Switching to gas
We've had an electric stove in this house since we moved in. It's rather odd, since the house is heated by natural gas, but the stove was definitely original equipment for the house when we moved in (the house was built in the late 1980s).
Anyway, thanks to the charity of my mother and her neighbor, we're switching to gas next week. Her neighbor across the street is upgrading her appliances, which were installed by the previous owners shortly before they sold her the place -- so they're about four years old or so. And a neighbor who's a plumber by trade is willing to do the gas line install, which will save a bundle too.
It'll be great to have gas again. Prior to this house, the last two places we lived in had gas stoves, and it makes such a difference -- instant heat that is, in my experience, easier to control than electric. As I do all the cooking, this is a big deal for me, though no one else in the house has taken more than a passing interest in what I've told them.
Anyway, it looks like I'll get a Christmas/birthday present a bit early this year, which is just fine.
Comments
Being a Mac person, I prefer gas stoves to electric:
1) instant visual and tactile (temperature) feedback when you activate a burner - saves energy if you activate the wrong one because you know, and adjust accordingly.
2) You can also tell if you've left something on after cooking, unlike with electric.
Of course, I have electric. So it means I have to rethink everything every time I cook. It's like typing DOS commands and worrying that a syntax error will start a fire.
Posted by: Jason Whong | November 28, 2005 11:24 AM
What are your thoughts on the dual-fuel models on the market? I've heard that gas stoves are IT, while gas ovens are NOT. Something about the by products of cooking with the gas (produces water vapor) which inhibits crispness and browning.
Posted by: Mike Conwell | November 28, 2005 08:25 PM
I haven't experienced any problems cooking with gas ovens. They certainly don't inhibit crispness and browning in the same way that, say, microwaves do.
Posted by: flargh | November 28, 2005 09:01 PM