Questions about stove/oven

[QueenIsabella]

I have an induction top with a convection oven. Love, love, love that range! The induction burners heat so fast, if you put your finger in the heating water, you can feel the temperature going up. The stovetop is glass, so it's super easy to keep clean. The stovetop cools down rapidly, too, unless you leave the hot pot on the burner (say, if you make soup, then turn off the burner but don't move the pot).

 

[tvguy]

Best answer really is, personal preference. Only had 3 years of experience with a gas stove in college and "enjoyed" 3 years of burned food as even the lowest setting was too high. Never have that issue with an electric stove.
Now, I am in California where in many areas gas appliances are illegal now. Yup, before California banned gasoline powered cars, in many areas they banned natural gas appliances in new construction. I guess they have a negative impact on greenhouse gases.
As for my wife and I, we bought an all electric house in an all electric subdivision 39 years ago because growing up we both had some scary experiences with natural gas. So for us, it was a safety issue.

 

[Jangles]

I have an induction hob, which heats up and cools down very quickly and two gas burners, which I use for wok, cast iron cooking etc. The induction hob is very easy to keep clean. You do need certain pans, but they are readily available and you can buy an adapter plate for other pans.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We are in the market for a new stove/oven. I've only ever cooked on an electric stove with burner elements, but these are getting harder and harder to find; ceramic/glass seems to be the only option for a slide-in stove (which is what we have to have). We have also just recently converted our house from oil heat to gas. I have a couple of questions:
>Do you prefer gas cooking to electric cooking? Why? Caveats?
>Regarding the cooktop: Is it easy to keep clean? Are you limited in what kind of pans you can use?
Any help would be appreciated. TIA!

I prefer gas cook tops. The advantage of a gas cooktop is it is instantly on and off, instantly adjusts, is better heating, and you can adjust it to whatever you want. The learning curve isn't that bad. Gas is not limited in type of pans but does tend to expose cheap flimsy pans for what they are much more so than does electric. Also note that your gas cooktop can end up superheating a coated pan beyond its limit. So don't just crank it under such a pan and leave it to heat up. Gas can also still be used even when the electricity is off. You simply wand ignite the burner.
For seperate ovens each has their advantage. Gas is moister and faster. Electric is usually better able to maintain temperature and is dryer. Each can be an advantage or disadvantage depending upon what you are cooking.
For a drop in, the advantages of it being gas for the cook top outweigh any advantage to an electric oven.

 

[tvguy]

instantly adjusts, is better heating, and you can adjust it to whatever you want. The learning curve isn't that bad.

You have skills that I never learned. I never did master getting it adjusted to a level I wanted. Even the lowest level was hot enough to burn what I was cooking.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

You have skills that I never learned. I never did master getting it adjusted to a level I wanted. Even the lowest level was hot enough to burn what I was cooking.

It probably wasn't your fault. Your regulator was likely out of adjustment.

 

[tvguy]

It probably wasn't your fault. Your regulator was likely out of adjustment.

Full disclosure. It was a huge commercial stove/oven/grill combo in a Fraternity house.

 

[Poohlove]

I much prefer gas to electric, my first apartment had an electric stove and I did not care for it at all. To me the coils were odd looking and as others have mentioned the instant on/off and even flame that a gas stove provides is nice. As someone mentioned some pans can be cooler on the outer edges since they are further from the flame however I primarily use cast iron skillets which eliminates this problem. I found the oven on the electric stove to be wonky, the gas oven is much more reliable.

 

[fla4fun]

I grew up cooking on a gas stove, but it’s not easy to have a gas supply where I live now, so I have a glass top electric. I do not have any issues keeping it clean, and have never had to scrape it. It’s a breeze to keep clean, especially compared to the gas stove. Mine has one large burner, one burner with the option to use it large or small, two small burners and a warmer burner.

 

[Deb]

I had always had gas until I moved a couple of years ago. I had enough experience with electric to know gas was my preference but the street I was building on had no gas lines, so I paid the builder to upgrade the electric model they were putting in to an induction model of my choice. Love it. you get the immediate responsiveness of gas and a cooktop that is a breeze to clean up.

 

[tvguy]

Funny how things happen. CBS News today did a story on the move to ban natural gas. Well done story on both sides of the issue.
https://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/...anet-warming-emissions/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

 

[Travel60]

In my summer home have a dual fuel oven. Gas top and electric convection oven. As mentioned, the gas top makes it easier to control heat. The electric oven is supposed to cook more evenly that gas (like for baking).

In primary home I have electric built-in double ovens and a glass top stove. Hate the glass top. Keep hoping it will break and I will replace with gas if they can figure out the gas lines and other logistics. The built-ins are narrow ~(24") so may involve complete kitchen rehaul.

 

[tvguy]

Say this on the news today, I was not aware of it. After 2030 if your natural gas water heater or furnace is replaced, you HAVE to replace it with an electric model. Currently the electric store rules only cover new construction. You will still be able to replace a natural gas stove with another natural gas stove.
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124511549/california-plans-to-phase-out-new-gas-heaters-by-2030

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I prefer electric just because I am used to it, and I fee that it is safer. I have had a glasstop in the last 2 houses I have had so it accounts for quite a few years. I find it easy to clean.

 

[wenrob]

I've only had glass top/electric. The thing I hate about it is the glass top retains heat, so it takes forever to adjust temp. of what's being cooked. I believe most professional chefs use gas- you can increase/decrease heat as much as you need. However....... I'd probably always worry about a leak or pilot light going out, but that's just me being me.

Today’s modern gas ranges have an electric start so no more worries about the pilot going out or something left on top catching fire from the pilot. A lot of models also lock outs for the knobs.

The only thing I don't like about gas is that the heat is less even. My parents have gas, I have an electric (glass cooktop, not induction) - it's easier to cook bacon at my house because you can have the low heat spread evenly over the large pan. With gas the outer bits of the pan don't get enough heat.
It's much easier to control temperature with gas because the adjustment is immediate. Electric takes time to adjust.

With a regular electric stove you can use any pan. It's only induction ones that need magnetic cookware to work.

The heat distribution on a gas stove has a lot to do with the quality of your pans and how they distribute heat.

Gas, all the way for all the reasons mentioned by previous posters. You have much more control over your temps. I actually turned down my dream home because it did not have natural gas and getting it out there would have cost a fortune.

 

[barkley]

2. I wanted the flat glass top for easy clean ups because I hate-hate-hate taking apart the top of a range to clean it properly after a spill.

saw one on a home renovation show the other night where the grating on a gas top was hinged at the back so you only have to flip it up to clean underneath-thought that was pretty cool.


i'm a gas fan. i never mastered getting an electric stove top to the right temps for certain items. with my gas top i can adjust for a low simmer or a rolling boil just by looking at the flame height.

 

[MICKIMINI]

If you think you want a gas stove, you'd better buy it now or you may not be *allowed* (smirk) to buy one in a few years. We are in NH (I believe you are in ME) and electric rates just went up 112%. I bought a toaster oven, but of course still need to use the burners on the glass top electric stove. If you have a choice go gas.

If we built a new home again, I would put gas in for stove, grill, water heater and a fireplace.

Good luck!

 

[leebee]

Funny how things happen. CBS News today did a story on the move to ban natural gas. Well done story on both sides of the issue.
https://www.cbsnews.com/live/video/...anet-warming-emissions/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

This reminds me of the meme: "I told a joke. I laughed, my son laughed, Alexa laughed."

If you think you want a gas stove, you'd better buy it now or you may not be *allowed* (smirk) to buy one in a few years. We are in NH (I believe you are in ME) and electric rates just went up 112%. I bought a toaster oven, but of course still need to use the burners on the glass top electric stove. If you have a choice go gas.

If we built a new home again, I would put gas in for stove, grill, water heater and a fireplace.

Good luck!

Yes, we are in Maine. Our electric prices jumped last March; my electric bill went from $96 to about $170 (but DD, SIL, step-grand moved in- not a whole lot more electric usage as we share much of the living space, but some). As I was thinking of this, I remembered I had a gas stove in an apartment, back in the early 80s. Didn't love it, as it was hard to get the temp low enough. Rice was a nightmare until I learned to stack 2 grates on one burner for the rice. Of course that meant I was down one burner for cooking the rest of the meal. Nothing's perfect, I guess.

Current quandary is whether to replace the stove at all. It is a very old JennAir (30years old maybe?). It works well, but the top is a mess. One of the considerations in replacement is that it has to be a slide-in model, which limits options. Cheapest option I'm finding (in white) is gonna run close to $1000, which will take a bite out of the savings, and that's a Maytag or GE, electric, glass top. I'm now wondering about replacing the cooktop cartridge inserts (JennAir is weird) and drip pans. I could do this for about $350. I know it wouldn't get us a new stove, but I also don't want to pay a lot of money for a glass-top stove that is gonna scratch (SIL is NOT the most observant guy- love him, but...). Just a dilemma that only I can answer, but I like hearing everyone's opinions.

 

[Toolulu22]

I also prefer gas because I like to be able to quickly adjust the heat. However, regarding your question about keeping the top clean- it’s difficult and a process (taking apart the components of the stovetop) if you cook often and like a clean top. Our newest stove is white- and no matter how much I clean the top, it looks stained in places near the burners. I’m over stainless steel, but it hides this issue a little better. I still choose gas though because of the temperature control. If you are shopping for a new stove, I have a tip- keep it simple. We have had both our refrigerator and stove serviced this summer (both are just past warranty) and the repairman told us to avoid all the fancy extra digital electronic features. They tend to cause the more servicing and are costly.

 

[MICKIMINI]

I'd just buy a new glasstop. I agree with OP's the less fancy stuff the better.

I keep my glass top clean and it isn't as much work as you imagine. Not much more than scrubbing the sink. You just can't wait for the gook to adhere, so as soon as it is cool use a damp paper towel to loosen it up. Then use the stove top cleaner (pricey but you don't need much) and rub it all around on the top, carefully scrubbing the icky spots. Wait a couple minutes and then wipe off with another paper towel or two and buff with an old tee shirt or soft towel. When we downsized 7 years ago, our 20 year old glass top looked like new.