Dual Fuel Ranges vs Smooth Top Electric

[LoneRanger]

Wife really wants a gas cook top. We have a Whirlpool smooth top electric range currently. I am kicking around getting a dual fuel range which means its a combo of gas cook top but electric convection oven. Do gas cook tops these days cook better than smooth top electric or have the gas burners been neutered due to EPA regs or anything?

 

[MrHorspwer]

Anybody who cooks... seriously cooks... prefers a gas burner under their pan. Much more granular control of heating.

My wife and I had this conversation very early in our marriage. My mom, a southern cook, won't have anything except gas. Her mom, who could burn water, was afraid of a gas range blowing up and always had electric. Nearly 20 years on, my wife hates cooking at her parents house because of the electric cooktop.

The wild card is induction. While I still prefer gas, nothing heats water faster than induction. Induction is king of pasta.

 

[walterjay]

Current gas cooktops do as well as they always have.

 

[skyactiv]

Research induction ranges. Restaurants are slowly switching to induction because it works, more and more chefs like it and I'm guessing the cost to insure restaurants that use gas will be absurd.
Induction shouldn't be confused with a smooth top as inductions heat control is better than gas and much, much better than electric that takes time to cool down.
How? You can boil water with induction, remove the pot off the burner and it wont give you a third degree burn like a gas or traditional electric range will.

 

[LotI]

Originally Posted by skyactiv
Research induction ranges. Restaurants are slowly switching to induction because it works, more and more chefs like it and I'm guessing the cost to insure restaurants that use gas will be absurd.
Induction shouldn't be confused with a smooth top as inductions heat control is better than gas and much, much better than electric that takes time to cool down.
How? You can boil water with induction, remove the pot off the burner and it wont give you a third degree burn like a gas or traditional electric range will.

I was going to recommend induction too. I have a dual-fuel range and induction is much easier to clean.

The only part that isn't true that you will burn your hand on the glass after boiling water. The difference is the the glass gets hot due to conduction and radiation from the pot above, not the burner below.

 

[Cujet]

Gas is wonderful for heat control, as mentioned above. I have a 6 burner Kitchenaid gas cooktop (nothing high end) and it's wonderful. Unlike my other home with a glass top range. Turn the heat down and still the temp stays way up, burning my food every single time.

 

[NO2]

Gas is superior for certain applications, like the high temperature cooking required by Asian food. Induction will only heat the bottom of the plan, but gas will heat the sides in a wok. If you get a range with sufficiently larger burners, you will get similar or faster heating of a large pot for pasta, but in general, induction will be faster because it is 90% efficient when the pot covers the entire coil, vs around 60% for gas.

Don't get the radiant cooktop type (glass over coil) , you won't get the efficiency and control of induction. It may require new cookware, however.

 

[double vanos]

I've got a glass cooktop and I love it. Can simmer all day without burning. Once you get the hang of it they're easy to get good results. Sorta like running a Chernobyl reactor - you have to stay a little ahead of the heat. In summer electric heats the house way less. I can put bacon in a skillet, set the burner to #3, go put together a load of laundry, come back and the bacon is on a low sizzle.
Gas has its allure too but when it comes time to clean up its electric all the way!

 

[AlaskaMike]

One of the things I don't like about the smooth top electric ranges is that they only work best with newer pots and pans that have a perfectly flat base. My good old cast iron pans and some pots I inherited from family don't work so great because they don't have a perfectly flat bottom. With gas or the older style electric coil elements, it's just not an issue.

For myself, I'll take a gas range every time.

 

[Rolla07]

Id likely go induction next. I have electric glass smooth top...scratches easily, and not ideal for cast iron or heavier pans. I use them, but its risky with the glass scratching etc. If I could be bothered to install a gas line, id likely go gas. Induction seems to be the best compromise

 

[mk378]

Induction does not work with all cookware. It needs to be magnetic metal, so pans that are glass or ceramic or solid aluminum will not work (many aluminum pots have an iron plate molded in the bottom to be induction compatible). And as mentioned, if you use a wok gas is about the only way.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Just had to buy a new gas range at the wifes ongoing insistance.

Me - Being a cheap Scot / Pol mix I - Bought a Samsung range for 600 bucks.

But that's not it - It was going into a slide in range slot and i got a freestanding unit.

It's priced almost double to buy a stupid slide in range WITHOUT control panel at the back.

No way Joe!

I was going to get a dual fuel - the best of both worlds but it was way to costly.

I'd rather see my 401K wither away by the 10's of thousands the past month due to trade war jitters

Main thing to note is many ranges will not allow flow of gas to match-light the cook top if there is no power. And you can't match light the oven.
There is your federal " safety" crutch

Deal breaker for me - even though I have a generator. Though You or I COULD run an inverter from the Truck to power the stove electronics and a coupe lights for a short term outage.

Smooth top electric are terrible for cooking IMO, and Gas are a pain to clean

______________________________________

For the price of a dual fuel - I would investigate a separate Gas cooktop and a built-in dual electric Wall oven

Cant beat that combo!

 

[Alfred_B]

I would go gas for both.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The Oven or broiler Ignitor is likely the most failure prone component in the oven

Calrod broiling is much better than gas broiling due to IR radiation .

Gas is also a "wet" heat due to significant water formation in the fuel "burining" reaction.

Not good for herb or malted -seed drying.