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Star shaped is Thermador and that's why I ended up with Thermador when we replaced the DCS that had a gas leak issue that couldn't be economically repaired. I love this thing and whether I'm using a tiny 4" sauce pan or a large, 13" enameled cast iron "paella" pan, there's always flame on the cookware.Originally Posted by Dan Friedrichs
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
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Oven won't work when the power is out, unless connected to a generator. The gas safety valve has a bi-metal strip that is electrically heated. Igniter starts to glow, and current is fed thru safety valve to open for gas flow to burner. Without line voltage, valve won't open
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I used a gas cooktop for two decades and just switched to electric induction a couple years ago. Both were what was in place when I purchased the house. I find electric induction much more convenient. The cleaning up is so much simpler and complete. I cook every day but I am not a gourmet and my equipment reflects that.
California is banning gas for heating and cooking to prevent global war....errr....climate change. As for the wisdom of the Berkeley City Council, that's been discussed for several decades now....If they were worried about fires electric power lines seem to be a very large issue with regards origin.
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I know this doesn’t apply to the OP, but ... If you live in a climate that allows you to heat efficiently with an electric heat pump and you are doing new construction, you can save by avoiding gas altogether. We pay $20-25/month all year long just in basic fees to be hooked up to the gas grid, but we use virtually no gas other than in heating season. Not to mention added construction costs to install gas capability. I’m not complaining about those monthly fees, as they do represent actual costs to provide the service, but I’d love to eliminate them.
BTW, Berkeley buys all of its electric from renewable sources. Evanston, Illinois, where I live, has made renewable sources the default choice, but allows residents to choose other sources (providers) if they wish.
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Some people in California are getting power from one of the largest coal fired power plants in America
Intermountain Power Plant is a large coal-fired power plant at Delta, Utah, USA. It has an installed capacity of 1,900 MW, is owned by the Intermountain Power Agency, and is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.[1][2][3][4]
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The percentage of megawatt hours of electricity usage in California, generated by coal, is 3.3% (in 2018). See here. It's been declining each year.
The Intermountain plant is to be converted to natural gas in 2025.
Mike
[California has a goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2045. Not just getting rid of coal, but of all fossil fuels.]
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 11-23-2019 at 2:25 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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Prashun,
I assume that you are looking for a 30 inch range, I would look for one with an induction top. We recently switched to induction from gas and I will never go back. Induction is very fast, responds instantly and is easy to control, from melting chocolate to power boil. Cleanup is fast and easy. I think what contributes to making induction so fast is that all the energy goes into the pan; whereas with gas you are bathing the pan in a flame that is also heating the grates and surrounding air
Your cookware needs to be magnetic, we use Enameled cast iron, plain cast iron, all clad stainless pans, french carbon steel pans. Most non stick pans are aluminum, if you primarily use non-stick then you will have to buy more expensive induction capable non-stick. I view non-stick pans as throw-away pans, once the coating starts to go then toss it.
In the end you need to decide what type of cooking you do and base you decision on that.
Moderator
Jim, my Zwilling ceramic non-stick is induction compatible and in no way are they disposable like the PFOA and PFTE older type non-stick coatings became because of easy wear. (Folks like us who have birds cannot use anything with PFOA and FFTE containing coatings...they are deadly) But yes, the "good stuff" is more expensive.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
My favorite pans for our induction cooktop are Griswold Cast Iron. Some I inherited, some I bought for a dollar or two at garage sales, and one big Dutch Oven I paid dearly. Still this 80+ year old collection beats all my All-Clad in almost ever instance and far exceeds the quality of most CI cookware your can purchase new today.
Contributor
Jim, do you like/recommend the Zwilling? I'm looking for a replacement for our "disposable" PTFE non-sticks...
Moderator
Yea, I really do. I started out with a couple of GreenPan brand (their better ones, not the cheapest) and they were ok. The Zwilling have been a lot easier to clean up and a bit more durable, too. The only pay I have any marks in is the big 4 qt sauce pan and that's because I do mashed potatoes in that and my masher has sharper edges than I would normally use anywhere near anything with the ceramic coating. But even there, it's very minor and almost unnoticeable after about 5 years of real use. I certainly have a few favorites...the small 8" skillets are handy for so many things, both for prep and for individual portions, etc. The big 5 qt sauté pan gets a lot of use, too, for pasta meals and some other things where a larger flat bottom comes in handy. On the Staub side, both the 12" skillet and the 12" grill pan get a lot of use, but the little 1 qt rice cooker is da bomb...
I have a "few"...
What I did to watch costs was to buy them when on sale. I did the same for the Staub enameled cast iron that I adore from the same company as well as the Zwilling Pro knives I also like. For the Staub, I saved even more by buying them with "cosmetic" defects and straying from my normal anal tendencies for colors.
Last edited by Jim Becker; 11-24-2019 at 10:48 AM.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
I'd let your bride decide what she wants.
Contributor
AFAIK Berkley and San Jose have not outlawed dryers. This seems like a easy carbon reduction step if there is no plumbing, wiring, or ducting to make it easy later on.
Bil lD
Contributor
I suspect the thought on the natural gas is that electricity can be generated from non-carbon sources. I suspect residents would be a lot more up in arms about no dryers than not having natural gas although electricity costs much more to heat with.
Contributor
I recently received a survey from my local natural gas supplier. They were asking how I would react if they generated their gas from renewable sources (gas from bio mass). What I told them is if I wanted to go with renewable energy, I'd go electric since I have solar panels on my house. I'd add a few panels to accommodate the extra energy needed.
The problem is that my present gas appliances would have to be replaced, but I'd do that as they need to be replaced. I think they're going to have a hard time selling people on "natural gas" from renewal sources.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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