What kind of ranges

[norgeway]

Did cooking show hosts/home economists etc use at home,I know Betty Furness and Julia Kiene used Westinghouse Electrics,North Carolinas Betty Feezor used Gas,both on her TV show and at home,On her show she used Caloric and at home a Magic Chef Chateau, in fact she was Gas Saleswoman of the Year at least once,Julia Child used various stoves, First a pushbutton GE , then a Thermador, at home she had a big old gas range, A Garland I think, The Galloping Gourmet used Frigidaire on tv,...I would bet most used gas, but I might be wrong.

 

[turquoisedude]

One notable Canadian chef/home economist, Margo Oliver, used a Frigidaire Flair range in her test kitchen, but apparently had a GE Americana in her home.   I'm going to have to try and dig out some video of what the patron saint of Canadian cuisine, Jehanne Benoit, used on her TV show - I just don't remember off-hand what it was...  

 

[turquoisedude]

Well, just answered my own question....

A quick search and voilà!  Mme. Benoit had GE built-ins no less!

 

[tomturbomatic]

Julia Kiene and Bety Furness worked for Westinghouse.

 

[combo52]

Julia Child

Always used electric when on TV, even when other chefs were using gas on the same set and show with her.

 

It is just easier to control electric and get the precise results that you want with electric [ if you are experienced enough with using a range ], if you have little experience or little mechanical ability you will probably do better with gas, at least at first.

 

[vacerator]

While calrod

elctrics have thermostatic control, it is not easier to manage the heat. They remain hot much longer than a gas burner, so you need to move the pan to a cool surface.
I suspect it was the set design cost for PBS and Julia's set. Her kitchen range in the Smithsonian is gas.
Induction may be the ultimate in electric cooking, because it is temperature controlled exact to the degree.

 

[davey7]

I've seen photos of Mark Bittner (spelling, two or one T's?0 using an apartment sized range (a nicer one) in his typical NY apartment kitchen.

 

[ea56]

Does anyone remember a show that was on a few years ago called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys"? The hosts were two gay men that lived in an old farmhouse in I believe upstate New York. They had what I thought was an ingenious setup of two apartment size gas stoves side by side. This gave them two ovens and 8 burners. Seemed like a great idea to me if you had the room for it.
Eddie

 

[davey7]

Why not just one of those Town & Country ranges?

 

[ea56]

Well probably because two apartment size stove cost a lot less than a Town ans Country range.
Eddie

 

[davey7]

Late cookbook author Alma Lach had a Roper according to her neighbor, though I don't think it was - totally fab 60's range on little stubby commercial style legs with wood oven/broiler (side by side, but not two ovens) handles.

 

[goatfarmer]

We had a local hostess years ago, Lois Pence, of "Homemakers Time", who used a Tappan over/under in gas. She also had Coppes-Nappannee cabinets.

 

[appnut]

Just looked at a photo of Mark Bittner's kitfchen.  Looks like a typical 30" GE gas range.

 

[norgeway]

I always thought

Julia and Graham Kerr used electric because the shows were sponsored by either the electric company or the actual range manufacturer, I don't know of any true chef that would even look at an electric range.electricity is great for a home cook, especially in hotter climates, but gas is much more flexible and responsive.

 

[beekeyknee]

I don't know about all of those statements above but I do know an electric element will heat up faster and boil water quicker than anything.

 

[norgeway]

A electric element..

Will NOT heat up faster, gas is instantly as hot as it will get, certain electric elements WILL boil water faster than home model gas ranges,but commercial gas ranges with high output burners are much faster.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I remember Graham Kerr having a ceramic top range in the early 90s on his show.

Most others that I recall used gas. There was a cajun chef on PBS that I can't recall his name but I think he had an electric coil cooktop of some type. He also had a foreign brand mixer that I thought was really odd.

For some reason most kitchens used for local news channels seem to have electric cooktops. Our local news has a ceramic top cooktop but I rarely see it used, sometimes on the weekends if there is a local chef doing a demo.

 

[joeekaitis]

Roger Mooking, Everyday Exotic, Cooking Channel

 

 

 

Induction.

 

Don't know about what's at home or if the show is shot in his home.

 

[vacerator]

Piping gas to the set

production stage may be a safety code issue also.
Wolfgang Puck uses a portable propane canister burner or glass electric on TV.
The Food Network chefs do use gas, but I bet they have halon fire extinguishers above the sets. Too many hot lights and electric things that can short out and spark.
The Beekman brothers sell their home made goat milk soaps and other products on E-Vine or QVC now.