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In the recent past, the owners of apartments did not face the question of which stove for the house is better – gas or electric. The choice was based on connection options, as some multi-story buildings were connected to gas, while others could only be equipped with an electric stove. But modern technical capabilities give freedom of choice to the user because many people build their own private houses, so already at the design stage, the owners have to choose what is better to install: gas or electric stove. Before choosing your unique option, it is worth understanding the features of each model.
Selection Principles
When determining the type of stove for your home, you should not be based only on personal preferences; it is important to consider a huge number of criteria. The most significant are:
- Safety
- Cooking speed
- Functionality
- Price
- Oven options
- Outward attraction.
It is worth noting that there is no specific answer regarding the appearance of which of the stoves, electric or gas, will be more attractive. The manufacturer today is trying to consider all the wishes of the user. Therefore, both models are represented by a wide range, among which it is not difficult to choose the option to taste. Also, some people buy what is cheaper and will not pay too much attention to the appearance or functionality. And for others, it is more important to buy a device that will be more economical to use.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Gas Stoves
Gas stoves appeared in the kitchen long ago, much earlier than electric ones. They use an open fire for cooking, which feeds natural gas (methane). The burners allow for fast and even heating of the dishes; if necessary, the cooking time can be accelerated or slowed down by adjusting the power of the burners. The advantage of gas appliances is the speed of cooking, ease of operation, affordable price, and the absence of special requirements for dishes.
But there are gas stoves and cons. Although it is much easier to regulate the heating temperature of the burners than in electric stoves, the oven cannot boast of such an advantage. If an electric appliance allows you to set the temperature to the nearest degree, problems may arise with a gas oven. The temperature in it is regulated only approximately.
Because not pure gas is used for cooking, but with special additives, products that are not particularly useful for human health are released during their combustion. They settle on burners, dishes, and kitchen walls in the form of a specific greasy coating that is difficult to wash off. Therefore, when using gas, good ventilation is required.
Control
The gas stove control panel is usually equipped with mechanical controls. Electronic and especially touch control is extremely rare, and only in models that have appeared in recent years. It is because it is much easier to regulate the power of the flame mechanically than electronically. If the regulators were located only in front earlier, the panel is often placed on the side. At first, it seems a little unusual, but after a short time of use, one can appreciate the advantages of such an arrangement. The most important thing is that the handles placed on the side are harder to reach for a small child, which means there is less chance that he accidentally turns on the device.
It will be complicated to find a touch-controlled gas stove for sale. Only one or two manufacturers have ventured into such an experiment. And since implementing the idea of electronic control of a gas burner is quite expensive, the cost of such a model will be very high.
Safety
No one will argue with the fact that gas appliances are more dangerous than electric ones. A gas leak from an accidentally extinguished burner flame can lead to severe consequences. When cooking over an open fire, it is easy to get burned.
When buying, it is better to opt for a model equipped with a gas control system based on the operation of sensors that respond to fire extinction. If the flame was flooded, draughty, or disappeared for any other reason, the sensor immediately shut off the fuel supply. This function should be implemented for both burners and the oven.
The safety of a gas stove is essential for families with children. Some models have a child lock function that will prevent the baby from turning on the device without the parents’ knowledge. Sometimes, We can temporarily remove devices with removable magnetic handles from the panel. Special protective caps for regulators and unique fences (“gates”) will not allow the child to reach the fire.
Care
Cleaning a gas stove is not a pleasant task. It is difficult to wash off the sticky coating formed by combustion products and soot. It takes a lot of time to clean grates. To remove dirt from them, you can use brushes, steel wool, and powders and soak them in hot water with detergent.
Many inconveniences are delivered by protruding burners and regulators on the control panel, under which a lot of dirt accumulates. They often have to be removed for cleaning. Well, if you managed to get a model with handles recessed into the surface. It’s much more convenient to wash.
Another unpleasant task is cleaning the oven. Electric models are often equipped with self-cleaning functions (hydrolytic, pyrolytic, or catalytic) to make them easier to care for. Of all these advances, only catalytic cleaning is available for the gas oven. A particular substance, a catalyst, is added to the composition of the enamel, which is applied to the walls of the inner chamber. It breaks down fat that accumulates on the surface into water and organic matter during cooking. After the end of the cooking process, it is enough to wipe off the remaining dirt with a wet cloth. But if you are not a happy model owner with a catalysis function, cleaning will have to be done manually.
Functional
The functionality of gas stoves is much inferior to electric ones. There are no automatic programs for the oven, boiling sensors, and other utilities. Among the necessary additional functions, it is worth highlighting gas control and safety interlock, which have already been mentioned above, and electric ignition. It allows you to forget the inconvenience and danger of getting burned while turning on the burner. Sometimes a clock may be mounted on the control panel.
Ovens can be equipped with a timer that gives an audible signal after a set time, telescopic guides for baking sheets, a gas grill, and a convection function. The latter is still relatively rare.
Gas consumption
The consumption of a gas stove is perhaps the most critical issue when buying it. Given the current tariffs and their constant increase, many are beginning to wonder: why not abandon gas in favor of electricity? So, what is a stove’s average gas consumption per hour and month?
The burners of the hob have different power. It is from this indicator that it directly depends on how much fuel each of them consumes. GOST defines power indicators as follows:
- Reduced – 0.6 KW
- Average – 1.7 KW
- Increased – 2.6 KW
Thus, the power of a standard stove with four burners is approximately 7 kW. 10 kW equals approximately one cubic meter of fuel. It turns out that for an hour of operation, subject to the inclusion of all burners, the device consumes about 0.7 cubic meters. Knowing this indicator, it is not difficult to calculate expenses per month.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Electric Stoves
Despite the reliability, functionality, and lower cost of gas appliances, they are gradually being replaced in kitchens by electric ones. Homemakers are attracted by appearance, safety, and many valuable features.
Among the advantages of an electric stove, one can single out a high degree of cleanliness in the kitchen (since there are no combustion products), functionality, and a very convenient oven.
As for the cons, they are also present. First, electric stoves are more expensive than gas stoves. Secondly, they require high financial costs during operation since they consume a relatively large amount of electricity. It is not as convenient to regulate the heating of cast-iron electric burners as gas ones. If more modern heating elements are installed, this problem does not exist. Some burners take a long time to heat up, so the cooking time is longer. And one more drawback – the device is entirely dependent on electricity, often turned off. If this happens, you won’t be able to cook anything.
Management
The control of the electric stove can be mechanical or touch. Here you can choose what you like more. The mechanical control panel has conventional rotary controls. Such a system is mainly equipped with budget models with cast-iron “pancakes.”
Touch switches are installed in expensive stoves, a more complex and technological solution. The touch panel is placed on a glass-ceramic surface. It looks desirable, and just one touch is enough to turn on the burner or oven. Manufacturers have made sure that the controls are intuitive. But these models are much more expensive.
Safety
The safety of an electric stove is much higher than a gas one. When using it, you do not need to be afraid of accidental fuel leaks. Manufacturers have also taken care to reduce the likelihood of burns. The burners are equipped with heat indicators that go out when the temperature becomes safe for humans. Cookers with induction burners remain cold since only the bottom of the cookware is heated with the help of electromagnetic induction. Most models are equipped with a child lock. And so that you do not burn yourself on the oven door, 2 to 4 special heat-resistant glasses are installed.
Features of care and cleaning
Since soot does not appear during cooking using electricity, cleaning an electric stove takes much less time than a gas one. And if its surface is made of glass-ceramic, care is even easier. This material is perfectly even, so any dirt is removed from it very simply. The main thing is to prevent sugar and sweet liquids from getting on the glass ceramics, which spoil it. The only negative is the lack of bumpers on a gas appliance. If you accidentally run out of soup, it will not stay on a smooth surface, and most likely, you will have to mop the floor.
There are many unique products for the care of glass-ceramic surfaces. But it is not recommended to use powders or stiff brushes to remove heavy dirt – they leave scratches on the material.
Another advantage of electric stoves is the self-cleaning system of the oven. They allow you to spend much less time caring for him. the most advanced option is pyrolysis. The device is heated to a temperature of 500 degrees, and only a pile of ash remains from contamination. Cheap models are equipped with hydrolysis cleaning. A container with water is placed in the chamber, which evaporates and softens the dirt on the walls, after which it is pretty easy to wipe them off.
Functional
The functions of the electric stove make the owners of gas appliances turn green with envy. The budget price segment models are usually equipped with standard functionality necessary for daily use. As a rule, this regulates the burners’ temperature, the oven, the timer, and the electric grill. Additional parameters are provided in more expensive devices. The timer can be not only mechanical but also electronic. It not only beeps when the set time has elapsed but also automatically turns off the burners or the oven.
The control panel’s heating and contamination are avoided by removing steam from the oven. In the memory of some devices, you can save the cooking parameters of various dishes. The oven is sometimes equipped with automatic cooking programs, microwave or steam function, an electric or infrared grill, several convection modes, an electronic meat probe, and a skewer. Telescopic guides for baking sheets and a sliding door are very convenient. Hobs are equipped with a boiling water sensor and a thermal indicator. Induction models have a pan recognition function.
All this functionality dramatically simplifies the cooking process but significantly increases the equipment cost.
Electricity consumption
When buying, many are concerned not only with functionality but also with the power consumption of an electric stove. Additional functions and heating elements greatly increase this parameter. To calculate the electricity consumption, the device’s power must be multiplied by the time of its operation. Each element has its standards (kW / h):
- Electric ignition – 0.001
- Grilled heating element – 1.5
- Electric burners – 1-2
- Oven heating element – up to 3.25
- Lighting – 0.015-0.025
- The engine on a spit – 0.006.
On average, one burner consumes about 1.5 kW and an oven – 3-4 kW of electricity per hour. To avoid overloading the electrical network, turning on more than two burners is not recommended.
