Are you finally switching from gas to electric stove? Or perhaps you are simply doing research for a friend or relative?
Whatever the case is, you need information on the electric stoves, and my article is here to provide just that.
I will be covering how electric stoves work in general as well as some pros and cons of using them instead of the gas stove.
How does an electric stove work
There is some metal coil beneath the flat cooking surface of the electric stove which you would typically see. When you turn on the electricity, the current will flow to this coil, heating them which in turn will heat the flat cooking surface.
Now, one thing I would like to mention here is that there are people who have a misconception that you need certain pans for the electric stove to work. It is true that there are certainly best pans for the electric stove. However, it is not what they mean.
Some people tend to think that you need a pan with good electricity conductivity so that it would heat up faster. That’s is incorrect. The pan is getting the heat from the heated up flat cooking surface, rather than being heated up from the electricity itself.
The best pans for the electric stove would have nothing to do with electrical conductivity. Instead, you need those pans to have a flat surface for the flat surface to transfer heat easier. That means using a wok on an electric stove is usually a bad idea. There are more criteria for a pan to work best on the electric stove but being flat is the first and foremost requirement.
Pros of using the electric stove
Heating efficiency
The electric stove can transfer heat to the pan or pot more efficiently than the stove. The electric stove transfers heat through the heated flat surface, and that’s why no heat is going to waste. Whereas, a gas stove heat up the pan or pot through fire and heat tends to escape to the surrounding environment too.
That’s the reason why the gas stove will also warm up your room. While this may sound like a good idea for folks living in a cold country, but it is a nightmare for folks living in hot countries.
Easy clean-up
Cleaning the aftermath of cooking on the electric stove tends to be easier too. There is only a flat cooking surface and the other flat surface of the stove. Some detergent, scrub and wipe and you are done for the day.
Meanwhile, for a gas stove, you will need to remove and clean the support frame, then clean the cooking area later. Not to mention the support is incredibly awkward to be cleaned too.
Safety
For folks who tend to be absent-minded, the electric stove might be safer for you. The worst-case scenario of forgetting to turn the electric stove off is much more bearable than the gas stove. The worst punishment you will get is an electricity bill that costs a couple more hundred dollars.
However, the worst you will get should you forget to turn the gas stove off would be gas poisoning and explosion. I am sure I would not have to elaborate on the survival rate there as it is quite self-explanatory.
Cons of using an electric stove
Complete dependence on electricity
If the electricity is down, so is your stove. That is quite a bummer, to be honest. Meanwhile, the folks using gas stove is still cooking happily next door, and you have to dine outside.
Of course, you might argue that a backup generator would solve the problem if you have the spare cash to prepare that then good on you.
Energy consumption
Most people say that gas stove consumes less energy than the electric stove. I do agree with this statement to some extent as the earlier models of the electric stove really did not have energy saving in mind.
However, there has been some newer and more advanced models of the electric stove that consumes significantly less energy. They can even compete with the gas stove in this category to some extent now.
Bottom line
Alright, folks, that should conclude our article. There are more pros and cons if you knit-pick your own situation, but the above are the most worth mentioning ones. Now, you can find more information about electric stoves on the Kitchen Tools Club.
Thanks for reading guys, I hope you have learned something new today. If you have a question, please leave it in the comment section below or send me an email. Have a good day.
