All my life I had a gas oven, my parents had one, my wife’s (then g/f’s) apartment had one, our house has one and our vacation house has one. When I remodeled the kitchen I wanted a double gas oven which I got, but it was hard to find and AFAIK there is only one model that is high end gas self cleaning - this is the one I got and it kicks ass.
The few times I did use electric ovens I almost always burned myself on that electric heating element. I should note that about 2/3 to 3/4 of my oven cooking is broiling and it is the top element that gets me. Ususally such burns are pretty bad and last a few days.
So today I was broiling a steak in my gas oven, went to turn it and accidendly hit the top, though to myself, I think ‘this is the 1st time I burnt myself using a gas oven’, and ‘Ouch’. Then I look inside and see it’s not the gas flames that burnt me but the electric ignitor.
So I have come to the conclusion that resistance heating have no place in ovens as they are unsafe.
Electric stoves are nothing less than the Devil’s own workshop. Even the gas ones with electric ignition, they have pansy-@ss pathetic little burners that take 40 minutes to heat a cup of water. My stove boils a gallon in mere minutes and each burner can be turned down to a crockpot-style candle flame.
[Zenster runs off to hug his vintage O’Keef & Merritt]
Are we talking about ovens or cooktops. FWIW, I think I’ve got the perfect combination - electric ovens and gas cooktop.
The cooktop is instantly hot and the temp is instantly adjustable. However, we went for eletric ovens since they are the most precise. IIRC, gas ovens vary within a range. Heats to the top, the gas cuts off. Cools to the bottom, gas goes on. The actual temp is almost never what you set. However, with electric, the temp is maintained by adjusting the electricity going through the coils. Precise heating. (of course, YMMV)
<sob> Oh how I long to have a gas range to call my own. I’ve been using electric ranges my whole life and I hate them with a bright burning passion that will never die. I’ve been known to break out the good ole Coleman gas camping stove after getting pissed off at my electric. I swear electric stoves/ovens are nothing more than a conspiracy by the take out and microwave food industries to make cooking for oneself as an unpleasant experience as possible
If you did a lot of baking, you’d prefer an electric oven; they’re much better at maintaining a stable temperature. Gas burners, on the other hand, are better at everything than their electric counterparts.
I agree 100% A good gas cook top is the best, while an electric oven beats gas everytime. Although I have never had a chance to use a really high end gas oven.
I was tallking about ovens, I also have only really had gas cooktops and not happy when I have to use an 'lectric but rarely burn myself on them.
That’s what the salesmen told me and why there are so few gas ovens and only 1 high end one. Most people use their oven for baking which electric has a much tighter temp. range. For broiling I think (and most people I’ve talked to do too) that gas is better.
my condolances. Did you look into getting bottled gas delivered if you don’t have a natural gas hookup? Not as good as nat gas (not as hot) but much better then electric.
The high end ranges (oven and cooktop in one unit) were mostly gas cooktops w/ electric ovens or totally electric. There were some that were just gas. Wall ovens are the ones that are hard to find gas only.
And that’s exactly why I don’t need one. Being on the Atkins diet for many years (going great, thank you) I really have very little need for ‘percision’ baking - I don’t need exactly 350F to cook a pot roast
Totally different world then a ‘standard’ gas oven. Each compartment has 2 burners (top - broil and bottom- bake/roast burner). The 2 compartments are totally independant meaning you could be dehydrating jerky in the top unit at 170F and self cleaning the bottom at the same time (or cooking 2 totally seperate items w/ different temps). This oven has higher heat output (esp. broiler) then a std gas oven. Most electric ovens now come with a convection feature that blow the hot air around to cook more evenly and quicker. The gas oven can’t have a blower but the burning gas does create convection currents (though not as strong) that has a simular effect. Also the heavy stanless steal doors just add to the experence.
When I cook in a standard gas oven, it doesn’t do much for me. When I cook in htis oven it just feel great, when I cook in an electric oven not only does it feel crappy but painful usually on the back of my hand.
I was tallking about ovens, I also have only really had gas cooktops and not happy when I have to use an 'lectric but rarely burn myself on them.
That’s what the salesmen told me and why there are so few gas ovens and only 1 high end one. Most people use their oven for baking which electric has a much tighter temp. range. For broiling I think (and most people I’ve talked to do too) that gas is better.
my condolances. Did you look into getting bottled gas delivered if you don’t have a natural gas hookup? Not as good as nat gas (not as hot) but much better then electric.
The high end ranges (oven and cooktop in one unit) were mostly gas cooktops w/ electric ovens or totally electric. There were some that were just gas. Wall ovens are the ones that are hard to find gas only.
And that’s exactly why I don’t need one. Being on the Atkins diet for many years (going great, thank you) I really have very little need for ‘percision’ baking - I don’t need exactly 350F to cook a pot roast
Totally different world then a ‘standard’ gas oven. Each compartment has 2 burners (top - broil and bottom- bake/roast burner). The 2 compartments are totally independant meaning you could be dehydrating jerky in the top unit at 170F and self cleaning the bottom at the same time (or cooking 2 totally seperate items w/ different temps). This oven has higher heat output (esp. broiler) then a std gas oven. Most electric ovens now come with a convection feature that blow the hot air around to cook more evenly and quicker. The gas oven can’t have a blower but the burning gas does create convection currents (though not as strong) that has a simular effect. Also the heavy stanless steal doors just add to the experence.
When I cook in a standard gas oven, it doesn’t do much for me. When I cook in htis oven it just feel great, when I cook in an electric oven not only does it feel crappy but painful usually on the back of my hand.
What about those newer electric cooktops with the surface thats flush with the rest of the range (so its easy to clean spills)?
When fixing up our second house for new renters, my mom bought a new oven. It had one of those kinds of electric ranges. Plus, it would reach its maximum heat output almost instantaneously. Seems like a pretty neat arrangement.
I have heard that the totally flat surface cooktops look and clean great, but aren’t the best to cook on. Some complaints I’ve heard range from inconsistant temp (not out of character with electric) to pots sliding around on them too easily (making it hard to stir).
Gas stoves always make me woozy- I can’t stand it in those kitchens.
And the owners never seem to know it smells, so I guess they lose part of their sense of smell, like pet owners.
The plural of anecdote is data I have never heard that. BTW the gas itself is odorless but something is added so you can smell it. Propane usually has more of that odor additive then natural gas and I can sometimes detect a slight odor. Are the gas stoves that make you woozy natural gas (line feed from the street) of propane (bottle of gas in the backyard)?
I’ve got one of those smooth-top electric ranges; the surface is a glassy ceramic. Yeah, they’re easy to clean, but the burners take a long time to cool off; if something gets too hot, you really have to take it off the burner entirely and wait for the burner to cool down a bit. They take even longer to cool down than regular electric range heating elements.
The other downside is that your cookware has to have absolutely flat bottoms, so they make good contact with the surface of the burner. If they don’t, you can’t get things to boil. And I’m not talking just about warped pans; even pans that have some sort of ridge pattern on the bottom (like a lot of aluminum pans, that have concentric quarter-inch circles) don’t work well. The pan bottoms have to be flat and smooth.
No, no, I’ve got the perfect combination: an induction cooktop and an electric oven with every feature known to flod. Induction gives you the instant temperature changes of a gas cooktop with no smell, no open flames, and a flat surface to clean.
I swear by gas, but unfortunately, mine is on the fritz. The oven element was replaced a year or so ago, and it’s fucked up again. IT JUST WON’T HEAT UP! I was broiling steaks last night and it took so long I actually took them out and (gasp!) FRIED THEM!:eek: It was a dark day in the Kalhoun Kitchen. Methinks I’ll be making a trip to the appliance store. This one is over 15 years old. Is that a healthy lifespan for a modern-day appliance?
