Oven – How do we decide between gas, induction, and electric (ceramic) stoves

equipmentgasinductionoven

I'm surprised I only found one previous thread on this topic and it was 5 years old, so i think it's worth asking again since I'm sure some things have changed.

We're going to be remodeling our kitchen very soon. I'm not a professional chef, but i do like to cook. This will be the first time I've had the opportunity to actually pick out what stove to use rather than using whatever came with the house or apartment.

I'm trying to decide which type of stove to get. Gas I have the most experience with and seems like the simplest to use. It's also a bit of pain to keep clean.

The induction cook tops seem very cool, certainly seem to be easier to clean. But i'd have to replace a fair bit of cookware. I'm not really concerned about having to do that – buying a new set of pots and pans will be relatively cheap compared to the remodel.

The ceramic ones – the only reason that seems worth considering is it should also be easier to clean than gas. But it also feels like it would be too similar to those cheap stoves that use those coils – and I hate those things.

Can anyone list more pros and cons of each to help me make a more informed decision. E.g., this one will heat faster, etc. No opinions, just comprehensive facts, please.

Best Answer

Aside from the differences in cleaning and price, which are important, I find that the biggest issue for me is actually cooking on the stove.

Gas

  • This is what you're used to using
  • The control of it is reasonably accurate (if your gas stove has better control than high/low/off)
  • The response time is immediate (if you lower the setting, it has immediate effect and less energy is transferred to the pot)
  • Reasonably energy efficient

Electric

  • It's quite a change from gas, requires new cooking habits (mostly due to the response time, see below)
  • The control is very accurate (on a modern stove you'll have ten power levels)
  • The response time is quite slow (takes a minute or two to heat up initially. Worse is that changing from power level 8 to 4 takes a few minutes, with the pan being too hot for that time)
  • Low energy efficiency (relative to the other options)

Induction

  • Doesn't require a major change in habits, but does require thought (I used to heat a pan with oil on the gas, then lift it to move the oil around to cover the bottom. On my induction stove, picking up the pan turns off the coil after a few seconds)
  • The control is very accurate (usually ten power levels)
  • The response time is very fast. Faster than gas on initial heating of the pot, equivalent to gas when turning down.
  • Reasonably high energy efficiency.
  • A powerful induction stove can transfer more energy than gas for equivalent safety, as the gas would require a large flame. Simply put, a 3kW induction stove can boil a 5 litre pot of water in about three minutes.

Note that for a good induction and electric stove, you'd probably need a three-phase electrical connection in the kitchen. You should check the model before talking to the electrician, though.

Related Topic