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> where I live there is a campaign to get rid of gas stoves. I'd be very interested to hear from the serious home cooks on this issue, as well as the perspecti

> where I live there is a campaign to get rid of gas stoves. I'd be very interested to hear from the serious home cooks on this issue, as well as the perspective of professional chefs. While I consider myself an advanced home cook, I've come to the conclusion that I'm not limited by going electric only - it's the heat, not the flame that matters for most of what I do. For those cases where I really do need flame (roasting peppers or something maybe?), I can always go outside to my grill. Again, would be very interested in other perspectives on this.

allset_ 4y ago
> I can always go outside to my grill. That's a privilege a lot of people in cities don't have. I would love to have a gas cook top, but my building is electric only. Edit: I'm also in the "advanced home cook" category, not a pro.
spfzero 4y ago
I've cooked on both, many years on each and I'm an every-day kind of cook. In my experience, gas is better. Heats up faster, reacts much faster to control input, and by looking at the flame under the pan I can adjust exactly, and quickly. I have not cooked on induction though, which might be a big improvement over the electric ranges I've used. Another thing about gas ranges that is purely mechanical, is that I can slide pans around to get them off the burner when I need things to cool down fast and I don't want to turn the flame completely off. I have come to really rely on this. The electric ranges I've used have a glass top and it will get scratched up if you slide the pan around.
mgaunard 4y ago
The main advantage of gas is that it heats up the pan from the sides as well, not just the bottom. Some might consider it inefficient and a waste of energy, but it makes seasoning pans much easier.
SECProto 4y ago
I've cooked on most types of stove: gas (butane, propane, natural gas), electric (coil stove, solid disc resistor, glass top halogen, glass top induction), a few older styles (cast iron wood stove, kerosene camp stove, straight up campfire). I consider myself a pretty proficient home cook. My thoughts on the stove types: - Gas is overrated. The excess heat it generates indoors is not worth whatever benefits it has. The heat on the sides of pans can sometimes be helpful, but perhaps more often is a hindrance - have to make sure to scrape the sides of pots thoroughly and regularly when making a cream sauce, for example. I don't find gas to boil water faster than an electric cooktop. I usually use an electric kettle for 2/3 of the water with coil and gas stoves, but I don't have to bother with induction. Small portable gas burners (as made by eg Iwatani) are quite handy to have around for those times you really want the advantages of Gas (a bbq or grill would serve same purpose). - Induction is great, except for wok cooking. Specialized induction wok burners do exist, but are still pretty specialized pieces of equipment. 120v induction hotplates are not so good (but not as bad as coil ones). One thing I don't like about induction is they tend to have some electronic whine when operating - presumably as they switch on and off to regulate heat output. I dislike how complicated the electronics are - when something goes wrong, they're so expensive to repair that it's barely worthwhile. - Coil stoves are decent, as long as they have a 220V supply - 120v coils, eg hot plates, are awful. I appreciate their ruggedness and simplicity - it's basically a wire from the wall, through a potentiometer, to a big resistor. - Solid disc resistance stoves are awful - Cooking on a wood stove is not practical usually, but it can give a nice home-y feel, especially if you're simmering some Apple Cider or Mulled Wine.

allset_ 4y ago

> I can always go outside to my grill. That's a privilege a lot of people in cities don't have. I would love to have a gas cook top, but my building is electric only. Edit: I'm also in the "advanced home cook" category, not a pro.

spfzero 4y ago

I've cooked on both, many years on each and I'm an every-day kind of cook. In my experience, gas is better. Heats up faster, reacts much faster to control input, and by looking at the flame under the pan I can adjust exactly, and quickly. I have not cooked on induction though, which might be a big improvement over the electric ranges I've used. Another thing about gas ranges that is purely mechanical, is that I can slide pans around to get them off the burner when I need things to cool down fast and I don't want to turn the flame completely off. I have come to really rely on this. The electric ranges I've used have a glass top and it will get scratched up if you slide the pan around.

mgaunard 4y ago

The main advantage of gas is that it heats up the pan from the sides as well, not just the bottom. Some might consider it inefficient and a waste of energy, but it makes seasoning pans much easier.

SECProto 4y ago

I've cooked on most types of stove: gas (butane, propane, natural gas), electric (coil stove, solid disc resistor, glass top halogen, glass top induction), a few older styles (cast iron wood stove, kerosene camp stove, straight up campfire). I consider myself a pretty proficient home cook. My thoughts on the stove types: - Gas is overrated. The excess heat it generates indoors is not worth whatever benefits it has. The heat on the sides of pans can sometimes be helpful, but perhaps more often is a hindrance - have to make sure to scrape the sides of pots thoroughly and regularly when making a cream sauce, for example. I don't find gas to boil water faster than an electric cooktop. I usually use an electric kettle for 2/3 of the water with coil and gas stoves, but I don't have to bother with induction. Small portable gas burners (as made by eg Iwatani) are quite handy to have around for those times you really want the advantages of Gas (a bbq or grill would serve same purpose). - Induction is great, except for wok cooking. Specialized induction wok burners do exist, but are still pretty specialized pieces of equipment. 120v induction hotplates are not so good (but not as bad as coil ones). One thing I don't like about induction is they tend to have some electronic whine when operating - presumably as they switch on and off to regulate heat output. I dislike how complicated the electronics are - when something goes wrong, they're so expensive to repair that it's barely worthwhile. - Coil stoves are decent, as long as they have a 220V supply - 120v coils, eg hot plates, are awful. I appreciate their ruggedness and simplicity - it's basically a wire from the wall, through a potentiometer, to a big resistor. - Solid disc resistance stoves are awful - Cooking on a wood stove is not practical usually, but it can give a nice home-y feel, especially if you're simmering some Apple Cider or Mulled Wine.