[Sca-cooks] gas vs. electric ovens and ranges

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Several things here:

1. I much prefer gas, even the wimpy new gas stoves with only a
single ring of fire instead of the better old style with a small
inner ring and a large outer ring, to any of the electric stoves i've
used. With very careful adjustment, i can usually get the fire just
right. I only burn rice if i'm out of the kitchen and lose track of
time.

2. Sounds like the gas stoves ?Robyn? in Australia uses are very
different from most of those here in the US.

3. I can't speak to the issue of the spiffy new high-tech electric
stoves - i *hear* that they are easier to control - heat up and cool
down more quickly - but i've no experience to verify this.

Additionally, my experience and that of many others is that an
electric stove just doesn't make it when trying to cook really big
pots of food. Of course, a home stove isn't the best and a
professional stove is better, but i did cook for 100 and again for
150 on home gas stoves, dividing the food into several 4 or 5 gallon
pots instead of a single giganto professional pot.

Everyone i know who has had to cook feasts on older home-style
electric stoves - due either to misunderstanding (e.g., using a
school with a professional kitchen and thinking that was available,
only to find on the day of the feast that they only had access to the
pathetic home ec. room) or inexperience - has found that cooking
takes almost twice as long as on a gas stove and either the whole
feast was very late or specific dishes were.

Ovens - well, i haven't noticed a really big difference - since one
usually preheats, but i suspect gas does change temperature much more
quickly, but the insulation of the oven is also an issue and the
accuracy of the temperature gauge.

Anahita