think you just need to "feel" out the heat and it's conduction.

The only range that I can say I have a difficult time adjusting to (because I don't cook on one that often) are the Glass Top (I don't even know if these are called induction)Ranges. I really dislike them immensely. With the exposed Calrod, Radiant Tube or Plain old coil, I have a better sense of the heat opposed to the coil being underneath the glass. Just my thoughts.

I like to cook, so Gas Or Electric, fine by me as opposed to an Open Camp Fire LOL.

Here's the $299.00 Range I bought from Sears 7 years ago. Cooks and Bakes just Fine.

 

[dirtybuck]

Out of all the apartments I've lived in throughout the years, two were older and smaller gas ranges (both of them were in walk-up apartment buildings built in the 20's and 30's on the 4th floor).

The ONLY inconvenience I had was the necessity to light the pilot light for the oven.

And Ralph, you're right...gas ovens do heat up a kitchen to a blast furnace stage rather quickly (and neither range had a air exhaust hood).

 

[58limited]

I've used both and prefer gas but I am not opposed to cooking on electric. As far as which is the best for the oven, I think the quality of the stove itself plays a big role in the evenness of the heating in the oven as opposed to which heat source is used.

 

[wayupnorth]

If I had my ultimate choice

I have used both but have never used the new induction system. But I do prefer a gas cooktop over electric coils. My next door neighbors have a GE Spectra electric that can preheat the oven in half the time my Whirlpool gas one does and always bakes everything perfectly, as I can not even make a decent pizza in mine. Another neighbor has a Jenn Air electric with convection oven. So my choice would be gas cooktop with the center simmer burners and electric convection oven. Sort of like the best of both worlds.

 

[xraytech]

For me it is electric all the way, I have grown up with almost everyone having electric, and our home is also in an area with no gas service. I am used to the speed and the feel of cooking on Calrod or radiantube burners.

Personally I prefer a home with absolutely no gas service, as to me it seems dangerous, as several years ago my grams neighbor's natural gas line had a leak and it the fumes worked their way into my grams well and once there was enough build up once the pump kicked on and there was an explosion blowing out the cellar doors and windows as well as doing some serious foundation damage.

So I prefer to have absolutely nothing gas powered in my home

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

To me, cooking with gas is something totally different--and unique!!!!

Just about everyone I've known & everywhere I've lived had an electric stove...

So, wanting a gas range, I settled on a house that had one--even w/ the other shortcomings my place seems to have...

I am stuck using my late-mom's electric however (and I think for my dad it is a lot easier for him to use than gas burners that you have to wait for to be lit) but I am getting used to it...

And I agree with the statement "that it depends a lot on the interest and skill and care level of the cook"... --Only in that I have never had a truly good or bad based on the type of range the person was using to cook the food...!

Yes, my mom's range--and house came in handy for boiling collards:

-- Dave

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

Collard Greens An' Fatback!!!!

Making fatback, too:

-- Dave

 

[qualin]

I personally prefer to use gas ranges myself, but the houses in my neighborhood were all set up with electric ranges and electric dryers.

I love how quickly a gas range boils a pot of water. In my old condo, it took about 40 minutes for the electric stove to boil two gallons of water, I bet a gas stove would have done it in a quarter of the time.

In our current house, the electric stove is much faster, but I still prefer a gas stove. Unfortunately, they never built in an exhausting range hood, so I can't legally put in a gas stove to replace it, otherwise I would have a long time ago.

 

[retro-man]

Only one house i lived in had a gas stove. The main problem was back then we did not have the correct pressure in the main lines in the street during really cold weather. When you turned the burner on high it would only get up to maybe a simmer. Forget about using the oven it would take 2 hours to get up to 350 degrees. So no boiling frying or baking. We used an electric rotis oven and an electric skillet and an electric perc. That was my only experience with gas and not out of want or need all other houses had electric stoves. In the new house here everything is gas except for the stove and that i went electric. Just preference I guess.. PLus i do use the oven alot and didn't want the extra heat in the kitchen.
Jon

 

[appliancelou]

I am electric all the way I hate gas stove I find them slow as shi... n hate the smell of gas ive used electric for 27 years nothing like it every thing cooks much faster n self cleaning extremly better n faster than gas just my two cents worth!so I would say IM not very fond of gas LOL!

 

[foraloysius]

Good heavens, are some of you reading the first post in a thread or are you just posting without reading? This thread becomes another electric versus gas thread and that is what Lawrence didn't want!

I'm with you Lawrence, to each his own and don't bring your point of view as a gospel.

There are actually more discussions like this. Toploader vs frontloader, european vs american, dishwasher with or without food grinder etc. etc. A little respect for eachother wouldn't hurt.

End of rant.

 

[firedome]

I don't think

that anybody was disrepectful here, or stated their views as gospel... if anything it shows that folks can disagree without being disagreeable!

 

[cleanteamofny]

 

 

 

Since I have used gas all my life, it seems natural for me to perform my best because temps are easy to adjust!

Now the kicker is that I have an electric stove on the job and cooking bacon is a real test how you really get to know your burner and it took me several tries to get it right!

 

If I it was my choice to do it again I would like to have an electric cook top because it heats the pan

evenly while gas heats the outer edges unless it's a high end range with the like old Kitchenaid Daisy wheel burners.

 

Lawrence, thanks for bring it up for Chuck and I discussed this when we picked up the Salvage washer in Middletown, NY. close to a year ago.

But my biggest pet peeve is that dealing with dual fuel MFG's, why it is always gas top with electric ovens but why not the reverse?

There have to be a market for this reversed roll.

 

[qualin]

Lawrence,

Please accept my most heartfelt apologies. I guess I should have read your underlined statement just a little closer.

I saw a cooking show once where I saw a cook roasting peppers right on the burner, no pan involved, just straight on the burner!! Then again, this cook was the crazy kind that just threw all convention out the window....

I honestly think that it takes someone creative and unique to do something like that.

My mother got a LOT of use out of her electric stove, she cooked just as well with a gas one, but she preferred the electric one because it didn't smell. (Not that fair, considering the gas stove was from 1945!)

I personally find that meals cooked on a gas stove taste better, but maybe this is just a mental thing, along with most cooks I know who are professionals cook with gas stoves...

 

[hydralique]

Given that I'm not the world's best cook, I think that meals cooked on someone else's stove taste better! It can be gas, electric, or a barbeque so long as I don't have to do the cooking . . .

 

As an architect, I find that my clients overwhelmingly prefer gas rangetops but some want to go the dual fuel route with an electric oven while others don't care. The only advice I'll give a client on this subject is that if a built in oven is used they should consider one with micro-convection as in my experience most people love these once they get used to them.

 

[joeekaitis]

For me, it's seasonal

Gas stove when the weather's cold, portable induction cooktops when it's hot. Only downer with induction: can't use my CorningWare and VISIONS, even with an induction interface plate (it triggers the overheating sensor on portables).