So which do you prefer? Gas or Electric?

[Beachguyj]

And it sorta presumes our mothers cooked, and/or that we enjoyed eating at home.

And it presumes that you liked your mother, if you didn't you probably like the opposite.

 

[Kulindahr]

<nods> I don't know if this would interest you, but it might be worth looking into to buy a new one, if you're planning to stay there a while.

Good used electric ranges can be gotten for real cheap (less than $100). You could always take it with you when you move. Electric ranges, for some reason, are cheaper in the first place than gas ranges, at least in the States.

Self-cleaning ovens work by heating the oven to 700degrees, which literally turns all the gunk inside to ash. It takes several hours, but like I said all you have to do when it's over is wipe the ashes out. It's a very small amount of ash, so you can wipe them out in a few seconds.

Unless you have the user's manual, I wouldn't recommend using the self-cleaning feature, though.

You might be able to find the user's manual online. (You'd be surprised how often this is possible.)

Depending on local laws, he may be able to get his landlord to pay for a new one. In Oregon, if a stove can be deemed unsafe, the landlord has to replace it. "Unsafe" includes a malfunctioning self-cleaning feature. If the elements on top are meant to be replaceable and they won't come out, that can be considered unsafe. An oven door that doesn't close tight can be considered unsafe.

It's worth looking into.

My mom's new oven has a button for self-cleaning. It locks the door, so when the door will open again you know it's done -- which means cooled, too, completely to room temperature -- and if you have a vacuum with a gentle brush attachment, the ash can be swept out.

 

[CowboyBob]

I used to have a gas stove when I lived in the other house but now have an electric. It doesn't matter to me....just as I have something to cook with.

 

[Paws]

If you've never used gas stoves you can imagine they are dangerous, but they aren't much more dangerous than an electric one.

No reasonable argument will ever make me use gas stoves.

For me, gas always goes with a newspaper story about an exploded building.

 

[Beachguyj]

Electrical fires can happen too.

I would think a fire happens more with electrical. With a flame you know not to touch it. One time I had my elective burner on low and tried to wipe something from the edge and the kitchen towel almost caught on fire.

Another thing I hate about the electrical ones with the coils is that sometimes they are lopsided and if you melt some butter it will all settle to one side.

 

[Kulindahr]

Another thing I hate about the electrical ones with the coils is that sometimes they are lopsided and if you melt some butter it will all settle to one side.

When my mom got a new stove recently, I was amazed: the units with the burners are self-contained; they pop out fairly easily. Underneath are screws that can be turned to level the coil!

It does away with one reason I hate electrics.

 

[Joshua_me]

Do they not heat well? They must be a breeze to clean.

Oh, the glass tops heat just fine, it's the slow cooling down that's the problem.

You can bring a pot of water to a boil, turn the burner OFF and four minutes later the water is still boiling away.

So, trying to make a delicate sauce or gravy or even just cooking a pot of rice becomes a pain. I've found it easier to turn on two burners at once, leaving one on high and one on medium low. That way, you can slide the pan from one to the other to get the "up and down" heat that you need. So, if you're cooking a big dinner and need more than two burners you are kinda screwed.

And cleaning them isn't as easy as you might think. If something boils over, God help you. You can't use anything abrasive to scrub the stains away, so you have to buy this bottle of special cleaner just to get the shine back to normal.

As I said, NEVER AGAIN.

<end rant>

 

[mbamike]

I have only cooked on electric, so I have no comparison. I have had gas heat and a gas water heater. Loved them both.

 

[FlaMan]

I have had both and prefer gas...I can control the heat faster than electric can..Since I use cast iron cookware the flames also help keep my cookware "burnt off..I also use gas heat..gas poool heater..gas dryer..gas water heater..gas fridge..I have abird by my front door so when I walk in if the bird is dead I start sniffing the air for a gas leak...