If cooking is a significant part of your life, stoves and cooktops are very important for you. When it comes to options, you can choose gas or electric cooktops. However, other than gas or electric stove/cooktops, you also have a third option: induction cooktops. Induction cooktops are a thing these days and are an excellent option if you don’t want to buy traditional stoves. With that said, we aren’t going to talk about induction cooktops today. This is because understanding the induction stove’s concept is a little critical, and for that, we need a separate article to discuss. We will be focusing on gas and electric ones for now.
People mainly the professionals still rely on gas stoves because it gives the right amount of heat and flame required to make certain dishes. While gas cooktops are traditionally used in homes, people switch to electric cooktops because it’s safer of two. If you have children in the house, then electric ones are more preferable, and also as a bonus, it’s easy to clean the stove. However, with all these raves about electric cooktops, don’t think that the gas cooktop is entirely useless. Chefs or professionals cooks’ first choice is always a gas stove because of the right proportion of heat and flame.
What is a gas cooktop?
A gas cooktop or stove is a traditional stove that runs on gas. It emanates flame, which produces heat that you need to cook food. In a gas cooktop, you can adjust the flame for heat precision according to the food preparation.
Benefits of gas cooktops
- Gas cooktops give off high heat quicker than electric cooktops.
- You can adjust the heat and temperature by adjusting the flame.
- You don’t need electricity or charcoal to start the stove.
- You can get special burners for cooking and grill.
- If the flame goes out unexpectedly, the gas shuts off.
Drawbacks of gas cooktops
- Can be bulky and not portable.
- Cleaning can be time-consuming.
- It requires gas, which means you need to spend a good amount of money.
- Higher risk of combustion due to having an open flame.
What is an electric cooktop?
An electric cooktop is a type of cooktop that runs on electricity. You don’t require gas to operate it. It gives off pretty decent heat, not as much as the gas cooktops but enough to cook a meal. This type of cooktop comes in two ranges - smooth ceramic-glass top and coil heat element on top.
Benefits of electric cooktops
- It is cheaper than gas or induction cooktops.
- Easy to clean the surface of the cooktops.
- Portable, you can take it anywhere as long as the place has electricity.
- Useful for cooking food that don’t require a high temperature.
Drawbacks of electric cooktops
- It is very dangerous to use, as it can hold the heat even after the cooktop is turned off.
- Slow heating process and temperature change response
- Because of the heated surface, spilled food can get baked and stuck, therefore difficult to clean.
- You can get an electric shock if the wires get messed up.
Gas vs Electric Range: The Comparison
Let’s take a look at the comparison to establish an understanding of both of these cooktops.
High Heat
If we compare gas and electric cooktops side by side, it’s no doubt that the gas stove will take the crown. And for this reason, professional cooks prefer gas stoves for high-temperature cooking, such as frying and grilling.
Low Heat
For some dishes, you need low heat, such as melting chocolate, simmering milk, etc. As electric ranges don’t produce a very high temperature, it is best suited for low-heat food. So, electric cooktops get a thumbs up here.
Beginner-friendly
Both are pretty easy to use. But if you are a newbie in the cooking area and don’t know a lot about adjusting flame’s temperature, it’s best to use an electric stove.
Safety
In this area, nobody wins. Both the cooktops have their fair share of hazards if you are not conscious enough. Gas cooktops are highly combustible due to the fact that you need a flame to cook. Electric cooktops are not combustible, but the ceramic glass can hold the heat even after turning off the stove. Another possible hazard of an electric cooktop is you can get an electric shock if something goes wrong inside the stove. However, if we judge the fatality of accidents, then it’s safe to assume that electric cooktops are a little safer than the gas.
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