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Gas allows higher temps for searing usually and greater control of temps. When you shut it off, it is off not hot and still cooking for 5 or 10 minutes. If you are saute, stir fry or searing (think steak) folks then gas is best IMHO even though I have electric!
Gas also works in a power outage. The last time we faced this decision gas didn't offer a self cleaning oven, so we went electric. I'd consider gas next time.
It is easier to cook with gas. I think it would cost more to have the gas lines put in and to buy the gas stove.
Although I learned to cook with gas, since that time I have been "stuck" with electric enough that I can manage with either. Some people really have a hard time cooking with electric and really feel more comfortable with gas. They probably cook a lot more than I do.
I have absolutely no idea as to energy efficiency. Gas seems cheap in my area compared with electricity in recent years, but beyond that I do not have a clue.
If she wants gas, get her gas! Otherwise, unless she is a saint you may never hear the end of it. Gas stoves are a Big Deal to many women. Getting her an electric stove would be like getting a man a complete set of tools from the Dollar Store instead of letting him buy good tools.
__________________ "Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harborless immensities." - - H. Melville, 1851
I've never met a professional chef (or even a talented amateur) who didn't prefer gas to electric. It gives you so much more control. I'm sure there are people who prefer electric, but there are also people who prefer propane grills. There's no accounting for taste.
__________________ 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
I've never met a professional chef (or even a talented amateur) who didn't prefer gas to electric. It gives you so much more control. I'm sure there are people who prefer electric, but there are also people who prefer propane grills. There's no accounting for taste.
And. even more interesting are the Microwave fans.
__________________ "It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
If your house is plumbed for gas, that's probably what I'd go with. Greater control is the biggest reason.
I was surprised to learn that an electric stove can boil water faster than a standard gas burner. But the newer gas ranges (even low end ones) have "super" burners designed to rapidy boil water.
Energy cost: I don't think this should be a major consideration--over the course of a year, the difference is probably less than 20 bucks for most families. Gas is usually cheaper than electricity per BTU.
It is nice to be able to heat water in case of a power outage.
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"Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite." - R. Heinlein
We currently have electric (halogen) but if we remodel the kitchen I want gas too. More control and more heat! But my mom swears by induction cooking (which is considered electric). She now prefers it to gas. She can boil a pot of water in less than 2 minutes. So it produces plenty of heat (more than gas according to our own experiences) and allows for good control because the induction burners do not hold residual heat like halogen burners do (with induction, the pot gets warm but the burner remains cold to the touch). The only downside: you can only use pots made of materials that will sustain a magnetic field. So stainless steel and cast iron are in but aluminum and copper are out.
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DINKs, mid 30s, still working. FIRE portfolio = 25 x annual living expenses. Goal: FIRE Portfolio = 40 x annual living expenses and ESR by 2013.
I used to install comercial kitchen for a living and about 90% of ovens/stoves where natural gas with the exception of Bruce Power and Darlington Nuclear. Most chef's refused to cook with electric. We have electric but when this one goes, it's natural gass and convection baby....
We have gas stovetop and electric oven. Gas is best for general cooking, more control. My DD has one of those flat glasstop electric cooktops. I hate the thing, I have to constantly watch and move the pans on and off the cooktop when the heat gets too hot. I have no preference for the oven. Gas and electric all work the same to me.
If you are a cook, then you probably prefer gas cooktop. If you just want a cool looking kitchen, then you probably prefer electric. IMHO
We currently have electric (halogen) but if we remodel the kitchen I want gas too. More control and more heat! But my mom swears by induction cooking (which is considered electric). She now prefers it to gas. She can boil a pot of water in less than 2 minutes. So it produces plenty of heat (more than gas according to our own experiences) and allows for good control because the induction burners do not hold residual heat like halogen burners do (with induction, the pot gets warm but the burner remains cold to the touch). The only downside: you can only use pots made of materials that will sustain a magnetic field. So stainless steel and cast iron are in but aluminum and copper are out.
I am assuming halogen are the glass stove tops... if so, that is what we have... in the old house, we had gas...
I prefer gas for the reasons the others have mentioned... but propane can be good also
I've had both gas and electric. I vastly prefer gas. In fact, I feel so strongly about it that I wouldn't buy a house that did not have a gas range or could not have one installed.
Newer gas cook tops have sealed burners which are much easier to clean than the old style ones. Many have one higher BTU burner to boil water quicker along with "true" simmer settings for longer cooking at lower temperatures.
Combine a gas cooktop with an electric oven (preferably with convection) and as they say...Now you're cooking!
__________________ The best things in life....are not things.
I've always found the 'more control' point kind of funny.
You turn it on, you get heat, you remove the pan, you have no heat, and both have dials to increase or decrease the heat.
That said, I am a mac&cheese kind of guy, so the level of control just probably doesn't matter to me
We have electric now (flat top, easy to clean) and will go induction with my next stove.
My understanding is gas is more energy efficient than standard electric, with induction being better than both and the microwave being better yet.
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"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
(Ancient Indian Proverb)"
Glass stove tops can be halogen or induction. At first glance, they are hard to tell apart. But, unlike an halogen burner, an induction burner would remain cool to the touch (no more burnt on spills).
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DINKs, mid 30s, still working. FIRE portfolio = 25 x annual living expenses. Goal: FIRE Portfolio = 40 x annual living expenses and ESR by 2013.
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