Electric or Gas Stovetop Range?

When it comes cooking, the tools you use to prepare your food is almost as important as the quality of the food you’re preparing. With the right tools, a skilled chef can make a gourmet meal that will have your taste buds signing, however the wrong tools can make it borderline impossible to get the results you’re looking for. When it comes to picking the “right” tools, perhaps no debate has raged harder than that over whether a gas or electric stovetop is preferable. While many people contend that gas is the only way to go when cooking thanks to its even, predictable heating, there are plenty of other people who contend that an electric range has its own benefits that make it far superior for the average home. Which one should you choose? This blog will hopefully help you make an educated decision.

Gas Ranges

Cooking aficionados will tell you that gas is the only way to go. The stovetop heat is more even and predictable, easier to control, and provides for an easier and less stressful cooking experience. Gas also burns clean, and is relatively inexpensive, which means those recipes that call for a long simmering don’t cost nearly as much as an electric range.

However, they’re substantially more dangerous. When you think about it, cooking on a gas range is cooking over a literal open flame, which means there’s always the risk of fire, especially if a small bit of oil were to slip out of a pan and onto the flame itself (which is far more possible than you might think). These units are also far more expensive than an electric range, and even more risky when it comes to connecting them: you need to run a gas line to them, which means you need a hose, and that hose could be prone to leaks if not properly cared for.

Electric Ranges

An electric range is a less-expensive alternative to a gas range, and is also far simpler. While a gas stove requires both an electrical hookup and a gas line running to it, an electric stove simply requires you to plug it in and away you go. These appliances are generally far easier to clean than a gas range, and even provide some features that you won’t find in a gas-powered unit, such as a fan or even an electric grill.

However, that being said they do also have their disadvantages. We’ve mentioned their shortcomings when it comes to cooking performance, but they also take far longer to cool down when you’re done cooking. Don’t leave a pot on a hot burner, it’ll continue to stay that way for quite a while. Furthermore, if the power were to ever go out for a long period of time, your gas range would still work, provided you have a small cigarette lighter to ignite it. Not so with an electric range: without power, you’re stranded.