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.

 

[davey7]

Wasn't the infamous Fanny Craddock sponsored by The Gas Board?

 

[ilovewindex]

Justin Wilson

Does any one remember Justin wilson? I always found it odd he used an ALMOND whirlpool looking cooktop in his later shows..never could confirm it was a whirlpool but looks like it

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TzaB8z8t50

 

[ilovewindex]

Justin Wilson Older Set

I am assuming these are all GE appliances, given the fridge looks like a GE

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTRwdzZA05o

 

[ea56]

I guarantee that I remember Justin Willson. That was a phrase that he used often during very episode of his show, "I guarantee it", in his inimitable Cajun accent.
Eddie[this post was last edited: 10/23/2016-17:05]

 

[combo52]

Appliances in JW cooking shows

The first link was a cheap Roper built KM CT, the second link was 70s Hotpoint appliances.

 

[miele_ge]

the cool thing about all this is....

... if you know how to cook, you can cook on just about anything.  Years ago, a good friend of ours, and a professional chef/cook had a POS RCA BOL (did I use up my quota on TLAs?) electric range in his home kitchen.  Always had fabulous food, often with a very French flair, at his home.

 

 

 

[frigilux]

Gas vs. electric is the range version of front-load vs. top-load. Had one of each in the kitchen until The Great Downsizing of 2014. I went with electric for several reasons. I'm a bit of an anomaly around here, preferring glass top electrics and HE front-loaders.

 

[ea56]

I have to agree with Alan in reply #24, a good cook can cook on anything. You just make adjustments for the type of heat source you are using. A gas stove won't make a bad cook magically better. Now, granted we all have our preferences, most people like one over the other. I've cooked on just about everything over the years, and given a choice I'll take an electric coil top. To me gas is slower, at least the newer less expensive home versions. And its dirtier too. Our last home had a GE gas stove, builder grade. We had white formica counters and I had to scrub them down at least every other week to keep the film from the gas stove off of them.

I have cooked on my nieces Frigidaire gas stove and it takes forever for anything to come to a boil. In comparison my GE coil top is very fast. I can bring a 6 qt. pot of water to a boil in about 12-13 mins., on my nieces gas stove try 25-28 mins. It's like watching paint dry.
Eddie

 

[appnut]

I'm like Eugene.  Prefer electric cooking and front load washers.  I grew up with gas and my first two houses had gas ranges.  But apartments during and after college as well as current house have electric coil ranges.  I've learned to turn off "heat" a minute or two before one needs to to utilize the reserve heat from the coils.  My partner is gas spoiled.   Hence the move to induction before he moves here. 

 

[fan-of-fans]

Justin Wilson

That's the Cajun one I was thinking of earlier. I remembered he had an electric cooktop, but watching that video reminded me what it looked like. Thanks.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Also in the credits I noticed "Sears Contract Sales" would explain the Kenmore cooktop. It also looks like there was a solid element Kenmore cooktop to his right side. And there's that unusual mixer I remember too.