Green Mantis
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Gas or Electric with Rings for best cooking/canning?

Not sure if this is the best place for this or not?

But we are going to be buying a new stove when we move.

Is a gas stove good for canning, cooking with cast iron fry pans etc.

Or is a good electric stove with the metal rings the best for everything?

I have "never" cooked on a gas stove, so have NO idea what they are like to cook on? :?:

DoubleDogFarm
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I really like my propane and cast iron cooking. Boils water much faster than old style electric.

Gas or electric cast iron dosen't care.

If you have the money induction cooking is the way to go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_cooking

I wonder if the magnetic field will cause cancer. :?

Eric

Green Mantis
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DDF.....Not sure about the induction stove top.

Definately "not" propane, our neighbour had a fire with that years ago, put me right off. No propane for me, I'm just not happy around it.

Not real keen on gas either but would like opinions. :oops:

Thanks.

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gixxerific
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Once you go gas you will tell electric, I pass.

Green Mantis
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Really? Makes that much difference? Is gas good for canning too?

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rainbowgardener
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I don't know that it makes that much difference for canning, because you are just going to have the heat on for a long time.

For regular cooking, IMHO gas is way better, because so much more control and precision. When you turn it down, it is down, when you turn it off, it is off right now. When you turn an electric burner off, it is still hot for a long time, so it gives you a lot less control.

treehopper
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Nearly all commercial kitchens are gas. We have had both thru the years, I absolutely prefer gas.

Dillbert
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seems to me it's two different questions -

- what works "best"?
- what's safe?

we've had electric, propane and natural gas.
I prefer gas.
propane actually is a bit hotter than natural gas, but that's a technicality - not something one readily notices.

which is "safer" . . ? the should both be totally safe. I can understand the questions about gas, but on the other hand, think of all the house fires attributed to "electrical faults"

gumbo2176
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I've cooked many meals on both types of stoves, gas and electric, and prefer the gas much more than the electric.

Like mentioned, more control over the heat for one and when making a roux like so much of our food starts with, it is imperative to control the heat. I've also found the electric elements with those coil heating surfaces don't stand up to heavy cooking and if using cast iron pots and pans along with a few gallons of soup, gumbo or stew.

When I was a fireman, I cooked at every station I worked at and there were a mix of gas and electric stoves to cook on. The last station I was assigned to started out with a brand new electric stove and in less than a year we had to replace the heating elements many times due to volume being cooked. We finally came across a used Vulcan commercial gas stove with 2 ovens, 6 burners and a 24"x30" griddle and that is still in use today 18 yrs after my retirement from the job.

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Moonshadow
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I grew up using an electric stove, but the home I've been renting for a year has a gas stove. Now when I go to my mom's, I get SO frustrated when I cook!

Once you go gas, you'll never go back. Things heat up much faster and you have more control over the temperature. And if you're stir-frying in a wok, it's a must! (The only thing I haven't mastered over gas is rice. I keep burning it slightly! :/ )


I don't have any canning experience, but I can't imagine that quick heating and prompt response to temperature changes would be a BAD thing.


*I guess ours is technically propane, not natural gas. We use the little tanks made for grills. One usually lasts us about 3-4 months, depending on how often we're cooking.

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lorax
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+1 more for gas. I've got LPG stove and ovens, and I lurve them, far better than electric. As mentioned above, there's a great deal more precision from gas than with electric, and when it's off, it's off. I'll also add that for canning, you've got far and away better heat distribution with gas than you would with electric. I grew up with a gas stove (learned to cook on it), and then we moved and lived in a succession of places with electric. Electric? Never. Again. Gas is just so much safer and easier and cleaner and better.

Ooh, ooh, and even though this only applies if you make jams/compotes/marmelades, the higher degree of heat control with gas means you can let 'em simmer for long periods without the constant attention that electric burners demand to keep the jam/compote/marmelade from burning onto the bottom of the pot....

If you're a baker at all, you'll also appreciate the finesse and speed of gas in the oven - no more hour-long preheats to bring the oven up to temperature for cakes and bread, it's ready at 325 F in 10-15 minutes.

I've also dealt with induction cooktops, and they're a major PITA. Apart from the initial outlay on the cooktop, you'll also most likely have to replace all of your pots and pans with induction-suitable models, and god help you if you scratch the cooktop. I'm a raw cast-iron kind of gal, and the last induction hob I worked on, I had to sand my pans with carbide grit and even then I still scratched the surfaces which meant that the induction was less than perfectly efficient. Bleagh. I'll keep my LPG cooking surfaces, thanks.

DoubleDogFarm
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Lorax will you marry me? :lol:

Eric

Dillbert
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just a little reality to the "induction" thing.....

induction cook tops require a cooking vessel with magnetic "qualities"
this is neither good or bad or indifferent - just a fact.

glass pots will not work on induction.
copper pots will not work on induction.
(some) stainless steel pots will not work on induction.
'
in theory, induction cook tops should "respond" even quicker than a gas flame up/down. ah,,,, by milliseconds. but technically "true"

Green Mantis
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:shock: This is getting very confusing, :roll: DDF wants to Marry Lorax. LOL.

Everybody loves gas but Marlingardener. I have always cooked on electric

and really don't know if I will like gas, for the exact reasons that

Marlingardener has. Wish I could try a gas stove somewhere????

Sounds like gas is the most popular, though.

But..... Help?????

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gixxerific
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Moonshadow made me think of something, when stating gas is great for woks.

Let's see you get that cool flame up when suateing with oil on an electric stove.

Alas I have electric and it makes me mad just about every time I use it. Just aint the same. not as predictable, you get hot and cold spots etc.

I so much want to get a new gas range. I had gas at my old house. I aslo have gas after eating beans but that is another thread altogether. :lol:

As far as safety I'd rather blow up than use electric plain and simple. 8)

Dillbert
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>>But..... Help?????

what 'Help' can we provide?

if you have the current ability to cook with either gas or electric, recommendations apply.

if you have to pay megabucks to 'switch' from one to the other, no brainer. stick with what you got until you hit the lottery.

by its very nature, electric coils do not emit "more or less heat" as quickly as turning the knob on a gas flame making it "bigger or smaller"

is this going to make a difference in your life?
it's not going to cure bad cooking skills.
if you frying something and it gets too hot, with gas turning down the knob is near instant. with electric - you pick up the pan and move it off the heat until the burner cools down.
that's "good" skill.
bad "skill" is not knowing what to do and just letting the stuff in the pan burn.

who was it once said . . . "burn and learn" - or not.
a decent cook can adapt to either.

Green Mantis
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Dillbert......Thank you for pointing out various things re-gas and electric stoves.
Very Interesting. :idea:

Guess next step is to go "price" gas stoves.

That "could" answer everything right there. :oops:

Thank you everybody, you have all been extremely kind with your comments. :D

Now wonder if Lorax answers DDF???? LOL.

After I price them, hopefully this weekend I will let you all know what I decided. Thanks again. :wink:

Ohio Tiller
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I do all my canning out side on a gas portable stove. Its just to hot and messy to do it inside.
[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j176/Johnfor3/beanfactory11711.jpg[/img]

I have done it iside on the induction cook top stove when it was raining or for a small batch and it works real good. It is a bit slower to get the big pot boiling but not by much!

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Moonshadow
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lorax wrote:If you're a baker at all, you'll also appreciate the finesse and speed of gas in the oven - no more hour-long preheats to bring the oven up to temperature for cakes and bread, it's ready at 325 F in 10-15 minutes.
I have only one issue with gas ovens. It might just be a poor design or because our unit is fairly old, but when I'm using the oven, the stove top gets HOT! With my mom's electric stove, the oven vented through one of the eyes. But ours seems to vent right up through the middle. This causes any pans on the stove to get hot, especially any handles that are hanging out over the middle. (And when I say hot, I mean leave marks on your fingers hot. The day I discovered that was not a good one!)

Is that normal, or do I have a crappy old stove?

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applestar
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I have a glass top electric and I love it simply becasue it's EASY TO CLEAN!
Ohio Tiller wrote:I do all my canning out side on a gas portable stove. Its just to hot and messy to do it inside.
[img]https://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j176/Johnfor3/beanfactory11711.jpg[/img]

I have done it iside on the induction cook top stove when it was raining or for a small batch and it works real good. It is a bit slower to get the big pot boiling but not by much!
I think I would like to get one of these. Ah ha! Found the one your are talking about, I think, at Cabela's -- they even describe it as good for canning. 8)

I'm sensitive to gas -- I react to both the odorless gas as well as the smell chemicals they put in them for safety. The minuscule leak before ignition is enough, and there are some houses I can't visit during winter. So using a gas unit outdoors is probably my only safe recourse.

Recently, I visited a friend after they moved into a new house. She opened the laundry room door to toss something in and immediately closed the door, but I almost gagged. When she opened the door again and I had the same unmistakeable reaction, I told her, and she immediately called the gas company even though she couldn't detect anything because she knows me.

After testing all over, the man said there's nothing. When we pressed him, he said the reading was well below the minimum for safe levels and there's no need for concern....

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lorax
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Moonshadow wrote:
lorax wrote:If you're a baker at all, you'll also appreciate the finesse and speed of gas in the oven - no more hour-long preheats to bring the oven up to temperature for cakes and bread, it's ready at 325 F in 10-15 minutes.
I have only one issue with gas ovens. It might just be a poor design or because our unit is fairly old, but when I'm using the oven, the stove top gets HOT! With my mom's electric stove, the oven vented through one of the eyes. But ours seems to vent right up through the middle. This causes any pans on the stove to get hot, especially any handles that are hanging out over the middle. (And when I say hot, I mean leave marks on your fingers hot. The day I discovered that was not a good one!)

Is that normal, or do I have a crappy old stove?
You've got a crappy and poorly vented stove. My stove vents the oven heat out of properly designed back venting holes, which means that the stovetop is warm but not hot to touch even when I've got the oven pushed up over 400 F. The very backety back of the stovetop gets quite warm, around the vents, but they're placed in such a way that they wouldn't affect anything other than my largest stockpots were those on the stove while I was making pizza (very rare).

Eric - I'd marry you, except I think my boyfriend might have problems with that.....

DoubleDogFarm
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Eric - I'd marry you, except I think my boyfriend might have problems with that.....
Oh, Remind him, he's one lucky guy. :cry:

Hey Rainbowgardener will y..... oh never mind.


Eric

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rainbowgardener
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:)

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rainbowgardener
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:)

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lorax
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DoubleDogFarm wrote: Oh, Remind him, he's one lucky guy. :cry:

Hey Rainbowgardener will y..... oh never mind.

Eric
:D :D :D :D

He knows.

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Electric takes getting used to. The heat takes a while to come on and you have to know when to turn it off of take the pot off so it won't burn. Gas flames are more easily off/on instantly and you have more choices in terms of the size of the flame to evenly cook. With electric when you turn down the heat, at some point every other ring will be off. It can be sometimes harder to control the heat when you want just a simmer and not a boil. It also takes a little more time to figure what that setting will be.

Newer ranges don't have coils. Coil ranges are easy to repair. Electric ranges may not be able to take the weight of heavy pots directly on the burners. The weight of the pot on a gas range is carried by the metal grid, but on electric ranges, the weight is on the burner. My mom's new range had a lot of issues from not coming up to temp to not coming on at all. It was probably a lemon, and in the end the company gave in and replaced the range. She could not cook a big pot of soup on the stove. The weight of the pot on the burner kept the burner from working properly and the bottom of the pot would burn because the pot went way over the burner bib. In the end, whenever they need to use the 20 qt soup pot, she uses the propane gas burner.

If you have a glass top, it is nice and sleek, but harder to keep clean and it cannot take a lot of weight. If it breaks you need to buy a new one. So if you are getting a glass range get one that has the oven separate from the cooktop so you don't have to replace the oven as well.

Induction stoves stay cool, but you need to have special pans and they cannot be warped.

Gas ranges do have a pilot and they require good ventilation, but they don't have a pilot flame like they used to. Most of the newer ones have electronic ignition. It is a "greasier stove", so you do have to keep it clean.

P.S. It is almost impossible to find a stove that is not digital. The electronic components are the ones that are going to fail, so don't expect a range with electronics to last more than 8-10 years. They are almost all made in China so they have built in obsolescence. Putting electronic controls next to the heat source was brilliant! It is insulated with silicon.
This link is too kind and generous with their life expectancies
Here's mine microwave ovens old one lasted 22 years. I have been through 4 in the last 12 years. Average life span 3 years. The latch breaks.
Old Frigidaire range lasted 25 years. Oven light rusted and numbers worn off dials. Cannot get replacements, but everything worked on coil range. Replaced coil and burner bibs a few times over the years. New range GE with coils (had to wait a month for it), electronic controls ( not possible to find anything with manual controls) If you keep pressing the buttons, the plastic covering them starts to crack, replacing that module costs more than the range, Use tape to reinforce the cracks. Thankfully, I don't use the oven that much. The coils are controlled by manual dials. Electronics panel next to front burners with silicon shield. Expected life expectancy about 8 years. Cost more than the old range that lasted 25 years.
Glass top range has burner marks in less than a month and it is hard to keep that from happening. Most of my pots are old and warped on the bottom. They don't work that well on flat surface cooktops. I am not replacing all of my pots.

Front loader washer lasted 3 years. My fault, it was in the beginning when front loaders were relatively new and there were only 2 brands of HE soap. I had a hard time finding it. I called the company of the soap I was using and they told me I could use it. Over time, since I wash in cold water, the powder soap built up and the tub failed from having too much soap. I have a top loader again. It is hard on clothes and comforters are hard on the dogs, which I have learned how to replace. The washer is over 20 years old. I just had the transmission replaced. I wash my loads with baking soda and vinegar so that actually keeps the washer clean. It does not have the problem with the moldy smell you can get with the front loaders if you don't clean the rubber gasket or leave the door open when it is not in use. Front loader did not do a good job cleaning really dirty garden clothes, unless you prewash. I think there is not enough water, with so much dirt, how can you get clothes clean with dirty water and no agitation?

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/how- ... nces-last/

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Gary350
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I like gas because it is instant ON and instant OFF. Electric is slow to get hot, after you turn it off it continues to be hot. I feel like we are wasting electricity we need to learn to turn stove off about 5 minutes before food is finished cooking.

Our new used 10 yr old house came with a flat glass top stove wife likes it because it is very easy to keep clean. This stove barely gets hot enough to boil water. Stove is very slow for water bath canning it takes 45 minute to get hot enough to boil water an it is a slow boil. Stove will not get hot enough for a pressure caner water will not boil. My cousin has a flat glass top stove too she says it does not get very hot that makes it harder to burn food.

I bought a used $50 electric stove it has the coil type electric burners they get plenty hot for both water bath and pressure canning. I have this stove in the garage I use it only for canning.

Induction stove is faster than gas but it only works with magnet type pots and pans. Electric bills will be much lower than gas or electric. We have an induction cook top hot plate 1 large burner we can use it anywhere, cook at home inside or outside or take it camping.



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