Cooking Showdown: Gas vs Electric – Which Should You Choose?



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Why choose a gas oven?

Still marketed by household appliance brands, gas ovens, or gas stoves, are less and less present in French kitchens. However, households already using gas to heat their homes would have good reason to turn to the gas oven.

What are advantages of gas oven?

The gas oven has several advantages. The best known of its qualities is that it is economical. Its contribution to energy bills is lower because the price of gas is lower than that of electricity.

For the culinary aspect, the gas oven is preferred to the electric oven because it allows moist cooking of food. The result, when it is there, is more tender than with an electric oven.

Gas oven: the disadvantages

The gas oven has significant advantages but it also has disadvantages which most likely led to the success of its competitor.

The main disadvantages of the gas oven are:

The installation of the gas oven is rather complex. Its operation requires a connection to city gas or the purchase of gas cylinders, which are rather bulky;
Controlling the cooking temperature is more difficult on gas ovens.
Gas cylinders that supply gas ovens can be butane or propane. Many brands offer their own at prices that are unique to them. It is therefore advisable to find out and compare them before buying them in supermarkets, grocery stores or service stations.

Why choose an electric oven?

The electric oven, which arrived well after its competitor, is today the one that French households use the most. Less economical than the gas oven, it seduces users with its adaptability.

The advantage of electric oven

The electric oven seduces households thanks to many qualities which are:
Its adaptability: the electric oven adapts to all homes, whatever their nature. No need to be connected to a gas distribution network to make it work. A simple electrical outlet is sufficient;
Its handling and use are simple. Electric models, especially recent ones, are intuitive and have many features that simplify both cooking and maintenance;

From a culinary point of view: the electric oven brings a crispy side to food which can be appreciable.

What are disadvantages of electric oven?

The electric oven is not ideal and admits some defects which explain why the gas models are always marketed.
The main defect of the electric oven concerns its energy consumption. It costs more than its gas-powered competitor. This is due to the fact that the price of electricity is more expensive than the price of gas.

In the kitchen, cooking in a gas oven is generally considered better than cooking with an electric one. Moreover, in professional kitchens you can only find gas ovens.

✅ What criteria in choosing a gas or electric oven?

As mentioned above, both models have their advantages and disadvantages. In order not to make a mistake in your choice, it is important to take certain criteria into account. Whatever the source of energy, you must choose your equipment according to:
Facilities available to the accommodation: if the accommodation does not have a gas supply and/or obtaining a gas cylinder seems too complicated, it is better to opt for an electric oven;
The dimensions of the appliance: it is advisable to measure the space available in the kitchen beforehand before going to the store and to avoid unpleasant surprises once the oven has arrived;
The appliance’s energy consumption: anyone whose priority is to save money on their energy bills should opt for a gas oven, THE economic model par excellence. The size of the oven also influences its energy consumption. The bigger it is, the more it consumes;
Budget level, the price of the two models of devices varies according to the options offered and are relatively similar;
The power of the appliance, especially if the home in which it is installed is already subject to repeated circuit breakers: depending on the functions of the oven, the power of the appliance can vary greatly;
The design of the appliance and the options available: an oven, by its rather large size, influences the decoration of a kitchen. It is important to choose a model that fits well into the room and has options that match the kitchen style of its main user.