I love to cook, and have a gas cooktop. I like the control (you can see the flame) and I like that if the power goes off, I can cook. Gas burners generally can be lit with a match if necessary.
Is that still true that you can operate a gas cooktop WITHOUT electricity? Years ago I know it was true, but are there electric controls now (like a solenoid-operated gas valve) that would prevent that? I realize that if you can get the gas flowing, you can ignite it. But can you get it flowing without electricity these days?
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Is that still true that you can operate a gas cooktop WITHOUT electricity? Years ago I know it was true, but are there electric controls now (like a solenoid-operated gas valve) that would prevent that? I realize that if you can get the gas flowing, you can ignite it. But can you get it flowing without electricity these days?
Good question, hope someone has the answer.
During the '89 earthquake here, the city had a system of sending a car with load speaker, "don't turn off your gas, it is safe to use it." Nice, we were able to cook dinner by candlelight as the electric was out for about eight hours. I've since moved but have an old gas stove that also works without electric, it may be as old as mid-century, I love it.
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 5,739
Quote:
Originally Posted by Telly
Is that still true that you can operate a gas cooktop WITHOUT electricity? Years ago I know it was true, but are there electric controls now (like a solenoid-operated gas valve) that would prevent that? I realize that if you can get the gas flowing, you can ignite it. But can you get it flowing without electricity these days?
Probably varies by model. We can light our cooktop burners manually, and the valve is just mechanical so no problem w/o power.
But the oven has one of those ceramic igniters, and that is powered by electricity and has a safety-interlock with the electrically powered control valve. No easy way around that if the power is out.
This thread represents the majority view - most cooks greatly prefer a gas cooktop (I just noticed, the poll is not whether you prefer gas/electric - it asks what you use. Some people have no choice, they use what they have).
For ovens, electric may have an advantage, but not such a big deal. I recently cooked a dinner over at my Moms for a family gathering. Electric cooktop drove me nuts. I suppose you get to learn what HI, MED_HI, MED, etc really mean in terms of heat output, but I was constantly fretting that I was going to burn something or that it would be cold without the feedback you get from simply looking at the size of the flame.
Our kitchen window faces East, and sometimes I have to draw the shades if I'm cooking in the AM - I can't see the blue flame in sunlight, and I feel like I'm driving blind (or cooking with electric). OTOH, at least with my gas cooktop, you NEED to look at the flame - the manual control is not linear at all, the flame is not really predictable based on the knob setting, you have to look.
I'd like to point out that the far majority of electric smooth-tops are radiant resistance coil type. With the ceramic glass top, they work differently than the old exposed-element type. The new ones turn the element on and off more often, and when on, they go red immediately. They duty-cycle modulate to hold the heat setting. The old exposed-type had a lot of thermal mass to swing about, and took quite a while to get up to heat. That's all changed.
"Stove?" I haven't heard that word in years. I grew up with it, but when we moved to TX, it was separate electric cook top, and electric wall oven(s).
LOL! Stove/range... cost is $600 and up.
Separate good cooktop and 2 ovens (or even one...)? $1400 and up. I haven't figured out the need. Cool looking. Gotta have an island, granite, etc.
And those dollar figures are low, I think. We spent over $3K on the cooktop and 2 ovens when we replaced them - I did insist on convection and self-cleaning- also it's a 5-burner cooktop since the hole in the counter was too big for a 4-burner.
But ALL the new houses seem to have separate stuff. I'm a dinosaur. It's possible.
Here in MO we lose power occasionally and it gets very cold (usually thse events are simultaneous) - having a gas cooktop helps. I know the new electric cooktops are different than the old ones, I've used them. But I still prefer gas.
Surprise - looks like we agreed on a Gas stove top and an electric oven.
While looking at the stove tops we saw 5 and 4 burner models.
Dear One shook her head and said that 5 burners were too ostentatious - as in "look we don't use that many burners and I have no plans on opening a restaurant it costs more and it will look too ostentatious" - me - well...5 look cooler than 4 and its nice to know you got it if you need it besides the next owners may look fondly on the 5 burners and decide right there to buy the house and ...never mind.. (i"m working on a plan to get the 5 )
I never use all 5 burners at once, but I have some large pans so I do use all of them at one time or another. I have a continuous cast-iron grate so you can slide the pans around easily, that's something I'd recommend.
On the oven: convection and self cleaning are worth it.
In August, I bought a new range, all electric with a glass top to replace my old one with the hard to clean coil burners. With that purchase, I can now proudly say that I no longer own any avocado green appliances!
We have a gas range at camp, so I've cooked on both. I find it easier to get a more appropriate heat setting by adjusting the flame, than by using the dials on the electric. I burn more food on the electric stove! And I think food tastes better when cooked over gas - though either way, it's in a pan, so I don't quite understand why this is.
Maybe someday when I can really redo my kitchen the way I want, I'll switch to gas. But right now I don't want the extra expense of running a new gas line to the kitchen.
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 5,739
Quote:
Originally Posted by thinker25
LOL! We've had those discussions...
I never use all 5 burners at once, but I have some large pans so I do use all of them at one time or another. I have a continuous cast-iron grate so you can slide the pans around easily, that's something I'd recommend.
I also was thinking that the continuous grate would actually be more of a feature than the 5th burner. It does seem handy for just sliding pots from one side to the other.
We will be doing new appliances and counters next year, so this will be a consideration.
Just fyi, after having a number of gas cooktops over the years and homes, we found that getting the burners on the front works better than having them on the top. It keeps them from getting as grungy, and keeps you from accidentally bumping the flame up or down. Just one of those little things that you don't think of usually. Of course it might depend on the layout of your kitchen.
This
as opposed to this
__________________ A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
Just fyi, after having a number of gas cooktops over the years and homes, we found that getting the burners on the front works better than having them on the top. It keeps them from getting as grungy, and keeps you from accidentally bumping the flame up or down. Just one of those little things that you don't think of usually. Of course it might depend on the layout of your kitchen.
This
as opposed to this
Thanks! - the one with front controls has 6 burners
I warming up to the idea of a Gas stove top and an Electric oven
This is my vote exactly. I prefer gas stoves due to instantaneous adustments and high temps. The only caution on a gas stove is to look for an easy to adjust low flame. Many non-commercial gas stoves don't have a really low setting due to safety reasons of not wanting the flame to be out while the gas is still on, even if only slightly.
I prefer an electric oven due to its even heating. When my electric oven cycles on and off the temp doesn't swing so widely. The most important reason that I prefer elec ovens over gas is that the electric heat is dry. If I want a most heat I can put a pan of hot water in there. When gas burns it makes water vapor and the oven is moister than I prefer at times.
I also strongly prefer ovens to be wall mounted at eye level to avoid the blast of hot air in the face thing.
These are just my personal preferences and peccadillos,
Mike D.
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When I was looking a few years ago a salesman asked if I still canned. At the time I did and he suggested gas because the glass cooktops have difficulty with cracking if you put large heavy pots of water on them. I went to gas and quite like it.
Opps how could I forget this one. We bought a very simple but well made Bosch gas stove because it had very little electronic components. Some of the computer motherboards that have all those fancy cooking controls on the high end electric stoves (I think Kitchen Aide is the worst) cost over $1000 to replace.
Opps how could I forget this one. We bought a very simple but well made Bosch gas stove because it had very little electronic components. Some of the computer motherboards that have all those fancy cooking controls on the high end electric stoves (I think Kitchen Aide is the worst) cost over $1000 to replace.
I have KitchenAid electric wall ovens - they are entirely electronic and if the [essentially] computer controls go, I expect it will be expensive to repair. For $1000 I'd have to think about whether it was worth fixing - so far (a couple of years) no problems.
They work well and they have a bread rising setting that keeps it at ~100 degrees - the bread rises really fast at an even warm temp. There are a lot of features I don't use - I needed it to fit in the existing hole (we were replacing ovens) and they have covered bottom heating elements. They are only 24" (existing oven issue) so that was a way not to burn food. The old ovens specialized in burning food - 24" is small.
The Thermador gas cooktop, OTOH, has nothing but an electric sensor of some sort that relights the burner if it goes out. It is 7-8 years old - I don't know about the new ones. I've been happy with it, and it does light with a match if there's no power. Some do, some don't - you have to ask, if that's important to you.
I would like fewer controls... the truth is I turned out good food in the old days with a 24" gas apartment stove of dubious vintage a few decades ago. Hope the Bosch stove continues to work well.
Had electric until a year ago when we remodeled our kitchen and switched to gas. Love the gas stove and would never go back to electric. Cooks faster and more evenly IMO.
Bought a KitchenAid with gas on top and an electric oven (electric bakes better).
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I converted from electric to gas a couple of years ago. While I slightly prefer the gas for the visual feedback, electric had more of a range; it could apply lower heat than gas and boiled water noticeably faster. Both were fairly cheap electrolux rangetops.
I went from a 1950's era Caloric gas oven last year to this:
http://www.commercial.sears.com/coms...c/22-75603.pdf
Sealed burners, self cleaning, small side oven eliminated the need for a separate toaster oven thus freeing up counter top space.
Love finally being able to cook in the 21st century.
The fact that we got it on sale made the whole thing that much better.
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I went from a 1950's era Caloric gas oven last year to this:
http://www.commercial.sears.com/coms...c/22-75603.pdf
Sealed burners, self cleaning, small side oven eliminated the need for a separate toaster oven thus freeing up counter top space.
Love finally being able to cook in the 21st century.
The fact that we got it on sale made the whole thing that much better.
That is really good looking...I like Kenmore Elite and have had good luck with them from dryers and washers to the Frig.
Quote:
- looks like we agreed on a Gas stove top and an electric oven.
(i"m working on a plan to get the 5 
)
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