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04 Feb 04 - 08:17 PM (#1109612) Subject: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Bill D USA specific...we are in dire need, as old (electric) stove is 30 years old and on its last 2 burners..(ovens died earlier this year)...has anyone direct experience with ceramic/radiant cook surfaces? Problems, praise? We 'could' do gas, but the price of gas is only increasing, and we are used to electric... |
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04 Feb 04 - 08:28 PM (#1109616) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: GUEST,donuel Convection are great. |
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04 Feb 04 - 09:01 PM (#1109638) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Walking Eagle I've never had a convection oven before, but I've only heard good things about them. Get a self cleaning oven if you can. I think that you can't replace a burned out heating element yourself on the stove if you have a ceramic top. I could be wrong. I do know that boil overs have to be cleaned off quickly with them. |
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04 Feb 04 - 09:13 PM (#1109643) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Rapparee If you can, get gas. It's not the cost -- it's the control. With gas you immediately change the amount of heat, whereas with electric or ceramic you have to wait for the coil or plate to cool off. Besides, gas won't be outpricing electricity for some time yet. But that's for the stovetop. Electric is the way to go for ovens, and self-cleaning is the only oven to have. For one one, the self-cleaning oven has better insulation, which means you get more bang for your energy buck. To do this, though, you need a cooktop area and a seperate oven. Which do you use most, the stovetop or the oven? If it's the stovetop, I'd get gas. |
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04 Feb 04 - 09:20 PM (#1109651) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Amos I have gas and find the oven heats rapidly and is easily controlled. The stovetop is a breeze. Wouldn't go any other way if I had a choice. A |
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04 Feb 04 - 09:36 PM (#1109658) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Bill D *nod*..I see the arguments both ways...it will 'probably' depend on Rita's feel about some specific model. (We use BOTH top and oven a lot when both are working..I love baked chicken and her meatloaf.) I guess 'easy to clean' can be a strong point. |
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04 Feb 04 - 09:38 PM (#1109659) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: open mike heat is the least efficient thing to use electricity for.. it is good for turning motors, and other tasks, but for heating i would suggest gas, too. For one thing most gas is domestic, natural gas or pressurized gas is from sources close to home. Who knows how electricity is generated? some nuclear, some coal, some oil, some hydroelectric. IF you use electricity you support these forms of industry.. not all of which are bad, but you are dependant on them.. if the power goes out, you can still cook if you are not tied to grid-based sources. The company you may need to get gas from might be the same as the electric co. but usually the ;gas flows even when the electrons don't! |
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04 Feb 04 - 09:44 PM (#1109663) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Sorcha My mom had a Corning smooth top. She loved it, I hated it. If there is a rim at all or indentation on the bottom of the pot it will not conduct heat. No cast iron....also, the smooth tops hold heat for a long time. Mom had to buy a whole set of Corning smooth bottom pans for the stove. You couldn't give me one of them. Also, the newer ones seem more prone to changing color and staying that way very quickly. |
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04 Feb 04 - 11:30 PM (#1109698) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: open mike the one good thing i have heard about the smooth top models is that a friend's mom found one easy to cook with. she was blind and had an easier time cleaning a flat surface, I guess. |
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04 Feb 04 - 11:51 PM (#1109704) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: GUEST,KT I have the smooth...radiant heat cooktop after having had both electric and gas. I love it and won't ever go back to gas or conventional electric stove. It is SO easy to clean...just wipe it with a wet rag. There is a special solution to use if spills get cooked on. I've had this one for 7 years and it still looks brand new. I actually do use a cast iron pot on mine and have had no problem doing so. I also use all of my 20 year old pots and pans and a big old steel wok. Check out different manufacturers to see what they recommend. Bon appetite!! KT |
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05 Feb 04 - 09:33 AM (#1109922) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Hollowfox Sorry, KT, I'm with Sorcha. My mother got one of those smooth top jobbies, and she has to make a religion out of keeping it ckean with the special cleaner. She had to give up all her cookware (my gain on that one) and get special new stuff.. the list could go on forever. However, I'm glad to hear that somebody has found some good in them. |
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05 Feb 04 - 09:35 AM (#1109925) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Rapparee I stand by the gas stove top and electric oven, but there are now self-cleaning gas ovens as well. I really like the ability to have pretty much instant control of the cooking heat. But for a long time, I've wondered about our engineering in the kitchen. For instance, the refrigerator removes heat from food and the stove puts heat into food. Sometimes they're right next to each other. Seems like a waste and something that could be corrected. BTW, I also use a big powerful microwave. Used to have one that could also do convection or both, but it died (sob!). |
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05 Feb 04 - 11:40 AM (#1110007) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: KateG I like the fine control gas burners give. Can't stand it when I use someones electric stove and I have to keep waiting for burners to heat up and pulling things off them because they won't cool down. Used a radiant top once...found it even more annoying than regular electric. So they are easy to clean...so is a regular stove if you don't let the dirt cake on for days, and don't get a model with a lot of chrome and stainless steel. Stainless is a pain in the a#^% -- it may not stain, but it shows grease and water spots like nobody's buisiness, and is hellish to clean. I know the design books are in love with it right now, but who wants to sit around chatting and singing in a hospital kitchen! Also we live in the country and are prone to power failures. No electricity = no stove. It's bad enough losing the lights and water power to the pump for those of you used to city water) but with a gas stove I can at least keep cooking, and we can dine by candlelight. |
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05 Feb 04 - 12:15 PM (#1110036) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Bill D hmmm..lots of food for thought. We are going out today for a first run scan of models. Rita is actually tending toward gas again for obvious reasons...and because it is slightly more 'senility proof', in that it is harder to leave on accidently..*grin*...we won't be going for 'high-end' models, as the budget won't allow it....and...we are seriously gonna look at 'Micro-Hoods'...microwave with built-in exhaust fan to go above stove. (We currently have a fancy but OLD double oven that has the smaller oven above, blocking steam & smoke from easy venting. It's like cooking in a box to use the rear burners.) There's a big, square exhaust fan above THAT, which is gonna make installing a micro-hood 'interesting', but that's my problem. So..it's off to browse, with open minds....thanks for all the input and suggestions! |
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05 Feb 04 - 06:47 PM (#1110290) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Cattail We like gas here, it's very controllable, not too bad to keep clean, and, like KateG, I like being able to have a hot drink and a meal if you get power cuts (as we do every now and again). Incidentally, we bought ours, (in the UK), as a reconditioned one from the gas company, (they are "snatch-backs", where people couldn't pay the hire purchase), just a few months old and looked like new. I don't know if they still do these, ours is 11 years, and still looks good. Might be worth asking if you can get anything like this near you if the money is tight. Cheers Cattail ! |
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05 Feb 04 - 09:14 PM (#1110381) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Bill D I'm sure we could, by looking long enough, find a used stove, but warrenties and such are important...and we can't wait for 'just' the right deal...have waited too long now... We looked at a LOT of stoves (and micro-hoods) today....and found exactly what we'd like...only $500-700 over budget..*grin*..so now it is a matter of winnowing. (We are 'almost' sure we'll go gas this time) There was a lovely one with gas top and electric oven....and one with both parts gas, with extra warming/baking mini-oven instead of storage drawer..$1100! *gulp* We need to read all the features about BTUs and oven capacity and self-cleaning features, etc...and look some more. |
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05 Feb 04 - 10:33 PM (#1110424) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: catspaw49 Already mafe your decision, but much as I love gas for control, Karen and I worried with kids, so we went with the ceramic/glass top electric. It's now 8 years old (Amana) and has been a dream to use. No problems like Sorcha mentions and easy clean top. We love it. Spaw |
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06 Feb 04 - 08:39 AM (#1110674) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: bbc Hi, Bill, I recently got a Maytag Precision Touch Control 500 ceramic top range through Sears for approx. $550. I liked the idea of not having difficult-to-clean burners. This model has 2 special features I like--a 12" burner & the fact that the oven element is enclosed, ie. smooth metal surface in bottom of oven. I notice that both the stovetop & oven take a little longer to heat up, but both seem to cook things evenly. Some routine maintenance to the stovetop is recommended--glass cleaner & paper towel each day & cream cleaner once a week. We'll see how I feel about that, over time. My guess is that it will be worthwhile to me. The oven controls are digital & easy to understand. I think I'm gonna like it! Best to you & Rita, Barbara |
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07 Feb 04 - 12:53 AM (#1111212) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: rangeroger Mike, I don't know what you're paying for for gas down in Pocatello, but up here, I could triple my electric usage and it would match my gas costs. It really pisses me off when Avista (local utilities supplier) keeps sending me ads to change my electric over to gas and then increases the gas rates. For every ones information I pay $.05/kwh for electricity and $.78/therm for gas. Back to the original question,while never having cooked on a radiant surface, I have been using electric ranges my whole life. When you're used to them,cooking times are no problem. rr PS. Mike,I just picked up a Ward's combination microwave-convection oven for $15 at the local St.Vincent de Paul thrift shop. You can have it,if you want it.Or show me how to use it. |
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07 Feb 04 - 12:48 PM (#1111432) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Stilly River Sage A friend of mine cooked for many years on one of those huge cast iron wood burning stoves. Wonderful cakes, pies, bread from the oven, great stovetop space for as many pans as you need, not limited to four. Think about it! They're coming back! SRS |
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07 Feb 04 - 08:45 PM (#1111621) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Rapparee Actually, I *just* wrote the check for my gas bill. 103 therms cost $85.90. That works out to $0.83398058252427184466019417475728 (oh, heck, call it $0.84 per therm). That includes a high-efficiency gas furnace and one gas water heater. Of course, it will go down during the summer when the furnace isn't used (the air conditioning will be, though). I don't have the figures for KW/hr for electricity at hand. My last check to Idaho Power was for $130.10, but that was for two places instead of just this one. That includes one electric water heater, one electric furnace, and the electric stove. But we weren't really in the house for the period covered, and as I said, it covered two places. |
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07 Feb 04 - 10:42 PM (#1111682) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Bill D some nice new sales in the paper starting tomorrow---we will probably go back out looking early in the week. I wish I could figure just how the gas vs. electric costs really work out in cooking.. how many ¢ to cook the rice, how many ¢ to roast a chicken for an hour at 350...etc. What would be the true % difference to use gas. Maybe there is a web site I can Google with info that says something tangible. |
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07 Feb 04 - 11:12 PM (#1111692) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Bill D indeed there are a few.. http://www.conectiv.com/cpd/your_home/energy_tips/kitchen.cfm http://www.mme.state.va.us/de/hbchap7.html says- "Assuming 8¢/kWh for electricity and 60¢/therm for gas, a gas oven costs 7¢ hr, while an electric costs 17¢ hr at 350º" from another site:" gas is cheaper than electricity. One kilowatt hour of electricity contains 3,413 BTU's. A therm equivalent of electricity is 29.3 kwhr. The electricity per therm equivalent at $.11049 is $3.24. So, no matter what appliance, it is still cheaper to use natural gas over electric as an energy source." Now I gotta find some recent bills. |
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08 Feb 04 - 06:59 AM (#1111793) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: GUEST,Jon My ideal is the same as Rapaire's, ie. a gas hob and an (idealy fan assisted) electric oven - I had that setup once when I had a flat in Llandudno and have not yet managed to re-ajust to slow electric tops. I can't claim to have used one of the newer type of electric tops which are supposed to be more responsive than older electric rings but everyone I know who has gone down that route has had reliability and cleaning problems - it seems with some you have to take great care with the surface. |
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08 Feb 04 - 12:14 PM (#1111912) Subject: RE: BS: need a new stove---radiant vs. electric? From: Sooz My cooker has a ceramic top and a fan assisted electric oven. Both work fine even after sixteen years daily use! The only part that has worn out is the grill pan which is really manky but that isn't a good enough reason for buying a new cooker. |