Gas Cooking vs Electric Cooking
The method of providing heat is the one that creates the key difference between gas cooking and electric cooking. For the last so many decades, because of the easy availability of cooking gas and simplicity and convenience of cooking on gas based stoves, nearly the entire population around the world has been using gas stoves for cooking. It is only when cooking gas is not available or when there is a great dislike for gas running in pipelines inside home people used electric stoves. With the recent advances in technology, electric cooking has become very popular, and with new electricity based stoves being almost as efficient as gas stoves, there is a great dilemma among new home makers to choose between the two types of cooking systems. This article tries to make a fair assessment of both gas cooking and electric cooking to enable new buyers to choose between either in a better manner.
What is Gas Cooking?
As the name implies gas cooking uses gas as the energy source. Sometimes some people even use natural gas. Natural gas is very much available and can help you bring down the expenditure. For all the talk about electric cooking being as efficient as gas cooking, it is clear that gas is more precise as a cook can control the amount of heat he needs to give to the food item being cooked, which is not possible with electric cooking. When we are talking about the price, gas cooking can be expensive as there is the need for installing the gas pipeline to the gas stove. So, taking a gas connection and getting the pipeline installed inside the house means more expenditure. Sometimes, you will see people using gas cylinders instead of installing a gas pipe line. When the gas cylinder is used you have to pay a sum to the company that distributes gas and register there. Then once your cylinder finishes you can change it to a new cylinder. But, each time you have to pay. So, even gas cooking with a cylinder is expensive.
What is Electric Cooking?
Electric cooking is using electricity to cook. With electric cooking you do not have to install pipelines or so to get electricity to your stove. You simply have to plug the stove to the wall socket that is already there in your house. Talking of price, we find that electric cooking systems are considerably cheaper than gas cooking systems. However, electricity can be costlier than gas. Electric cooking systems are more popular in areas where propane or cooking gas supply is erratic or the area does not have its supply at all. However, with electric cooking becoming as easy as gas cooking today, more and more people are getting attracted towards electric cooking systems. There are people who do not like the idea of gas running inside their home or they feel that they are safer with electricity than cooking gas.
What is the difference between Gas Cooking and Electric Cooking?
• Energy source:
• Gas cooking uses gas. This can be natural gas too.
• Electric cooking uses electricity.
• Installations:
• For gas cooking you have to either install a pipeline or buy a cylinder.
• For electric cooking, you do not have to install pipelines. You simply have to plug your stove to the wall socket and the power will be there.
• Cooking:
• Controlling the flame and getting even heat is easier in gas cooking.
• Controlling the flame and getting even heat is somewhat troublesome in electric cooking.
• Danger:
• Gas cooking contains a higher danger as a gas pipeline that can blow up if damaged exists in your house. Even, with a cylinder there is a lot of potential for danger.
• Electric cooking does not have that much high risk such as gas cooking.
• Price:
• Initial cost of electric cooking system can be cheaper than gas cooking system but, sometimes, electricity can cost you more than the gas. The price difference depends on the country where you live. So, you have to check the running cost too, before making your purchasing decision.
• Utensils:
• For gas cooking, you do not have to worry much about the shape of the utensils.
• With electric cooking, a flat bottomed utensil is more effective.
As things stand today, electric cooking systems are more popular than gas cooking systems because of the fact that electricity is more widely available as a source of power than cooking gas. There are people who do not like the idea of an open flame in their kitchen. These are the people who are switching over to electric cooking systems. However, controlling the heat is easier with gas cooking. Finally, if one takes into account all the factors, the scene that emerges suggests that it boils down to personal preference rather than anything else though many are attracted by lower initial cost of electric cooking systems.
Images Courtesy:
- Cooking with gas by Rickjpelleg (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- A glass-ceramic cooktop (2005) – electric stove by FelixReimann (CC BY-SA 3.0)
