Gas vs. Electric Stoves: Which is
really more efficient?
It's been a long-standing legend that "real"
cooks use gas-powered stoves. But before you go empty your appliance budget on
a new one, you might want to consider if an electric stove better suits your
needs.
It’s become almost an article of faith that gas
cooktops are better than electric, and that any “serious” cook should aspire to
owning one. This belief does not stand up to intelligent scrutiny, however. Gas
cooktops are fine, of course, but when comparing them to electric, you will see
that there’s no overall objective superiority. Let’s take a look at some of the
ways gas and electric can differ:
A. Response Speed
Gas stoves respond
immediately when you turn the heat up or down. Electric Stoves are much slower,
but can get a boost when you move your pan off the heating element. Even still,
gas beats it every time.
Winner: Gas
B. Simmering
High-end gas stoves
have improved in their simmering skills. But electric stoves give you slow,
even and worry-free simmering.
Winner: Electric
C. Escaping Heat
Gas burners produce
hot air that flows up and around your pan. That means the room (and your pan's
handles) can get very hot when cooking with gas. If you use a pan on an
electric stove that completely covers the heating element, almost all of the
heat will go into your meal.
Winner: Electric
D. Boiling Speed
In comparison tests,
gas stoves are slower than electric stoves to boil a large pot of water. It
might have something to do with all of that heat that escapes from gas cookers.
Winner: Electric
E. Choice of Pans
Electric stoves are
only heat efficient if you're using pans with reasonably flat bottoms (This is
especially true for flat-top stove models). Gas stoves, however, maintain their
heat transfer no matter how your pan is shaped.
Winner: Gas
F. Use with a Wok
Woks are the
quintessential "not flat" plan. So it's no surprise that woks don't
work so well on an electric stove top. Woks are designed for cooking over an
open flame. Plus, they're sure to wobble around on an electric stove. Sure, you
can cook your stir-fry in a flat-bottomed pan, but a round bottomed wok over a
gas burner would be best. Will this decide which stove you should buy? Only if
you're a "Stir-Fry Friday" kind of family.
Winner: Gas
G. Cleaning
With a gas stove,
you'll need to worry about food stuff getting into your burners. Coil electric
burners are easier (but not easy) to clean. But if ease-of-cleaning is a
deal-maker for you, you can't beat a flat-top electric stove.
Winner: Electric
Here's a handy list to
decide what works:
ELECTRIC
RANGES
Pros:
1. Less expensive to
buy and install. Simply plug into the wall and you’re ready to cook.
2. Easier to clean
burners and surfaces.
3. Smooth-top
electric ranges are more stable for pots and offer additional counter or
storage space when not in use.
4. Instantly turns on
and off every time with the twist of a knob versus gas ranges that may sputter
to catch a flame, emitting unburned and potentially hazardous gas. No igniter
or lighter necessary.
5. More functions,
such as additional fans and grillers, are available than their gas
counterparts.
6. More even heat
distribution when baking.
7. Dry heat for
optimal oven roasting conditions.
Cons:
1. You’ll miss out on
the s’mores!
2. Slower to cool
when a burner is turned down or off.
3. Subject to power
outages.
GAS
RANGES
Pros:
1. More even stove
top heat for cooking.
2. Easy to gauge and
precisely adjust the level of heat by altering the flame.
3. Natural gas is
inexpensive, abundantly available and clean burning.
4. Natural gas ranges
are less expensive to operate than electric ranges.
5. The heat from a
gas flame heats the sides, as well as the bottom, of pans, cooking food faster.
6. Able to change
temperature rapidly. You can immediately remove the heat when the flame is
turned off, so you can still leave food on the stove to rest without continuing
to cook.
7. Less ambient heat
to the rest of the kitchen.
Cons:
1. More expensive to
buy and install.
2. More dangerous.
Increased potential for gas leaks, the leading cause of residential fires. If a
gas line is damaged or a pot boils over and quenches the flame, a home can
quickly fill with toxic, flammable gas. Children or pets are also at greater
risk to be burned or catch fire with an open flame.
3. Diminished Baking
Results. Oven temps are hotter at the top so baking requires rotation and
placement farther from heat source. Gas gives off moisture when cooking,
creating a humid heat rather than the dry heat required for effective roasting.
The bottom line is that each type of stove has its
strengths and weaknesses, and it’s impossible to say that one is better than
the other in any overall sense. Choose the type that best suits you.
Great article.
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