Electric vs. Gas Oven

[Miscue]

Was curious if anyone knew why you'd want to have an electric oven over gas...

[-Carnifex-]

Extreme fear of blowing youself up? I have no idea... The digital clock, and auto cooking features? =|

[hitech]

1. You don't have gas service (I've lived somewhere without gas service).

2. Increased risk of fire due to open flame.

3. Risk of gas leak.

4. Maintenance issues with pilot lights or igniters. Also contributes to gas leak issues.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[wyn1370]

more efficient??? (I really have no idea, I'm just guessing)

[SlartyBartFast]

If you have gas service, or you want to install a tank on your house, a gas range is far superior to an electric range. You get instantaneous heat and better heat control.

However when it comes to ovens, electric seems to be far superior. Or at least it used to be. Electric ovens have far better heat control.

Now if you want the BEST, you want a convection oven. A convection oven/microwave combo is really good.

[cphilip]

Pro's to Gas

More efficent with an instant level of heat an easy to control reacts quick to adjustments.
Dryer heat makes oven roasting better.
Cheaper if you have natural gas (or... was... see cons)

Cons to Gas

Not going to be as cheap. Natural Gas predicted to double this summer and reserves lowest in years
If you had to use bottled its still much more expensive per thermal unit than Natural Gas is now.


Pro's to Electric.

newer units can heat up almost as fast now if you have one.
Ceramic tops with these newer high heat units are way easier to clean around.
Electricity in some areas is cheap. In the SE it is anyway.
Convection features can make thing roast better and quicker.

Cons

Older units slow to heat up
Doesn't roast as well as heat not as dry
can respond slowly to adjustments

[graycie]

I have an older electric oven and find it to be less heat consistent than a gas oven, but I heard the new electric ovens are just as consistent now.

[Big'n slo]

Can't powdercoat in a gas oven

Powder+Fire=

[AssassN]

Considering I have electric in one house and gas in the other I'd have to say I like gas stoves and electric ovens. Elec ovens are alot easier to controll and gas stoves are alot easier to cook on. You can see the flame so you know how hot it is a little better.

[SpydermanN9]

i agree assassN im the same way but if i had to pick just one i would go with the gas cause u use the stove more and the oven isnt that much harder to work w/ thats my opinion especially if u already have gas at ur house

[Miscue]

Thanks for the input. Reason I asked is... the house I'm moving into has a gas stove, but electric oven because the people who originally reserved the house picked all the options. It's not completely built yet, and I was trying to see if it would be worthwhile to attempt getting the builders to put in another gas line.

[-J�ker-]

pilot lights scare me, can we say fire hazards?

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by cphilip
Pro's to Gas

Dryer heat makes oven roasting better.

Cons [to electric]

Doesn't roast as well as heat not as dry

Really? How is the heat drier in a gas oven?
Logic says that an electric oven should be drier. As electric elements heat the air in the oven and the relative humidity will decrease. Gas on the other hand creates moisture as it burns.

I would have also thought that dry heat would be a bad thing for cooking. You want your roasts to be as moist as possible...

[jdev]

im all about the gas ovens.

for all the pros that phil already listed, but for ONE main pro.

if the electricity goes out, you can still cook on a gas oven.

for someone like me in the NE, storms, northeasters, snowstorms.. it would work out for me.

now for miscue, im not sure on the weather conditions out in your area of nevada.. hell, power outages with you may be few and far between. where i live, i say in a year, power goes out at least 6 times in a year.. (storms, car accidents, etc.. none of which result in me not paying my electric bill ) which may not seem like a lot.. but it is when you are in the middle of cooking up your mac and cheese on the electric stove in your apartment.

[cphilip]

Originally posted by SlartyBartFast


Really? How is the heat drier in a gas oven?
Logic says that an electric oven should be drier. As electric elements heat the air in the oven and the relative humidity will decrease. Gas on the other hand creates moisture as it burns.

I would have also thought that dry heat would be a bad thing for cooking. You want your roasts to be as moist as possible...

No logic doesn't say that...you did.

Logic tells you something that is Burning is going to drive off moisture faster than something that is radiating heat. natual convection of vapors is enhanced. And your conclusion that would be bad is overlooking what realy happens. Dry heat surrounding the meat causes the outer layer to seal over faster. Drying = sealing. Moisture = soggy and permeable. And this Drying then entraps the moisture INSIDE the meat better and much earlier in the cooking process. And makes the outer layer crispier at the same time.

And having roasted in both I can tell you that Gas does do that. But as I mentioned if you use a convection Electric you can come very close to simulating this condition. And how does a convection oven work you ask? It forces the air over the Meat and blows it out removing steam from around the outer layer of the meat (Moisture) in the process and moving it away from the surface of the meat faster. Causing this "Sealing" in if you will. And it is moisture in the close proximity of the skin or outer layer that keeps something from crisping up and allows more inner juices to escape for a longer period of time.

Often when using a Electric Oven to overcome this (if you do not have a Convection one) you would start the meat at a very high temperature for the first 20 minutes or so and then turn it down to its roasting temp. But this is done to drive more moisture away from the outer surface and achieve this sealing. It's a compensation so to speak.

Also anyone that has ever heated with Gas will confirm the tendancy to have lower humidity in the house than with Electric.