New Range... Gas or Electric?

[petrym]

Since I value your informed opinions... would you recommend a gas or electric range to replace an existent electric range?

The wife likes the convenience of electric; the new smooth tops look pretty snazzy and easy to clean. I like the constant even heat and immediate change in temperature of gas. We do use the range a lot.

What do you think?

[beardog03]

If your into cooking..

Gas is a no brainer....much better control over the heat

[F1nut]

And he should know, he's full of gas.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Dennis Gardner]

Gas is more versatile, smooth tops are safer/cleaner. Weigh your needs, buy quality, and forget it.

Save the deep thought for audio upgrades.

[beardog03]

And he should know, he's full of gas.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA



whoops !
:eek:
That wasn`t a fart !
Be right back !

[treitz3]

Gas.

[F1nut]

whoops !
:eek:
That wasn`t a fart !
Be right back !


Damn.........Poo Nuggets!!!

[beardog03]

the new ranges have different size diameter burners, for specific types of cooking..

We just got a new gas stove, and it is really cool...I wouldn`t even consider an electric one anymore

[pearsall001]

Stick with gas if you enjoy spending time scrubbing those damn grates. With todays technology the electric is every bit as good as gas & a breeze to clean. That old school thinking about gas vs elec doesn't apply anymore. For commercial cooking gas is the ticket, for home use today's electric is the winner. How about an induction cook top? Now we're talking hi-tech.

[treitz3]

If you would really like to get technical about cooking, then a wood fire yields the absolute best results, period. Gas comes in a close second, then modern technology.

The cavemen had it best. Think I'll slide out now...........

[Bill Ayotte]

I have had both, and I prefer GAS...Here is why...If you spill **** all the time, gas may be a pain to clean, but no more than electric. The electric is a pain in the ass to clean, at least you can take the grates off the damn oven to clean them, dry them off, and put them back on...Yeah, you still need to scrub the actual range, but that pales in comparison to scrubbing the damn Electric range surface..God forbid you spill something that bakes on the surface, what a pain in the ass...My roommate ruined the range in the last place because he scrubbed the piss out of it...It was all kinds of swirled...The finishes on quality gas range surfaces are also easier to clean, much like a real nice set of pots and pans...Hard anodized is the way to go man...

[bobman1235]

Stick with gas if you enjoy spending time scrubbing those damn grates. With todays technology the electric is every bit as good as gas & a breeze to clean. That old school thinking about gas vs elec doesn't apply anymore. For commercial cooking gas is the ticket, for home use today's electric is the winner. How about an induction cook top? Now we're talking hi-tech.

There's a laugh.

Gas all the way.

[tcrossma]

Get yourself a good gas cooktop with an even surface across the entire top. None of these individual burners where the pot can slide off. Gas is the way to go.

[TroyD]

I don't have any problems cleaning the grates..?

Gas, all the way.

BDT

[pearsall001]

Apparently you gas lovers just don't know your way around a kitchen. If you really want to do it up right, here's the way to go for you gas lovers. If you know what you're doing an electris range is just as productive & accurate as gas, especially for home use. http://www.aga-ranges.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=Aga&utm_campaign=Aga1

[TroyD]

Huh, after all those years managing restaurants and so forth I guess maybe i don't know my way around a kitchen. :rolleyes:

My ingorance aside, I prefer gas.

check here for a picture of my stove:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28336

BDT

[Willow]

this is the one we bought :

http://ca.lge.com/en/prodmodeldetail.do?actType=search&page=1&modelCategoryId=050701&categoryId=050701&parentId=0507&modelCodeDisplay=LSC5622-SS-SW-SB&enlarge=%2Fen%2Fdown%2Fproduct%2F050701%2FLSC5622-SS-SW-SB%2FLSC5622WS-L.jpg&model=1#

What ever you do spend the xtra and get true convection.the one we bought has the biggest oven @ 5.6 cub ft it's a beauty and not cheap . It also has a warming drawer. We like electric and the smooth top was a must once again. With proper care there are no issues. Our current Kenmore smooth top doesn't have a scratch on it and it's a year old.

[PolkWannabie]

Gas = Instantly & infinitely adjustable.

Electric = I thought I turned that up/down.

[Gaara]

I would pick electric over gas for multiple reasons.

Electric ranges have more flexibility up top, you can have various sizes of burners that are adjustable and also some that aren't round, you can have oval burners for things like casserols.

Electric ovens are known to be better at keeping accurate temperatrure then gas ovens. This is for home use and assuming similar prices, I don't care to hear about how your $10,000+ oven at work keeps perfect temperature.

You can get more for your money with electric over gas. You can get a great gas range that has a oven that keeps its temperature well, but you will spend much more for it. When I used to sell these you would usually pay around 30% more for a gas oven with the same features as the electric version.

A few more things to consider, do you have gas already in the kitchen? You had electric before so you may not and this would cost extra. Also the connector is different for electric v gas, if I recall correctly most ovens are 30a while gas only requires 15a so you may need an electrician. Do you lose electricity often? If you lose it with an electric oven you can't cook, with gas you can still (most can some wont).

In a perfect world you would have gas on top electric on the bottom.

[pearsall001]

There's a laugh.

Gas all the way.

A true rookie speaking!

[pearsall001]

Huh, after all those years managing restaurants and so forth I guess maybe i don't know my way around a kitchen. :rolleyes:

My ingorance aside, I prefer gas.

check here for a picture of my stove:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28336

BDT

Ah, a fellow Polkie & Restauranteur. I to am in the same profession. Having graduated from here way back in '74 http://www.ciachef.edu/ I've manned the helm of many an upscale country club & restaurant. You are 100% correct that commercial kitchens are gas. For a few reasons...1st-restaurant owners are generally the cheapest pricks alive, 2nd-electric units cost a lot more than gas. 3rd-gas wins hands down on operating costs. No restaurant owner in his right mind would ever consider electric. With all that being said, and after advancing thru the ranks up to GM of many places & now as owner of my own food service company I too know my way around a kitchen. My largest account is SONY DADC where they produce CD's & DVD's. Back in '93 SONY decides to drop over 5 million on a brand new state of the art food service complex. As owner, I was asked to join their design team. Boy, that was an experience. Of course our design was based on an all gas kitchen. Then our local electric provider made us an offer we couldn't refuse...so nix the gas eguipment & redesign now for all electric. Well, my Executive Chef went crazy, but hey it's their money. But you know what, after a short learning curve the Chef & kitchen staff feel in love with the all electric kitchen. All I'm saying is that for home use to me one is just as good as the other. Generally what I've found is the complainers never learned how to use the equipment properly. It's much easier to blame the stove than your lack of taking the time to learn how to use the equipment properly. My wife is a perfect example. I bought a really nice microwave/convection combo unit for her. She did some cakes, cookies. breads & she hated the way they turned out. She cursed that oven out like you wouldn't believe. I then showed her how to adjust the recipe for cooking time & temp & she now swears by that same oven she cursed out. To this day she won't do any baking in our regular "gas" oven (it came with the house) when it dies, an electric is taking it's place (maybe even an "induction" or an AGA) I've held cooking classes using an Induction unit & that just flabergasted people. They never saw a magneto cooker before. Instant heat as soon as you put the pan on & cool to the touch the second you take the pan off. You could literally put your hand on top of the range as soon as you removed the pan. Amazing!! Bottom line...whatever makes you happy. Gotta run, have a roast in the oven.

[Ron-P]

whoops !

That wasn`t a fart !
Be right back !
Touch'n fabric?

I've had both and prefer electric, it's much cleaner to cook with. Get yourself one of those completely flat gas ranges, even messes wip right up, no grates to clean. Gas always left the film from the fumes on everything, I hated it.

As for cooking between the two, no difference.

[jmwest1970]

It's six of one, half dozen of the other. Either if fine, but be warned that if you aren't used to cooking with gas, you'll probably burn everything for the first month. This advice also applies to gas owners going to electric.

[TroyD]

Ah, a fellow Polkie & Restauranteur. I to am in the same profession. Having graduated from here way back in '74 http://www.ciachef.edu/ I've manned the helm of many an upscale country club & restaurant. You are 100% correct that commercial kitchens are gas. For a few reasons...1st-restaurant owners are generally the cheapest pricks alive, 2nd-electric units cost a lot more than gas. 3rd-gas wins hands down on operating costs. No restaurant owner in his right mind would ever consider electric. With all that being said, and after advancing thru the ranks up to GM of many places & now as owner of my own food service company I too know my way around a kitchen. My largest account is SONY DADC where they produce CD's & DVD's. Back in '93 SONY decides to drop over 5 million on a brand new state of the art food service complex. As owner, I was asked to join their design team. Boy, that was an experience. Of course our design was based on an all gas kitchen. Then our local electric provider made us an offer we couldn't refuse...so nix the gas eguipment & redesign now for all electric. Well, my Executive Chef went crazy, but hey it's their money. But you know what, after a short learning curve the Chef & kitchen staff feel in love with the all electric kitchen. All I'm saying is that for home use to me one is just as good as the other. Generally what I've found is the complainers never learned how to use the equipment properly. It's much easier to blame the stove than your lack of taking the time to learn how to use the equipment properly. My wife is a perfect example. I bought a really nice microwave/convection combo unit for her. She did some cakes, cookies. breads & she hated the way they turned out. She cursed that oven out like you wouldn't believe. I then showed her how to adjust the recipe for cooking time & temp & she now swears by that same oven she cursed out. To this day she won't do any baking in our regular "gas" oven (it came with the house) when it dies, an electric is taking it's place (maybe even an "induction" or an AGA) I've held cooking classes using an Induction unit & that just flabergasted people. They never saw a magneto cooker before. Instant heat as soon as you put the pan on & cool to the touch the second you take the pan off. You could literally put your hand on top of the range as soon as you removed the pan. Amazing!! Bottom line...whatever makes you happy. Gotta run, have a roast in the oven.

Well bully for you. So, if it's your opinon than it's gotta be fact, huh?

Did I say that gas was inherently better? No, I didn't. I said I PREFER gas.

It really doesn't have anything to do with what I know, or I don't know. It's what I PREFER. I'm reasonably educated and experience in the field. I'm not oblivious to the fact that there is always a better mousetrap, however....we are talkinga about preference, right?

BDT

[engtaz]

Gas is better.

[irishaz]

I went with a gas cooktop and an electric oven. Seems to be working out fine. The gas cooktop has several different size burners as well as a "simmer burner" that gives a lot of flexibility.

[MikeC78]

I would just keep in mind the added expense or hassle of connecting gas where your range is located? Is there already gas connections in the location?

I'm sure gas companies will do local connects, but unsure of running new plumbing?

[Polkitup2]

Gas is the only way to go if you're into cooking. Much better heat control than electric.

[Disc Jockey]

Another vote for gas. My mom and my mother in law both put in very expensive electric ranges. They do have their advantages but I still prefer gas by a wide margin.

Plus you can still use it when the power goes out :)

[hearingimpared]

I prefer gas except for one thing. When the overhead fans are going it cools the flames to red hot instead of blue other than that I prefer big jet gas tops.

[danger boy]

we replaced our aging electric stove with a new ceramic electric one two years ago.. i love the clean smooth surface of it.

they are much better and faster than the old coil electric stoves we all grew up with.

ours has four burners and a center burner to keep foods warm at low temps. Plus has a convection fan for faster cooking. It does help cook foods about 15% faster.. using less time and electricity to cook. It gives things like chicken and turkey a nice even brown cook to them. :)

i've never used a gas stove... but I really like the much faster heating times of these ceramic ones. although, it does take some time to cool down.. so a light stays lit till it's cool to touch.

[Gaara]

Gas is better up top but last I checked it was known for uneven cooking in the oven.

As for the comment on cooking when the power goes out not all gas units will allow this. Some newer units will not allow the gas to flow unless their is electricity flowing.

[Disc Jockey]

As for the comment on cooking when the power goes out not all gas units will allow this. Some newer units will not allow the gas to flow unless their is electricity flowing.

I know this is true for the ovens but didn't know of any stovetop burners that had that feature. No big deal either way, I wouldn't base my buying decision on that feature alone anyway.

[madmax]

I wish I had gas.
madmax

[pearsall001]

Well bully for you. So, if it's your opinon than it's gotta be fact, huh?

Did I say that gas was inherently better? No, I didn't. I said I PREFER gas.

It really doesn't have anything to do with what I know, or I don't know. It's what I PREFER. I'm reasonably educated and experience in the field. I'm not oblivious to the fact that there is always a better mousetrap, however....we are talkinga about preference, right?

BDT

Gee, where did I ever mention anything as fact? My opinion is that for commercial use, gas if definetely the way to go. For home use I simply said that "one is just as good as the other". I can go either way, but I prefer electric. Nothing more, nothing less was mentioned. Let's not make an "all amps sound the sound same" thread out of this.

[Shizelbs]

We got a Kitchenaid glass top electric recently (I wanted gas burners/electric oven combo), but I am pretty happy with the glass top electric. It looks nice. Clean up is a breeze, and it clearly cooks better than the stove prior.

[Shizelbs]

Gas is better up top but last I checked it was known for uneven cooking in the oven.

You are correct sir.

[Willow]

When we bought new appliances for our current house ( which we are leaving behind next week) We bought the smooth top self cleaning with no convection.This one has two expandables up front and two small elements in the back. The ceramic tops are easy to care for and easy to clean up as well.
We decided to go all out on the new one. Can't wait we've never had convection but hear it works great. It also has a warming drawer which we've never had either, but can see coming in handy come Xmas, thanksgiving and so on. It also has a warming element so you can keep your sauces warm. The only downside I can see about the ceram tops is that you can't really shake your pan along the cook top or it will scratch.

[I-SIG]

When I get the clams, I was planning to use the Krell I want to buy! :D 2 birds with one stone!

Wes

[madmax]

Man cook with fire, listen to tube...
madmax

[Rivrrat]

My wife, who is a pretty good cook, could never get used to gas when we bought our current house that came with gas. When we did our kitchen remodel, she made me install an electric cooktop, along with a convection oven.

[petrym]

Thank you for all your replies, now it's time for "aggressive negotiations" with the wife. ;)

[MrNightly]

My wife loves the smooth glass of the electric cooktop. Only word of caution, if you don't maintain a clean state on the glass, it'll be a royal pain to keep clean. But if you are quasi sanitary,

Go Glass all the way!