Gas vs. Electric Appliances: Which is the Best Choice?

When it comes to making a change in your kitchen, you’re likely to want a new range. We have many excellent models available with the latest features. But, when it comes to powering or fueling the range, which is the best choice, gas or electric?

A Brief Primer

When it comes to replacing a larger appliance such as a range or stove, there are some challenges that you may need to overcome. Most people go with an appliance that uses the same fuel source as their older model. This is because it’s easier to hook up the appliance without any extra work and the higher installation costs that follow. But, in recent years we have seen a surge in the popularity of cooking shows and associated social media.

Many professional cooks prefer to use gas and this has encouraged a lot of people to make the switch. But many of us don’t have a gas line or it would be very hard to run a line out to the kitchen. Only 50% of American homes have gas service and the rest of us need to use electric appliances. So, the natural question on the lips of many cooks is does gas cooking live up to the hype? When you cook with an electric range can you achieve similar cooking results? Let’s take a look at some simple cooking tests to compare gas and electric performance against each other.

3 Simple Cooking Tests

Over the years, cooking experts and consumer groups have conducted some interesting research on the various benefits of gas and electric ranges. Instead of looking at the fuel source alone, they have examined the results to determine if there is any appreciable difference. Let’s see if your culinary results will be impacted by your choice of electricity over gas if you don’t have a natural gas line for your home.

1.   Boiling

Many people believe that a gas range can bring a liquid to a boil faster than an electric range. This is an oversimplification and there are a number of factors to consider before making a direct comparison. First, the type of electric range that you’re using will make the process faster or slower. One interesting study found that radiant or smooth top electric ranges boiled liquid faster than a gas range! This was true in both simmering and high heat testing. Experts found that around 65% of electric smooth top ranges outperformed gas ranges when faster high heat boiling was required. The second factor is that different liquids have varying boiling points which can skew the results in casual testing.

2.   Broiling

Extensive testing on broiling between gas ranges and electric ovens has produced some interesting results. Gas ranges tend to score less than 20% making them a poor choice for many cooks. In comparison, electric ovens scored around 61% which placed them in the Very Good or Excellent category used by the testers. Of course, the exact figure would vary depending on the make and model of electric oven used.

3.   Baking

This is one area where gas ranges did outperform electric ranges and ovens to a significant degree. During testing, researchers found that around two-thirds of the gas ranges tested scored higher scores when compared to an electric equivalent. So, if you have access to a gas line and you want to improve your baking a gas range could be a good choice.

Choosing the Right Kitchen Range

As you can see, electric kitchen ranges outperform the gas ranges in every area except baking. But, there are many makes and models that perform well with both types of fuel sources. If you don’t have a gas line the choice is an easy one and we have many high quality electric ranges to suit your needs. If you do have a gas line you need to consider the extensive changes and extra installation costs to get your dream gas range.

If you want to get access to the latest gas or electric appliances take a look at our extensive range of up-to-date appliances with this online collection, or speak to one of our home appliance experts for additional help.