Ranges: Gas or Electric?

[fortyfeetunder]

I am at the crux of a dilemma.

I currently have a 20+ YO electric range...long outlived its usefulness and a PITA to clean.

I am torn between continuing with electric (which I can't really stand anyway) or go for what I really want, which is natural gas. Current range is installed on an island so I am limited to those models with downdraft fans. Any other installation would require a massive kitchen remodel, which I don't want, I like the arrangement as is.

First I thought of the implications of going for the gas but it's kind of moot because my other home heating systems are natural gas also.

Though I wanted to find from my DU cooking aficionados what has been their experience in the electric or gas range market....Thanks in advance!!!

[NMDemDist2]

1. GAS

if you have any way to go gas, do it! I hate my electric and in my old house, since I had LP hot water and dryer I had a contractor run a line for the stove.

If I had gas here, I'd have it in the kitchen in a heartbeat! There is no comparison for the versatility and responsiveness of a gas burner

[SW FL Dem]

2. If you can go gas - DO IT

I have always cooked with gas. When we moved to FL, we didn't have the option since there were no pipelines for natural gas this far south. When our house was built in 1998 gas wasn't available. Newer developments a few miles from here now have natural gas piped in.

I hate my electric stove, but I don't have any choice.

[eleny]

3. I love a gas range

And it sounds like you really want one, too. So do it since you can.

We're going to get a new range this year. And when we do, I'm even going to see if I can get a kit to convert the old range to propane since that range is not that old. I want to make a sort of outdoor kitchen in the overhang of the workshop. Electric would be easier but I love cooking on a gas stove.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Converting between natural gas and propane is easy ... **if** the kit is

still available.

But why convert? Why not run the natural gas over to the stove's new outdoor location? If you do that, you can add a natural gas grill, too, and have it always available for use with no trips to the propane store.

[eleny]

7. Bringing the line over won't be easy

The shed is an awkward distance from the workshop with a cement path in the way. But I'll take another look at the arrangement. The stove is maybe 5 years old. It has the sealed burners, to give you an idea. I hate to give it up since it was inexpensive and a workhorse. But if I change to stainless for everything else, the almond will stick out. I wish they didn't play switch up on us with the "new almond" - too rosy for me. I liked the "old almond". It was more neutral. Heck, I'm so old fashioned that I even hated giving up my avocado appliances!

[Shakespeare]

19. ooh ooh--reminds me of a related question!!!

What, exactly, is the difference (especially as it applies to one's range) between gas and propane? Since we're house shopping now, and in an area where sometimes ya gots natural gas, and sometimes ya gots propane, I'm wondering just what the difference is (and if propane's our only choice, is it still better than electric).

[eleny]

20. Propane is a gas that's liquified

LPG = Liquid Propane Gas. It's like what they use for barbeques and for campers to heat and cook. If you pick up a bbq tank and move it around, you can feel it sloshing around inside. As it leaves the tank, it's gas but I don't know about that process - the why of it.

Here's a dfinition I found:
An alternative fuel; a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) which is stored under moderate pressure and with vapor heavier than air; produced as a by-product of natural gas and oil production. (APTA

Found it here http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&oi=defmore&q=define:Propane

[Stinky The Clown]

21. There is little functional difference ebwteen the two. The biggest issue

is that natural gas comes via pipeline and is pretty much uninterruptable. Propane needs an onsite storage tank, which needs to be filled from a truck. Also propane appliances will not work with natural gas and vice versa. Generally, converting an appliance to use one or the other is quite simple. Without a lot of technobable, the difference is the size of the holes in the burner (where you can see the flame on a gas range). Change that and the appliance will work perfectly.

I'm not sure about the cost issues. I suspect, but do not know, that natural gas is cheaper just because there's essentially no delivery cost.

[Shakespeare]

22. Thank you--that's what I've been wondering about.

So there's no difference in "cooking quality" between propane and natural gas?

I'm hoping we don't have to go with a propane tank (for convenience and aesthetics reasons), but I absolutely HATE our current electric stove where we're renting now. I miss my gas stove!!!

[Stinky The Clown]

23. "So there's no difference in "cooking quality" ?"

Nope, none that you'd notice. True enough, natural gas is slightly hotter burning, but as a practical matter, you'll never notice any difference whatsoever.

As to the aesthetic, yup, there's that. But, it seems to me that if you'd have propane, then so would others in the area and the tank would be less an issue.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. You'll never regret gas

There's a very good reason why most people prefer gas and why virtually all professionals prefer it. It is responsive. It is efficient, it is "pot friendly", meaning you can use any sort of pot on it, even a wok, unlike electric.

We have our gas cooktop on a peninsula, a situation not unlike an island. It is vented with a downdraft. While this "okay", truth be known, I'd rather have a hood over it.

[Longhorn]

6. Whenever it's time to replace our stove, we'll be going to gas.

We have an all-electric house (with solar-assisted water heater.) But when we added the pool and hot-tub, we got a propane tank for the heater. Then when each heating unit had to be replaced, we changed over to gas. Eventually, we'll switch to a gas stove and dryer but both appliances are still working well so it doesn't seem worth it.

I hate the time delay on cooking on an electric stove. If a pot is boiling over, you have to turn down the burner AND move the pot! :(

[Warpy]

8. If you're going to bother with a remodel at all

the best combination in the world is a gas cooktop and electric oven. Some manufacturers are making this a one piece combo; other people opt for a gas cooktop and an electric wall oven.

Given my druthers of an all gas versus an all electric range, though, I'll choose the gas every time. Heat is instant and once you shut the hob off, it cools down quickly and doesn't present a hazard like an electric unit does. It gets hot enough for Chinese cooking, unlike electric units. They're a bit easier to clean, too. Gas ovens have more hot and cold spots, so even baking of things like cakes can be problematic, forcing you to open the oven and turn the pans once during baking.

I'm not sure anyone makes a combination range with a downdraft vent, but it's worth checking into.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Thermador and Viking both make their downdrafts as separate units

and, in fact, their units will work with anyone's stove, cooktop, or range top.

This is like the Thermador unit we used to have ....

http://www.thermador.com/product.cfm?product_id=377

And here's the Viking unit that we have now:

http://www.vikingrange.com/welcome.html

[fortyfeetunder]

11. My heart is on a Thermador

On one of my class projects for kitchen design, I looked at the gas ranges available with downfraft. The Thermador was rated one of the best for reliability and performance. The plumbing should be easy since we have crawl space between the heater and furnace to the kitchen.

Thanks for the tip on the Viking...that might be an option too!!!

[eleny]

12. Shucks

Our gas line, and thus the stove, are on an interior wall. We have a slab with no crawl space. And my interior walls are cinderblock, too. Wild, huh? We live in a little fortress. So, I guess it's an overhead unit or nothing at all. I like the way the downdrafts go out of sight. I have a pot rack over my stove now and it would be nice to keep it.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. While we have a basement, our downdraft duct runs below the cabinets

in the toespace. The installers just had to cut some notches in the bottom edge of the cabinet sides to allow the duct to run to the outside wall. Once on the outside wall, it goes up a bit and then into the outdoor fan unit. Clearly this would work in a slab situation, too.

[eleny]

15. Even if the stove or cooktop has to be on an inside wall?

Maybe we can work it over horizontally down along the baseboard and then up the wall next to the stove or cooktop so it can go up into the attic and out the roof. It could be concealed in some sort of carpentry housing to match the kitchen walls. Cover it over with something decorative. I'm going to think about this some more. So long as the exhast can make a 90 degree turn to go up and out, I just might be able to consider this option. Wow, that would be great!

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Oh man ..... I was talkin' outta my .....

azz ..... :blush:

*My* situation is a peninsula, which means it has a concealed path from the range to the exterior wall.

*You* have an island.

The solution for a peninsula is quite different than that for an island.

Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

To quote the dear Roseanne Roseannadanna ..... "never mind"

[eleny]

17. Nope - no island here

Everything is along the walls. But still, the placement of a stove or oooktop in a counter would be along an inside wall. It presents the same problem getting exhaust to an outside wall. Getting it up the wall and into an attic vent might be possible. So, it's been good chatting about all this. It gets me thinking about possibilities. I'm going to look into this when we start the kitchen changes.

Love the Roseannadanna pic! I still miss her all out wild approach to humor.

[fortyfeetunder]

14. There are only a few downdraft ranges, I found out...

(Opening wallet).

Jenn-Air I might take a second look at because their earlier models had poor heat distribution with the centrally mounted fan...and that would probably hose up my kitchen design.

I've got a Dacor now, and I can't say I was impressed with the range. Though I did like the Dacor downdraft fan, that was very efficient, and we've had no problems with it...considering it's 20+ YO now.

[kaitykaity]

10. I love my gas stove.

I don't cook that much, but when I do, I love the
fact that the heat is there immediately.

[wildeyed]

18. gas gas gas gas

I love my gas range. When we moved, I told my hsuband that one of my *must haves* was a gas range. Of course the house we ended up with was a 1960's all electric. So we spent the $$$'s to have the gas line run in, then raised the cabinets over the stove to pass inspection. It was a lot of trouble, but worth it in the long run.

The Jenn-Aire down draft is not well rated. I looked into that model b/c my stove is on an inside wall, didn't have space for a rnage hood, etc. Either get the more expensive unit, or find a way to get a hood. Hoods do not have to vent outside, although it is nicer and more effiecient when they do. Mine just sucks the smoke into a filter or something. I set off the smoke alarm everytime I broil steak, but other than that, it is ok.

[DawgHouse]

24. There is a reason

that when things are going great, people say "now we're cookin' with gas!" If you can do it, go with gas because you won't regret it.

[fortyfeetunder]

25. Yes, I can relate, "cooking with gas"

I grew up and learned how to cook on a gas range. Move to Pacific NW, the home of once cheap electric power. Electric ranges every damn where. I have to kick myself for cooking electric for almost half my life!!! Now I am a homeowner and I will get that gas line in....yeah...

[Frogtutor]

26. I'm not surprised by all these gas fans, but I'm an exception...

For some reason, most people like gas for cooking. I'm an exception, though.

I really love my smooth top electric range! I used to have an electric with the drip pans and rings, and it was DEFINITELY a pain to clean, but the smooth top is a breeze.

I have also had a gas range, but honestly, I couldn't tell a difference in cooking between gas and electric. Admitedly though, I'm not what you would call a chef or gourmet. However, gas appliances have always scared me a little. I don't like the open flame, fumes, or the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks. For some reason (I'm not saying it's rational) those things freak me out a little!

Just my two cents!

[fortyfeetunder]

34. Smooth tops, not convinced..

They really look nice but I am not ready for that. Would I have to get nearly flat cookware to use on it?

[Frogtutor]

35. Hmmm, I just use regular cookware...

nothing special about it; my husband even occasionally uses his cast iron cookware on it. Like I said, I'm no cooking expert, but when it comes to cleaning, the smooth top range is a breeze.

[franmarz]

27. Question:: Gas stove or Electric???

After 45 years of cooking on a gas stove, we moved to Florida where there is only electricity- I could give up the nice weather and if I could--move back to Indiana, just for the gas stove. I absolutely hate this electric stove, but after a great many fiascos, I finally learned to adjust to it.
The question remains, its your choice.

[Gregorian]

28. Both. Gas doesn't go low enough.

I just got gas, and I'm disappointed that it won't go low enough. If it did, it would go out. I'd go for both. Of course, that limits the stove you can buy. And probably quite expensive. Gas is better at most, but the one limitation is those low low heats.

[wildeyed]

29. It might just depend on which gas range you buy.

Mine has a 'low simmer' burner. I almost never use it, but I guess it is good for delicate jobs.

[Warpy]

31. It's called a "flame tamer"

and it's 3 pieces of sheet metal with perforations and an air space between each sheet. My cheap Monkey Ward stove plus this item enable me to cook a lot of things that would require a double boiler without one.

I don't know how much the gadget costs now, but it's always been in most housewares sections of dime stores, hardware stores, discount houses, and large supermarkets and it's always been cheaper than dirt.

I do a lot of Chinese cooking, so I require the heat only a gas stove can deliver. A cheap gadget helps me to compensate for the "slow simmer" on an electric stove knob.

[Stinky The Clown]

32. Warpy, I've had one of those for years and years

Yup, very cheap. Very low tech. Couple of sheets of metal ... a few wires for hinges ... some drilled holes ..... gentle heat.

I haven't used it in ages because my last range and the one we just got both have simmer burners .... my current one will melt chocolate as nicely as ya please.

You could also put an inverted cast iron pan on the range over the lowest heat setting and place the pan you want to cook in on top of that. Does pretty much the same thing. The air space below the pan and above the flame is an insulator.

[Gregorian]

33. Argh! Thank you.

I forgot about that. So much to remember, so few brain cells left. Yeah, I've got one of those commercial ranges.

[wryter2000]

30. Gas

If you have a choice, you want gas. No contest!