Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 73

Thread: Gas or Electric Ovens

  1. #16
    Some of the answer depends on the cook's preferences. A professional chef will always prefer a gas range. However after living in Japan for a while where every cook top is induction, I came to realize how comparable a good induction cooktop is to gas in it's performance. Add to this the ease of cleaning, and the reduced risk of being burned by a flame or still hot grate.

    So my vote would be gas or induction for a cooktop depending on how you personally rank the pros/cons of each.
    Electric for oven. Personally I think Thermador is the gold standard, but either Wolf or Dacor are right behind. For an oven I think it is important to obtain info on how fast it heats up. Features such as pure convection and hybrid convection can be important also.

    I would not let utility cost be the deciding vote. My understanding is that the operating cost of an oven is more negligible than people think. I looked into it when I started making bone broth and stock in the oven overnight and I came to find out that running the oven for 12 hours was something like $.12 per hour so less than $1.50. Even if a gas oven cut that in half, I don't think it will expedite your retirement meaningfully.
    Hope this rambling helps.
    Last edited by Edwin Santos; 11-21-2019 at 5:50 PM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Yorktown, VA
    Posts
    2,754
    Quote Originally Posted by Edward Dyas View Post
    If you live on the east or west coast you might consider cities trying to ban gas. I believe Berkley was the one that banned gas being supplied to any new construction already. I'm sure they are just getting started.
    What's the rationale for banning gas? Carbon emissions?

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Posts
    1,048
    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    What's the rationale for banning gas? Carbon emissions?
    As I understand it, Yes.

    BTW- Berkeley wasn't the first nor the only city to ban gas in new construction. (Note gas doesn't necessarily emit more, but with electric the emission source can be controlled and upgraded without retrofitting homes.)

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Posts
    1,048
    A couple points on cook tops. (No experience with ovens here!)

    This Old House said, (last season?), Induction was much more efficient than gas. (Less wasted BTUs as you're heating very little beyond the pot & the food.)

    Also, years ago in another article or show, I remember restaurant cooks being interviewed about cooking with Induction. (It was a trendy Manhattan restaurant in a location that couldn't meet exhaust vent fire codes for gas cook tops.) They said it was hard at first because it was different, but in a few weeks they'd tweaked their techniques and it works every bit as well as gas.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    What's the rationale for banning gas? Carbon emissions?
    Another thing to consider along the west coast is the possibility of an earthquake breaking gas lines.

    Though my understanding in Berkeley is it was enacted to reduce carbon emissions.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Deep South
    Posts
    3,970
    Apparently, they prefer that their citizens consume natural gas by using electricity from natural gas fed power plants in other States rather than consuming it directly.

  7. #22
    Gas hands down!

    Also, I thought the gas bans in some cities had to do with earthquake prone areas??

  8. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Art Mann View Post
    Apparently, they prefer that their citizens consume natural gas by using electricity from natural gas fed power plants in other States rather than consuming it directly.
    Actually from COAL fired power plants in UTAH. We have a slide in gas range in one kitchen, and a gas cook top and electric convection oven in the other. Yes we have two kitchens. When we added addition to house 30 years ago, we decided to make it a complete apartment. This way, when one of us is gone, the apartment side could be rented for a source of income, plus cover the costs of running house hold (taxes, insurance, utilities, etc.) We have the space for large get together of family, or friends. In case of power outage, generator can furnish electricity to ignite burners on gas range, which unfortunately we have had to do.
    Last edited by Bruce Wrenn; 11-21-2019 at 9:23 PM.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Issaquah, Washington
    Posts
    1,320
    Prashun,

    GAS! Ask any professional Chef, go to your favorite restaurant and the odds are very heavy they are cooking with gas. My son, who is recognised as a 4 Star Italian Chef, hates electric cook tops but will "tolerate" an electric oven.

  10. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Calver View Post
    What's the rationale for banning gas? Carbon emissions?
    Natural gas is mostly methane, which is a greenhouse gas. I suppose some natural gas leaks and that's my guess why they want to push people to electricity.

    More and more, electricity is being generated by methods other than fossil fuel and even if you have a fossil fuel generation unit, you can better control the emissions in a single unit than you can in dispersed units.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  11. #26
    Well, my birthday cake is in the gas oven as I type this, and I don't see any difficulties in its production I've never used an electric oven for baking, so I don't know if I am missing out or not. I seems I have heard that they can heat more evenly, not sure how much that matters on a practical level, though. I do bake a lot, and I can't say I have ever felt limited by a gas oven. I do absolutely despise electric stoves, and I have this reinforced every year when I have to use an electric stove at the cabin we rent. Since I will be too cheap to buy a dual fuel stove when our current one dies someday, I will likely alway have a gas oven.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    New York, NY
    Posts
    2,203
    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    We are replacing our stove top with a range, and not sure if we should get gas or electric. (Electric is 30% more. than the gas option).

    We currently have an electric wall oven currently, and have issues with baking cakes. Cookies, turkeys, lasagnes, enchiladas are all fine.

    Anyway, reco's from the Creek appreciated: gas or electric?
    If you can swing it, go induction and don't look back. I'd recommend either the Bosch 800 or Benchmark series ranges. Electric ovens also vastly superior to gas.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,889
    Electric oven is prefered by many cooks. Also gas ovens are no longer vented to a chimney(after 1950's) so all that heat, CO, and fumes go into the house.
    OP: is this a convection oven, if so turn off fan for cakes or anything that rises in baking.

    San Jose California has also just banned gas for new housing. It is a carbon emission thing.
    Bil lD

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Cedar Park, TX (NW Austin)
    Posts
    578
    While I have never used one I heard induction can boil water faster than gas. But unlike gas you lose the visual aspect when adjusting the heat. The smooth top of induction is very easy to clean.

    Gas when burned puts off moisture and when used in an oven leads to baked goods that are less crispy.

    We purchased a GE Cafe dual fuel double oven slide in range. The top oven is great for casseroles and such and preheats very quick. The lower oven will get used for turkeys, roasts, etc. The whole range takes the space of one regular range but costs as much as two.

  15. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Prashun Patel View Post
    We are replacing our stove top with a range, and not sure if we should get gas or electric. (Electric is 30% more. than the gas option).

    We currently have an electric wall oven currently, and have issues with baking cakes. Cookies, turkeys, lasagnes, enchiladas are all fine.

    Anyway, reco's from the Creek appreciated: gas or electric?
    Not totally sure what you're asking, the cook top and oven are separate issues. Gas rules for the cook top, although I've heard good things about induction. We have a (gas) Bosch cook top, and it's a nightmare to clean. I'd suggest your number one priority for that is the ability to clean it easily, and I wish we'd gone with the KitchenAid on that, it's better set up to handle that issue.

    With ovens, electric will eat you alive (monetarily) compared to gas. However, the (electric) performance is better, and I can hardly imagine using gas for the broiler function, it just doesn't work that well. Consistency, and the even-ness of heat application. Consider getting a monitor system, thermocouple probes etc., if there's a question about how the oven is functioning. ThermoWorks is a good supplier.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •