Does the price of a gas stove make a difference in performance?

[ongik]

Hi I am planing to remodel my kitchen. I will go with "gas" range/cooktop. As far as oven a good electric convection.
This is my thought for stove/cooktop. Any brand will do it. as long they have the power between 9,000-16,000 BTU. A lot of people really like Blue Star and Wolf. Blue Star had that 22,000 BTU, but Wolf is only up to 18,000 BTU. I use MAYTAG range, and work fine most all my cooking. I have no idea BTU's on mine. For 8 year I never have a single problem, although I only started to use the range heavily in the last 3 and a half years. If I need to do a stir-fry, I use an outdoor portable stove. It claim could go up to 130,000BTU (I dough it, but for $150 it do the job well.) Oven is another story. My oven temp is off irregularly.

Is $2,500 cooktop will get a better result then the $800? In my limited experience, I don't think so. Anyway, I would like to get some input for some of more experience cooks and chefs on my view.

Thanks

 

[dcSaute]

you've identified the main issue methinks - stir fry in a wok is likely the most "heat demanding" thing for a cooktop. and,,,, some folks maintain that even the 'lesser BTU' sizes are adequate _if_ the burner jets are in the star pattern vs a more typical round pattern.

if you routinely boil up a 50 quart stock pot for pasta, more BTU would be useful....
other than that, the usual 16-18k burners will get a pan hot enough to do all the tasks.

the higher price models may have some good features - stainless (if you want that) - sealed burners (less mess down under...) but also carry a fee for "the name"

don't get a Viking - they are a maintenance headache - mine is, and I've not heard from anyone in any number of Forums that has a trouble free one.

 

[Robo410]

I have a Wolf. At the time I got it there was no Bluestar, and no one had anything nice to say about Viking. Power has not been a problem, and the heat reduces to a stable bare simmer which is really important. I have the electric convection oven (2 fans). Spectacular. Today I would certainly look at Bluestar. If I had real limitations of space and cost I might also look at Kitchenaid.

 

[Andy M.]

Judge by the heat output of the burners (BTUs). If an $800 cooktop has the heat output you need/want, why spend more? There may be other features you consider important, such as the type of grates, whether it has sealed burners for easier cleaning, etc. Read some online reviews for the models you choose to find out if the brand is reliable. Some of the high end brands have a bad rep.

 

[ongik]

My budget for gas stove and electric convection oven is about 2,500. It could be a range or cooktop/wall oven. Most of the money will be dedicated to the oven.
In my research, so far only 30" GE Cafe duel fuel range that fit my criteria. It has the mid range BTU's (the new one has 20,000). come with 4 burners, and a griddle in the middle. Perfect. The oven is convection with 2 fans. A lot of people said it is not a true convention. I don't have experience in this one. Can some one give me an input on this one. For me a stable and even temp are important. There are few neg. reviews on this range, but so far I didn't a major flow. The oven has a lot of positives reviews.
If anyone have other suggestions for the price range, I appreciate the input. I am willing to go to 3000 if there are some obvious advantages. Thanks

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Have you considered an induction cooktop? They offer the instant heat flexibility of gas, but without the flame. And they are the safest of all cooktops as no heat is generated until a pan is placed on the burner. Because of the nature of induction heat, temperature control is precise, and cleanup is easier as only the pan, and what it touches get hot. So food doesn't burn to the stove top.

Just a thought.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[bakechef]

Have you considered an induction cooktop? They offer the instant heat flexibility of gas, but without the flame. And they are the safest of all cooktops as no heat is generated until a pan is placed on the burner. Because of the nature of induction heat, temperature control is precise, and cleanup is easier as only the pan, and what it touches get hot. So food doesn't burn to the stove top.

Just a thought.

Seeeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

That's what I am going to get for my next range. My range is only 2 years old and it's great, but I would really like induction, by the time this one gives up the ghost, hopefully induction will be much cheaper. All the benefits of gas, easy cleanup, and really quick heating and boiling.

 

[ongik]

I don't know anything about induction. What are the pros, and cons compare to gas?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Pros:
1. No flame so it's safer, won't cause a fire.
2. No hot burner, so it's safer, won't burn you or children.
3. Most efficient of any fuel. Uses electricity to generate magnetic waves that make iron and steel pots and pans get hot. Only the pans get hot. No air is heated by the energy.
4. No waste products from the stove because there are no combustion gasses, means cleaner air in your home.
5. Instant temperature change, just like gas. No warm up or cool down as there are with radiant elements, or heat coils.
6. Cooks foods faster.
7, no hot-spots on the pots and pans because there is not heat conduction from contact with a burner.
8. Works by a process called induction. The expanding and collapsing magnetic fields create eddy-currents in the iron or steel pots and pans. As iron and steel are poor conductors of electricity, the metal acts as a resistive element and heats up. There is no path for current flow through the user. Therefore, all of the energy supplied by the inductive stove is used to generate heat in the pan, with no waste heat flowing around the pan, and heating the house.
9. Since the only heat produced is by the pan metal, only that part of the stove touching the pan actually gets hot. Spill-overs don't burn on the stove surface.

Cons - only works with steel and iron pots and pans. Won't work with aluminum, glass, ceramic, or copper post and pans.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Andy M.]

Pros:
1. No flame so it's safer, won't cause a fire.
2. No hot burner, so it's safer, won't burn you or children.
3. Most efficient of any fuel. Uses electricity to generate magnetic waves that make iron and steel pots and pans get hot. Only the pans get hot. No air is heated by the energy.
4. No waste products from the stove because there are no combustion gasses, means cleaner air in your home.
5. Instant temperature change, just like gas. No warm up or cool down as there are with radiant elements, or heat coils.
6. Cooks foods faster.
7, no hot-spots on the pots and pans because there is not heat conduction from contact with a burner.
8. Works by a process called induction. The expanding and collapsing magnetic fields create eddy-currents in the iron or steel pots and pans. As iron and steel are poor conductors of electricity, the metal acts as a resistive element and heats up. There is no path for current flow through the user. Therefore, all of the energy supplied by the inductive stove is used to generate heat in the pan, with no waste heat flowing around the pan, and heating the house.
9. Since the only heat produced is by the pan metal, only that part of the stove touching the pan actually gets hot. Spill-overs don't burn on the stove surface.

Cons - only works with steel and iron pots and pans. Won't work with aluminum, glass, ceramic, or copper post and pans.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

What about a porcelain coated cast iron pot such as a Le Crueset French oven. The CI is magnetic but does it have to be in direct contact with the cooktop?

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

What about a porcelain coated cast iron pot such as a Le Crueset French oven. The CI is magnetic but does it have to be in direct contact with the cooktop?

Good point, Andy. I don't believe that the ceramic coating would interfere with the induced eddy currents, but can't be sure as I don't have an induction stove. I am however, trained as an electrical engineer, hence my knowledge of induction, though admitidely, I know more about induced electrical power in transformers and such. But the physics classes dealt with induction in other metals as well as the normal conductors used in electronics.

Also, the porcelain is a kind of ceramic material, and though I know it's an insulator, it may be transparent to the magnetic lines of force created by the inductive element on the stove. I beleive, as stated above, that the enameled pan would work.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[ongik]

Thanks Goodweed. It open up a new door for me. How hot can induction goes if you compare to gas? I have not pay much attention on the material of my pots and pans. I guess that another thing that I have to pay attention at.
Another question I have is how durable, and how expensive to repair induction stove? Thanks

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Just read posts on another forum where the question was asked - What is the best cookwear for an induction stove? Enameled cast iron was one of the favored choices. But like any forum, there was a lot of unscientific responses with some people swearing by Martha Stewart Stainless Steel, and others specifying there Lodge Cast iron cookwear, swearing that it was the best cookwear ever made. Personally, I like my Lodge Cast iron. But I love my Griswold cast iron. It is far superior, but much harder to find since the company went out of business in the 1950's.

Typically, it seams anything ferrous will work. After that, the choice is yours.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[dcSaute]

as induction does heat up right quick, I wonder if thermal expansion/stress would be a problem with enameled cast iron?

it's good for oven use - but I'd say the heating is slower by oven "air"

 

[Andy M.]

as induction does heat up right quick, I wonder if thermal expansion/stress would be a problem with enameled cast iron?

it's good for oven use - but I'd say the heating is slower by oven "air"

I use mine on the stove top on a higher output burner tuned up all the way. No problems yet.

It's also fine on electric coil burners.

 

[Robo410]

Enameled cast iron works fine on induction, as does carbon steel (the French Lyonaise pans , the Mineral pans. What works but not evenly is the tri ply with magnetic stainless exterior. The bottom portions in direct contact heat quickly while those that hang over the center point don't and the sides also are slow to heat. Thus you have a hot spot and can burn food if not stirring often.

gas is still the winner either direct flame or flat top/French top.

 

[Andy M.]

...The bottom portions in direct contact heat quickly while those that hang over the center point don't and the sides also are slow to heat. Thus you have a hot spot and can burn food if not stirring often...

Robo, I don't understand this part. Please explain.

 

[bakechef]

Maybe if you have those encapsulated bottoms that are not real wide, and the pan flares out from the bottom disk. The disc heats, but not the rest of the pan.

I looked at Emerilware a few years back and a lot of the frying pans had a very small bottom and the sides flared out from there, so the "cooking" surface was actually quite small. That is the #1 reason that I didn't buy the set, even though it looked very nice.

see how the bottom cooking area is much smaller than the actual pan?

I would imagine that if your encapsulated bottom was the same width as the pan, it would be less of a problem, or if you had "clad" style cookware, where the aluminum core extended up the sides.