My gas oven died while baking a loaf of bread. I believe it's the ignitor that died, and while it could be repaired, the range/oven is 27+ years old and probably should be replaced. The question is, with what?
I've only used gas for cooking and baking except a few times on vacation. I'm not that familiar with the behavior of electric ovens, and I've never used an induction-type element for cooking. I appreciate the responsiveness of a gas burner for cooking and I suppose that response may be the same with an induction element. Another positive with a gas range is that the burners (but not the oven) can be used during a power outage.
Negatives associated with a gas range are poor indoor air quality (especially NOx), the use of fossil fuel, and possible gas leaks. Our electric supply is 60% fossil fuel, so that would be a small improvement.
Electric ranges are supposedly more efficient, with induction especially so. Radiant electric has slower response; induction response is similar to gas. However, all new cookware will be required for an induction range, an added expense. Also, there will be an expense for capping the gas line and possible electrical upgrade.
Have any TFL members made the switch from gas to electric?
Are there features that I should look for in an electric range?
Thanks!
That is, one with a gas cooktop and electric ovens. From our perspective, the best of both worlds. Ours is a KitchenAid, something very much like this. Since ours is now five years old, I'm not sure that it is the exact same model.
Paul
Thanks, Paul.
What do like about the electric oven vs a gas oven (assuming you have used both)?
Since a gas oven produces heat by burning fuel, it needs a continuous flow of both air and fuel while the burner operates to sustain combustion. That makes trapping steam in an gas oven more or less impossible. The only effective option is to bake the bread in an enclosed vessel, such as a cloche, to trap the steam around the bread while it is needed. Another factor is that gas ovens are primarily heated from the bottom, which can lead to uneven baking. And, finally, my experience is that gas ovens usually have larger temperature swings above and below the set point than do electric ovens.
Although electric ovens are vented, the vents aren't as crucial to effective oven operation as they are for a gas oven. Some bakers actually block the vents in an attempt to retain steam for the early part of the bake. That's an absolute no-no for a gas oven. Newer electric ovens can employ both bottom and top heating elements for more balanced baking. As mentioned above, electric ovens (especially when properly calibrated) typically have smaller temperature swings above and below the set temperature. The oven we have today surprised me by including a steam tray as part of the oven, so that I don't have to find shelf space for a steam pan.
Paul
Going from gas to electric was night and day for me. One of the most significant improvements made early in my baking game.
Like Paul I have a dual fuel cooker - gas hobs, electric oven.
Opting for a fully convection fan oven will give the best results IMO.
Thanks for the response. What made the electric oven superior to a gas oven? Was it the convection?
PS—I learned something else from your post. I thought the hob was the entire stove/range, but it's just the cooktop, correct?
The hob is the part that gets hot and heats a pan to cook food. Also called a "burner", even (sometimes) for an electric stovetop.
TomP
In all likelihood the improvements I noticed were probably due to the fan.
Compared to my previous gas oven (going back nearly 20 years) the heat is so much more penetrative in the electric fan oven.
Previously with gas I always had issues with even browning. Typically the top would get dark brown while the base would be pale.
Over here, "the hob" or "hobs" refer to the gas burners. It seems the word historically relates to cooking over an open flame. Put kettle on hob! (Imagine it said in a Yorkshire accent)
Thanks for the additional info. Gas convection ovens are now available, but it seems the preference here is for electric ovens.
I suppose you could call the control on a gas burner a hob knob?🤣
We currently have an electric oven, but it does not have an induction cooktop. I had a gas oven for ten years prior to this current electric one. I much prefer an electric oven, but really liked the gas burners. I use a single induction burner for most things since the electric cooktop (that isn't induction) is so terribly unresponsive. The induction based single burner is as good as or better than cooking with gas on a cooktop in my opinion. So if I were buying right now I'd pick an electric oven with an induction top.
Thank you for the response. What characteristics of the electric oven make it better than gas? Because I've never really baked with electric, I have no way to judge between the two.
If I decide on electric, I am leaning toward induction, although I don't relish having to buy a whole new cookware set.
As has been mentioned, gas ovens vent out all your steam. For me this is not a good feature. I converted (i.e. was forced into) to cooking breads in a combo cooker (one round and one long - for baguettes) because I couldn't produce the breads I wanted with a gas oven. Maybe if you are used to this, it's not a winning argument. I hated baking breads with gas, and probably cut back bread baking by 60-70% when I had a gas oven.
Yes, cookware is another consideration for induction. I already had a considerable amount of cast iron. I bought a two more carbon steel pans, and a couple sauce pans that worked with induction, and threw away my pans and pots with non-stick coating that needed to go anyway. It helped that we were moving and downsizing anyway, but feel that the 2 pots and 2 pans we bought will basically last me the remainder of my days as there is no finish to worry about wearing out.
The main benefit of an electric oven for baking is steaming. Gas ovens are usually very well vented, so while you can load a pan with lava rocks and hot water or use the Sylvia steaming towel method, all that steam will escape a gas oven within a minute or so. Electric ovens don't need vents, so most of them are far better at keeping in steam.
Induction is definitely quicker than gas, though some complain that using numbers to adjust the output is clunkier than a knob ( a few induction ranges come with knobs, most have a digital input ). The advantage of a gas cooktop is that not only can you adjust the output pretty easily by turning a knob, in most, you can see the flame, and that gives you positive feedback as to how you have set it.
Some electric ovens vent almost as much as gas ones. That includes my current electric oven and the one before that.
For many years I drove between New Mexico and Virginia twice a year, having homes in both places. In NM I had a gas oven. In VA, I had an electric one. I didn't notice much difference in the baking - despite the large difference in elevation between the two (6000 ft/1830m). I used the same steaming method for both.