Why is gas range preferred?

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by BugsyPal

There is a saying in the old country common among housewives; face to the fire and hands in hot water was their lot.


Depending upon the burner output can see how someone could claim a gas range "burned" their face.


Domestic ranges/burners aren't as powerful say as some vintage models and certainly less so than commercial, but if you have enough pots/pans going it can get "face burning" level.


It is like people who ran out and insisted they *needed* a commercial range installed in their home because they "like to cook" and wanted "professional quality". Fair enough but many totally ignored the warnings about just how "hot" things get using a commercial range. Even with upgraded fans/range hood those burners throw off lots of heat. It is small wonder that on average many sat barely to little used. They certainly often were not put through the use that couldn't have been handled by a domestic range.

I have gotten a grill burn from a 6 hour breakfast shift in front of a 6' grill. I never touched the metal, but that is a lot of radiant heat.

Speaking of "old country," when I was a kid I knew a woman named Cassie Sechrist, who born in the 19th century a child of a pioneer family. She eventually became fairly wealthy, and built a lovely Queen Anne style house without a single fireplace. When she was a child, she cooked in the fireplace, heated laundry water in the fireplace, and hated them so much she wouldn't have one in her house.

[BugsyPal]

After years of being largely scorned, electric ranges/burners are gaining traction here in NYC. Much new construction of multifamily units (condos, rentals, co-ops) are going with induction cook tops with perhaps electric ovens.


Of course there is a method to the madness. Especially for rental units going with electric for cooking transfers costs to tenants vs. landlord having to pay for gas.


Here all multifamily housing is already metered for electric. Gas often is another matter is historically most residents/tenants only had it for cooking (oven and burners) which was included in rent or monthly charges from building.


On another note much new multifamily housing are installing PATC heating/cooling units. This removes the cost of heating (again typically in NYC gas or oil) from the building and places the responsibility with tenant/resident. You have people who aren't even home much of the day getting electric bills at or >$400 per month.

[Nlambert]

My wife and I purchased our new home this year and it had a gas cooktop in it. We have always cooked on electric. Now that we have gas, I don't know that we would ever switch back. It comes up to temp much more quickly, water boils more quickly, it's easier to control, and if the power goes out it can be used as a heat source and a cooking source without electricity.


We have one 100 lb tank and have been using it since June and it's still going. Considering we've cooked at least once 6 days a week (2-3 times on weekends) and still have about 1/4 of a tank left is pretty impressive. Much more cost effective than the electric model. But to each his own.