Gas vs. Electric Ovens

[halland]

Can someone explain the differences between a gas or electric oven and/or broiler?

What do you want for general use and why?

Is one better for baking and another better for roasting?

Thanks

H

[jmcgrath]

Can someone explain the differences between a gas or electric oven and/or broiler? 

What do you want for general use and why? 

Is one better for baking and another better for roasting?

Thanks

H

←

Electric ovens have a reputation for being more accurate. My ovens are electric and my cooktop is gas. The only reason that I can think of for a gas oven would be if you wanted an infrared broiler.

Jim

[bentherebfor]

I've heard that gas broilers are not as effective as their electric counterparts. I believe this is because the heat from said gas broiler rises to the top of the oven faster than that of the electric brioler, which has a better tendency to travel downwards towards the food.

[Dave the Cook]

Gas produces water vapor as a byproduct of combustion. Unless you have a convection oven, that water has nowhere to go. This makes baking and roasting less predictable than they are in an electric oven, and can make it harder to produce a good crust on these items. (On the other hand, some moisture in baking can be beneficial, and can actually promote crust -- breadmaking is a good example. The point is the predictability, since water generation will vary with temperature, altitude, oven contents and burner efficiency.)

For me, the choice isn't between gas and electric, it's between convection and conventional. Vapor generation from combustion is nothing compared to the ability to circulate heated air in a controlled manner.

Infrared broilers can be either gas or electric.

For any given temperature, hot air rises at the same rate, regardless of how it was heated. Attendant vapor might make some difference, but in the end, you can't beat physics.

[halland]

Try as I might, I just can't learn to love the convection feature of my oven. I don't think this has been done yet, but how about a EGCI class on oven, convection, and broiler use?

Hal

[mrsadm]

Try as I might, I just can't learn to love the convection feature of my oven.  I don't think this has been done yet, but how about a EGCI class on oven, convection, and broiler use?

Hal

←

I second that! I have hardly used the convection feature of my oven. Probably afraid to use it and burn something!

[Dave the Cook]

. . . how about a EGCI class on oven, convection, and broiler use?

Thanks for volunteering! I'd start the class with a simple side-by-side comparison. It will require you to have baby back ribs twice in short order, but there are worse fates.

Heat the oven to 325 F, no convection. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the ribs, and put them, meat side up, on a rack in a shallow pan. Roast them for an hour and a half, turning and rotating every 15 minutes. Consume.

Now repeat, but drop the oven temp to 300F and turn the fan on. Note the difference in the finished product.

[fifi]

Is there a "rule of thumb" on how much to drop the temperature when you switch to convection?

On the gas versus electric broiling... Does the electric coil contribute more heat by radiation than the gas flames?

[Marlene]

I adore my convection oven. I wouldn't do a roast any other way now, (well ok, I might spit roast something). I don't use it for everything, but I any oven I own now will always have convection.

[Marlene]

Is there a "rule of thumb" on how much to drop the temperature when you switch to convection?

On the gas versus electric broiling... Does the electric coil contribute more heat by radiation than the gas flames?

←

The "rule of thumb" when cooking with convection is to drop your oven temp by 25 degrees.

[Dave the Cook]

Right. But obviously, a proportional figure would make more sense; the difference between 250 and 225 is 10%, but between 450 and 425 is about 5%. I found that some things worked better at a lower temperature, but some improved greatly by leaving the oven hotter. In the end, it's like any other piece of equipment: keep it clean and calibrated, and practice, practice, practice.

[Marlene]

Right. But obviously, a proportional figure would make more sense; the difference between 250 and 225 is 10%, but between 450 and 425 is about 5%. I found that some things worked better at a lower temperature, but some improved greatly by leaving the oven hotter. In the end, it's like any other piece of equipment: keep it clean and calibrated, and practice, practice, practice.

←

It also depends on the length of cooking time. For example if you are baking something that only takes 30 minutes, you don't need to drop the temp. For roasting though and things that take longer, the 25 degree is a good rule of thumb

[jsolomon]

Uhh, Dave, you're off by a ways. Kelvin is the absolute temperature scale.

250 F = 394 Kelvin

225 F = 380 Kelvin

4% difference

425 F = 491 Kelvin

450 F = 505 Kelvin

3% difference

However, 225 is 13 degrees over the boiling point of water, and 250 is 38 degrees over.

54% difference. This has a large difference.

But, temperature change according to Newton *grab differential equations textbook* states that the rate of temperature change depends on the difference of temperature between the object and the environment.

So, you're parallel to the right track.

Your advice is spot on, though. Practice!

[Dave the Cook]

Uhh, Dave, you're off by a ways.  Kelvin is the absolute temperature scale.

250 F = 394 Kelvin

225 F = 380 Kelvin

4% difference

425 F = 491 Kelvin

450 F = 505 Kelvin

3% difference

However, 225 is 13 degrees over the boiling point of water, and 250 is 38 degrees over.

54% difference.  This has a large difference. 

But, temperature change according to Newton *grab differential equations textbook* states that the rate of temperature change depends on the difference of temperature between the object and the environment.

So, you're parallel to the right track.

Your advice is spot on, though.  Practice!

Oops. I forgot those pesky Kelvins. Thanks.

[Fat Guy]

The "convection" designation is something of a misnomer, since convection occurs in all ovens simply by virtue of hot air rising. Likewise, there is no such thing as a uniform standard for convection ovens: some of them move the air a lot faster than others (the air speed difference between the puny little fan on the cheapest convection oven and a jet-engine-like professional product like the Turbochef C3 can be several hundred percent); they have varying airflow patterns; and some even have multiple settings for fan speed.

The point being, only you can determine the necessary time and temperature adjustment for your oven, which will in turn vary with what you're cooking, which is in turn why recipes hardly ever give convection instructions unless they're professional baking recipes that assume professional restaurant deck convection ovens (usually electric) with dual-speed fans at 1/2-3/4 horsepower (your home convection fan is highly unlikely to have even 1/3 horsepower, and you probably won't even be able to find out its strength or speed).

So, convection cooking is mostly for people who are willing to experiment and take the time to learn the properties of their ovens. It's well worth learning to do, though, because convection not only reduces cooking times but also creates superior crusts on roast meats, crispier cookies, and better almost anything else that's exposed to the air in the oven (as opposed to cooked in a covered vessel).

Then again, every oven is different anyway. Even assuming proper calibration, they're all different. Adding convection to the mix increases the range of variation, but a smart cook will always learn the unique properties of his or her oven, including the hot and cold spots and the standard adjustments that need to be made from different types of recipes.

Gas versus electric? I'd choose whichever is the cheaper fuel source in your area. For me, it's no contest: gas is included in my rent and gets billed to the apartment building (and therefore very close to free, aka the "tragedy of the commons") whereas electricity in New York City is ridiculously expensive and it gets billed individually to my apartment. If there is zero cost differential, I would lean slightly towards electric, but a high-quality oven of either stripe will work very well, and a good gas oven is better than a bad electric oven. Gas and electric broilers can both be excellent, though it's worth noting that most professional standalone ovens are electric whereas most professional standalone broilers are gas.

[deltadoc]

Your oven, is a tool, just like your knife. You must know it, learn from using it, and develop your expertise with each tool you have in your kitchen.

I have a gas cooktop, and an electric convection/conventional wall oven. I've found that for pizza, the conventional combined with the pizza stone works best at first, but then 3/4's of the way through, I switch to convection to brown the top of the pizza. If I use convection from the start, the bottom of the pizza will not be done, it will remain soggy. But fire up the conventional to 550 F, make sure the stone is hot all the way through, slide the pizza off the peel, bake for 9-10 minutes, and then fire up the convection and turn the temp control to about 510.

Pizza comes out crisp, and just right.

But everything is different and one must learn by experience using it.

What works with one dish, won't work with another.

BTW: I'm hoping to replace the gas cooktop with a gas range with two ovens (large and small), and an identical cooktop with grill, griddle and 4 burners, and get a new electric wall oven which has two convection fans!

I'll have to start from scratch and re-learn how to bake all over again!~

doc

[marie-louise]

I currently have an older (pre-Sub Zero) Wolf with a gas oven, convection fan & infrared broiler. It's had an assortment of recalls and problems-I'm planning to replace it in the next year or so.

I want a self-cleaning oven. Period, it's non-negotiable. I don't broil much, but do like that infrared broiler quite a lot. Like Marlene, I always roast with the convection fan on, so that is a must.

My choices in a high-BTU 30-inch slide-in range that's self-cleaning are a dual fuel (assorted brands possible) or a Viking gas self-cleaning oven. Suggestions?

Edited to add I rarely bake-except for pizza. The corner store has the entire line of Acme bread and I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I bake about 1 cake, 1 pie and 2 dozen cookies a year. I'm looking for the best oven to roast chicken (and clean off the spatters.)

(FG, I have no idea which fuel is cheaper in California. I think it varies. It's a house; we pay for both.)

Edited October 11, 2004 by marie-louise (log)

[halland]

For someone like me who can only put in a 30" range without doing a WHOLE LOT of renovations like moving walls I'm having a hard time talking myself out of this oven.

Hal

[wonderbread]

I'm shopping for a new stove/oven and debating whether to get a gas or electric one. I do a lot of stovetop cooking, my boyfriend does a lot of bread baking in the oven, and I make tarts and cookies often.

I've heard that electric ovens are better for baking - but I don't have any personal experience with a gas oven. Do you think it makes much of a difference?

[JFLinLA]

I think these days you can get a combined stove/oven with dual fuel -- gas on the top and electric in the oven. That way you get the best of both worlds.

[Dave the Cook]

If you're absolutely committed to a gas cooktop -- and if you've got the money -- dual-fuel is the way to go. But in the $1000 to $2000 price spread, I'd maintain that an electric range with ceramic top and a true convection oven is the best value.

Electric ranges have come a long way in the last ten years; during the same period, the gas cooktop has been subjected to some trendy choices that work against the main advantage of gas: its responsiveness. These days, electrics heat up and cool off faster, and ceramic tops are easily cleaned. Meanwhile, gas ranges adopted massive cast-iron grates -- I suppose because "that's what restaurants use." The problem is that cast iron is known for heat capacity. That's important in restaurants; in the home kitchen, it defeats the reason for using gas in the first place. It used to be that once you turned off a gas burner, the heat was off. On recently designed ranges, you can turn the gas down, but the burner grate will fight you with stored energy.

[WHT]

The reason I like gas stoves is they work in a black-out.

[srhcb]

The reason I like gas stoves is they work in a black-out.

←

But an electric range works if the gas gets shut off!

SB (so many bills, so little $)

[francois]

I also was told (by the salesman) that electric ovens work better for baking. None of my cookbooks mention this. I purchased a gas range a couple of years ago. It is much better than my old electric range. My baking has never been better.

[memesuze]

I'm going back and forth, trying to decide whether to sell my 60-year-old classic Chambers range , and get a dual-fuel.

my considerations:

I can't spend more than around $2K, so I've been looking at the GE Profile 30"

the best home-made bread I've had is consistently produced in a gas range [Wolf] - just how much better is an electric oven - is it consistency of temperature? in what applications does the "moisture" content of gas make a difference? does it just boil down to the expertise and finesse of the user?

I don't want to spend an arm and a leg on utility bills - but I'm not so sure that conventional wisdom about gas being cheaper will continue to be true, post-Katrina, or even farther down the road - what about solar power or wind power - any problems with a resistive device such as an electric oven

I want to be ecologically conscious if I can

the interior of my Chambers doesn't lend itself well to half-sheet pans lying flat on the racks [18x18x12]

I have a Cadco commercial convection countertop model which holds three quarter-sheet pans

the broiler on the Chambers is somewhat small - if you watch Rachel Ray, you've seen it - and I tend to broil a lot of meat and fish [mostly single servings], but I don't know much about the broilers on the dual-fuels, versus what a new gas broiler would be if I got a single-fuel [gas, of course] model

I like the retro look of the Chambers, and know that once I give it up, I'll never find one as cheap as this one was

Such a personal decision - any thoughts?

edit: after thinking about what I wrote, I remembered the main reason I had gotten the Cadco - it takes forever to heat up the oven in the Chambers, and once it's heated, and cooking is over, the residual heat takes another forever to dissipate - far too long for our hot Austin summers, so I will be replacing the Chambers.

But I'm still back to the need for a dual fuel, and even taking into account Dave's comments re: the grates holding residual heat from the burners, am not ready to give up a gas cooktop. So help wonderbread and I out with the decision about what type of oven. I would use the oven for all types of food: braises, roasts, breads, desserts....

Edited April 27, 2006 by memesuze (log)