Cooking with Electric vs Gas...how much energy used (furnace, water heater, insulated)

[selhars]

I'm recently back to cooking after more than 10 years of just eating out...so I'm a little rusty on some things. I grew up using gas (and prefer it), but for more than 20 years no have had an electric stove.

My question is....for energy usage of an electric range...which matters more how LONG the stove is on -- or high HIGH the temperature is?

Since I've gotten back to cooking, I've been steeping my own tea, oven roasting veggies and pay frying fish....basic stuff....
And I've been in no hurry, so I'm doing all that on very low temps -- 350 for the oven and a dial setting of 2-3 for stove tip boiling and sautéing.

Is that using more energy because the burners and oven are on longer -- the same or less energy -- than if I turn the heat up higher -- and turn the stove off sooner.

-- boil the water high and hot in less time....roast the veggies at 450 in 15 mins instead of 1/2 at 350, etc.

So I guess the question is which will keep my electric bill lower (use less energy) -- low temps and the burner on longer -- or faster cooking/higher temps and the stove on for a shorter period of time??

Thanks

(Of course cooking slower, longer means I can walk away for longer -- and hotter faster means I have to stay close watch it more, but that's life)

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by selhars

I grew up using gas (and prefer it), but ...

...but unless you're doing a LOT of baking there's no good reason to not stick with gas.
Same is true for water heater and furnace and clothes dryer.

But if you really do a lot baking it's still worth sticking with gas for the cooktop
and having a separate electric (wall?) oven.

[harry chickpea]

The measurement is kilowatt hours.

That crudely reduces to the number of watts times the amount of time.
There is also a general lack of insulation on stuff that is cooking.

Certain foods need more energy input to break down the bonds, and foods cook differently in general. The time required for a chuck roast to be cooked as a roast might be relatively short - 20 min per pound. The time for it to sit in stew to the point the tough fascia is broken down into something edible is a minimum of 90 minutes.

The most efficient type of cooking is a straw bale cooker, where the food is heated to a boiling state and then removed from the heat and placed in a highly insulated box to finish cooking.

It takes the same energy to get water to boil from a set temperature (assuming perfect insulation) whether is is done slowly or quickly.

Generally, if you are cooking in times of less than an hour, any changes in power cost are going to be insignificant compared to the cost of the food itself.

Energy use is more or less the same, gas or electric. Electric can be more efficient, but gas less expensive.

[hotzcatz]

The cost of energy varies by region, however. Check to see what the rates are in your area for each before deciding. In our area, most folks want to heat things with propane (no natural gas available in our area) because the electric costs run about forty some odd cents per kilowatt hour. I don't think we are a normal area, though.

If you want to reduce your electric bill, is it possible to get smaller appliances such as an electric kettle or a small counter top broiler instead of a large oven?

[davebarnes]

Your don't care about "energy", you care about cost to perform a function.
Lots of analysis will be required.

[selhars]

So I take it cooking faster, uses less energy (electricity), because the stove and burners are on for less time.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by selhars

So I take it cooking faster, uses less energy (electricity), because the stove and burners are on for less time.

Having the burners are on for less time means fewer KW of electricity or CF of gas are passing through.
Maybe regulating run time will get your dinner cooked... maybe it won't.
But where it's available... natural gas will cost less per BTU of output to use vs electricity. That's all.

[selhars]

Having the burners are on for less time means fewer KW of electricity

Thanks. I think I'll start cooking faster then.
For example when I cook bacon, I can pan fry it on low for a longer time (while I'm doing something else), or sear it quick.
Or boiling water I can turn the pan on low, or turn the burner up high from the beginning.
I've been roasting veggies on 350. But I can roast them on 450, for a shorter time -- and get the job done faster.....

.....and use less energy (electricity)

As for the boiling water I can also just do that in the microwave, which I've read uses less electricity. So I'll definitely start doing that.

[LIcenter]

I've been roasting veggies on 350. But I can roast them on 450, for a shorter time -- and get the job done faster...

Not really. It all depends on internal temps when cooking food. By your way of thinking, you could put a 5 lb chicken in the oven set at 500°, and it will be done in no time. Yeah, it will be done on the outside, but I'm sure you won't be pleased on how it looks on the inside. You'll wind up tossing more costly food out while trying to save a few pennies in cook time.

[turf3]

1) For an electric stove (at least most of them), the burners or heating elements cycle between on and off to achieve the intermediate settings. So, basically, you would have to measure the duty cycle at different temperatures and calculate the total average power draw at different temperatures, multiplied by the total cooking time.

2) Unfortunately, attempts to shorten cooking time by raising the temperature rarely work out well from the standpoint of making tasty properly cooked food.

3) Unless you are running a commercial bakery, the energy use of your cooking will be such a small fraction of your total energy use that you should ignore it. HVAC, lighting, and heating water will be far bigger usages; and there are well-documented things you can do that can significantly reduce usage in all three of those categories.