Go BottomGas vs Electric range for cooking
 | Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 955 Central Iowa 
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2007-03-22 140640
I'm going to be buying a new range for the new (to me) house as the one left by the sellers is 9-10 years old and was so cheap it has no bottom drawer and the oven door isn't see through.
If I stay electric, I'm getting a smooth top due to the easier cleaning. But I don't like how electrics stay warm for so long. I have a 2 year old that I worry will touch the hot surface. Granted, get burned once and you learn. Been there and done that myself.
But I hear gas is great for cooking and allows you to turn down the heat on a pan quickly to avoid cooking over (spillage). I'd have to find someone to run gas to the range. Not impossible.
So what are people's preferences? Pros & Cons to both? I've not used gas before for cooking other than a grill so I am looking for feedback.
Thanks!
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 | kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina 
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2007-03-22 140644
Iowafun,
It has been years since I lived in a house with gas range. My wife is scared of gas so no gas in her kitchen. Ok with gas logs. oh well. She wanted the smooth top electric, it does help out on spills not running down in the range. You can wipe it up while still mostly liquid if fast enough. Those tops stay warm/hot for a while as the heating element heats the top to heat the pot. They also require or at leas you need a totally flat bottom pot to use on them. Even more so than on the older style electric range.
On a gas range I would suspect a child can reach into the fire on some of those so danger there. The way we handle it with our 3 year old grandson, when he is there it is back burners only. If more than that is needed then it means someone remains in kitchen anyhow. Pilot lights on gas range here is a problem most of the year due to the heat they put out. They do have electronic igniters.
If I had my rathers I would have gas top and electric ovens. The gas is quicker to adjust the heat.
Did I miss you have a house now? kt
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2007-03-22 140646
As someone who cooked semi-professionally for years, the gas / electric combo is the ultimate kitchen toy, errrr, tool!!
Gas for burners, electric for the oven, slow steady moist heat.
I would warn you against "smooth" cooktops though, unless you are SUPER careful they will get scratched, and then the one day you bump the scratch with a pot, KABLOOIE!!! Little bits of glass everywhere.
All in all, it's still tough to beat an electric unit for for all round "best of", cost, ease of use, cheap repair, etc.
Best of luck. ....
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 | yooperpete
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1413 Northern Michigan 
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2007-03-22 140649
We have a really cool GE smoothtop electric range that also can be used in a convection mode for baking. It was about $1,400.00 a few years ago. It has a light toward the front that stays illuminated if the stovetop is warm and shows which burner is warm. It was the only smoothtop that matched our corean countertops. It has a pulse type of heat and senses the size of the utensil. My wife loves it, I hate it. It takes a long time to cook since it is going on and off all of the time and as with any electric it spills over from heat retention even when you turn it down. Ours has a white colored top, most are grey. It discolors slightly even if something doesn't spill over. This however cleans up fast. One of the burners went bad and they had trouble replacing it to get calibrated correctly, it cost about $200.00 for replacement.
We have gas UpNorth at the condo. You get a slight wiff of gas as it ignites and if it spills over, it is more hassle cleaning up. It is instanteous "On", "Off" and whatever setting you put it on. That is what I like about it.
When we changed at home from gas to electric, we had to run a new line to the stove and had to upgrade our box since it was filled. That was a couple hundred more bucks.
My wife does the cooking, so it don't matter that much to me. It is all about user preference. ....
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| kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2007-03-22 140650
Adding to Murf on the broken smooth top, there is as least two different materials now used. The first ones would shatter and if one burner went bad, oh well replace the whole top. Very costly. Iwoa, if you or your wife wants the smooth top, buy it. Cost less on the first purchase than when you correct that mistake (mine). kt
Iowafun, don't over look your pots. Some pots tell you not to use higher heats. With those you may find little benefit to the quicker heating ability of gas. ....
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 | SG8NUC
Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 579 g 
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2007-03-22 140652
Iowafun,
I lived with a friend of mine for 8 months in 1993 when I was changing jobs before my wife and kids could come down. We had always had electric everything, He had a 40 year old gas stove and oven. There is nothing like cooking on gas.
When we got the new house we got an gas range top with electronic igniters. The burners slip out as a unit and go right in the Dish washer I can do it. This unit is 15 years old they now have new easy clean range tops. That is the next step we take. We kept the electric oven as a seperate unit. All wall mounted with the micro wave. For kids a trick I use with burners and ovens. When you cook in the oven and the door gets warm (if you leave your hand on it will get hot)I got my children to touch the door and they learned warm to hot with out any adverse action. From then on hot was hot dont touch.
Gas range top, electric oven thats my vote. We fill our tank up 140 lbs every 5 years wheather we need it or not.
The old saying "Now you are cooking with gas" has a whole new meaning. ....
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 | hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 3583 iowa
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2007-03-22 140657
During the ice storm power outage a month ago a gas range sure would have looked atractive. We've got a smooth top electric here and a gas at the river, both have their good and bad. I'm not a good enough cook to know the difference, but the Mrs. does really like the smooth top. Frank. ....
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 | kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2007-03-22 140658
We went with gas cooktop with electric ignitors and electric ovens. This was my first gas cooktop and we got it primarily so that we could cook during power outages, which happen frequently. Since then I've discovered I really prefer cooking with gas. Extremely fine and rapid heat control. I'd make the same choice again. To guard against gas leaks we have CO sensors on each floor and combustible gas sensors near all gas appliances. They sure are sensitive - if I come in the house smelling of gasoline the sensors will begin chirping. ....
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| Justus
Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 179 Justus, Pa. 
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2007-03-23 140678
Gas over electric anyday. Our only regret is our stove is black and, just like a black automobile, difficult to keep clean. ....
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| botamac
Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 71 MI
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2007-03-23 140684
I do the cooking and I like Gas you have more control of the flame. less burning :-( , Now my mother had a glass top for years and she loved it. ....
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 | bloggins
Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 104 Kingston, Ontario
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2007-03-24 140697
I've upgraded to a gas (propane) range and its fantastic. You have total heat control and the stove top can be used during power outages. My range has an electric top element in the oven so that even though gas does all of the heating, the electric top element will brown nicely. With gas if you have a boil over, just switch off the gas and it stops immediately without having to move the pot. ....
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| Iowafun
Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 955 Central Iowa
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2007-03-24 140706
Thanks for the input guys. I do 95% of the cooking so the range is pretty much for me. My wife is afraid of gas, but we've lived with gas furnaces and hot water heaters since we were married. So I don't really understand the issue.
A couple of years ago, we upgraded our pots & pans to a nice set of Analon. That made a big difference in cooking. That was on an older GE basic electric range. So I'd like to step up with this new range. I should measure the length of gas line and get a quote on what it will cost to have gas run to the range spot.
I hate cleaning the stove so I like the idea of better temp control w/ gas or the easier cleaning of the smoothtop.
KT - yeah, got a house finally. Long & painful saga. But only 1 acre. I'm waiting for spring to see if keeping teh 4310 makes sense. I really missed it this February when I suddenly had to clean a driveway coated in ice because it wasn't maintained since the house was empty until we bought it. That sucked. I may go get the tractor tomorrow if I can get the garage cleaned up enough to find space for it. ....
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| brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2007-06-01 142664
I have both, a smooth top at the cabin and gass at my house. I thought I would try and move on with the "jones"es", buy that electric smooth top (ok actually, it was cheaper and easier to put in at the cabin, but, it sounded good)
What I found was that after I HAD to buy pots and pans that were perfectly flat on the bottom made for the electric smooth tops, that , the electric was not soo great a deal after all.
I can not stand that I can not see the heat I am pouring on the cooking surfaces. I do 99% of my cooking and can honestly say that I dont think I would be as good at not making mistakes if I had to use electric all the time.
I do know a few folks that would beg to differ with me and feel they could not cook on the other one?
Good luck with your new house ....
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| daveinnh
Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 30 central NH
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2007-06-02 142675
We have a 5-burner gas Wolf cooktop and love the low-simmer feature. Also have a RangeMaster popup exhaust fan that works well.
Our oven is a gas Jenn-Air convection oven.
One of the Wolf burners had problems and was replaced under warranty after 3 months of use. ....
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| dkheckmanl
Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 134 Middleton, ID
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2007-06-03 142683
We have a smooth top (white) GE electric. I do most all of the cooking and I like it fine especially when it comes to clean up. So far no scratches or problems after 4 years.
I have heard a lot of people say they like gas better for cooking but we have never had gas available so have always had electric. ....
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