# Electric or Gas Stove, What Do You Have?



## SeaBreeze (Aug 2, 2013)

Back in the day, we always had gas stoves.  Then for a time, I had an electric stove.  Both were a bit of a hassle when trying to clean the burners.  Now I have a smooth-top electric range, which is super easy to clean, but the surface does stay really hot for a long time.  When we go camping, in our pop-up truck camper, we have a small gas stove.  I think that gas cooks foods better, and I understand that it's what professional cooks use and prefer.  What kind of stove do you have, and what do you think of it?


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## Diwundrin (Aug 2, 2013)

All electric at my place.  Which has it's drawbacks in the fairly common blackouts.  The longest one was for 27hours after a cyclone and it makes you realise that without it you are suddenly living back in the stone age.  

There was absolutely nothing I could do except read a book in the daylight and live on packets of biscuits and rapidly warming Pepsi because everything else needed power to cook or heat.  Luckily it was moonlight so I spent a few hours watching that and passing time thinking about all the stuff I'd be watching or writing otherwise. 

  I've since bought some camping gear, solar powered lanterns and the dinkiest little camp stove you could imagine that burns just about anything at hand.  But since I got them the power hasn't gone out for more than an hour so haven't needed them.  They must have been the lucky charm.


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## Jillaroo (Aug 2, 2013)

_I prefer gas as you are the boss of the stove, when you turn it down it cools immediately where electric stays the same temp for some time, but i prefer an electric oven i find they stay cleaner, i would just love an oven that works mine hasn't for nearly 5 years.
                Back when i was 16 i used to bake about 26 dozen assorted cakes for the golf club and we had two wood stoves and they cooked all the cakes beautifully, and i still haven't had a piece of fillet steak like we used to cook on top  OMG it was delicious _


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## Diwundrin (Aug 2, 2013)

One of the Grans had a coal fueled range and I don't know if it was purely her talent or the stove but nothing cooked from her recipes tastes as good as when she cooked it on that stove.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 2, 2013)

We have an old small camp stove that we don't use anymore, but it works with propane, so we have something for an emergency.  We also have battery powered tiny lanterns that we use on camping trips, for times when the power goes out.  For serious business, we have a small gasoline powered generator that we take on vacations for emergency charging, etc.  I don't think the power has gone off here for more than 12 hours at a time.  Have plenty of candles, and a fireplace to lite if needed for warmth in winter.


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## Diwundrin (Aug 2, 2013)

Plenty of torches and candles but what's the point of lighting up a house you can't do anything in but sleep anyway?  Can't read by candlelight and my torches eat batteries.  The solar lanterns run for hours though, one of the few 'green technology' wins.  Zero running costs and I cut a deal on eBay for a couple and got them at half the usual cost so I'm laughin'.  I just prop the panels in the window on the sunny side and forget about it until I need them.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 2, 2013)

We only bought one little solar lamp that you place into the ground before our last camping trip.  We never used them before at all.  It was a small cheap one I bought at Walmart for $3.  Anyhoo, it was ideal for lighting up the little steps that lead into our camper.  The dog appreciated at pitch-black nights in the woods, and we didn't have to put on the battery operated 'porch' light that's on the camper.  They are handy little gizmos, and I see now that they come in various sizes for more light.


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## Warrigal (Aug 2, 2013)

Gas here for cooking, heating and hot water. As for keeping the oven clean - heck, when it needs cleaning it is probably time to get a new oven. I'm not enamoured of sparkling oven interiors, and in attempting to achieve that standard in the past I have repeatedly mucked up the thermostat. So now, anything short of a health hazard is clean enough.


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## Diwundrin (Aug 2, 2013)

Double post


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## Diwundrin (Aug 2, 2013)

SeaBreeze said:


> We only bought one little solar lamp that you  place into the ground before our last camping trip.  We never used them  before at all.  It was a small cheap one I bought at Walmart for $3.   Anyhoo, it was ideal for lighting up the little steps that lead into our  camper.  The dog appreciated at pitch-black nights in the woods, and we  didn't have to put on the battery operated 'porch' light that's on the  camper.  They are handy little gizmos, and I see now that they come in  various sizes for more light.



These do better than that, they can light up a whole room.  Have led  lights in them and pretty powerful, and run 4 or 5 hours easily on one  charge.  And you can recharge from the socket if you need to which is  handy as takes a lot less time if you're in a hurry, but I haven't  needed to do that yet. They sell at around 70 bucks but I got 2 for that  from an Asian seller, so did well.

These things.  Also have a plug in solar panel to recharge them which is faster than just the 'lid' ones.







This is the little cooker.  Link to the eBay blurb of how it works:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/COMBO-DE...90?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3a75318a9e


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## dbeyat45 (Aug 2, 2013)

Neither .... out here in the wilds, we catch the critters and, if there is no firewood about, eat 'em raw.  The cycle I'm peddling now to run the computer doesn't generate enough power to cook anything .....  

 .... or maybe I'm not pedaling fast enough ??


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## Jillaroo (Aug 3, 2013)

_Your nose will grow so long you will trip over it DB_


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## That Guy (Aug 3, 2013)

I'm cookin' with gas, baby!


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## Pappy (Aug 3, 2013)

Propane gas in the camper and electric in Florida. No gas there where we are. I got a hell of a buy on a electric hot plate at a garage sale one time. My wife ask me why I bought it and I told her that the next time our electricity goes out, we will be able to cook supper on it. Senior moment .......:dunno:


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 3, 2013)

dbeyat45 said:


> Neither .... out here in the wilds, we catch the critters and, if there is no firewood about, eat 'em raw.  The cycle I'm peddling now to run the computer doesn't generate enough power to cook anything .....
> 
> .... or maybe I'm not pedaling fast enough ??



You really have to be in good shape to pedal those things at the proper speed and amount of time, but don't worry, raw meat is good for ya, and chewin' on raw bones has been known to be very healthy for the teeth and gums! :brush2:


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## Ozarkgal (Aug 3, 2013)

Used to have a smooth top electric range..didn't like it.  It was hard to keep clean, scratched easily, hard to regulate the heat and couldn't use my cast iron on it. 

When we became hillbillies, I bought a gas range with heavy duty grates and had it hooked to a propane tank, as the kitchen is not wired for an electric range. Love the gas.  It's easy to regulate cooking temps, and don't have to worry about using heavy cast iron on it if I want to. Aside from our central heat, we have a propane wall heater for power outages, so we can always cook and keep warm.

 Our last winter in Oregon brought a record breaking snow and ice storm and a week of power outage the day before Thanksgiving. We had a good size wood stove in the living room and were able to sustain ourselves with simple meals and coffee on it, as well as keeping warm.


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## Phantom (Aug 4, 2013)

Gas cooktop
Electric oven / grill

Bit of a bugger when doing roast and you want to use grill at same time


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## GDAD (Aug 4, 2013)

We have a Gas cooktop, gas oven, electric grill in oven.
During the summer we hardly use the gas oven as I do
all the roasting on the B.B.Q. under the hood.
It is better & it doesn't heat the kitchen up.:goodjob:


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## dbeyat45 (Aug 4, 2013)

SeaBreeze said:


> You really have to be in good shape to pedal those things at the proper speed and amount of time, but don't worry, raw meat is good for ya, and chewin' on raw bones has been known to be very healthy for the teeth and gums! :brush2:



Very true .... but cat bones are too soft to be any use.


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## babyboomer (Nov 29, 2013)

we have an electric stove, more than 50 years old.

It was manufactured by General Motors Holden in New Zealand under the name of Frigidaire.It is Rolce Royce of the stoves.
T the time of manufacture, it was a domestic stove. Now days, it is stronger and sturdier, than many commercial stoves.
I have many spare parts to keep it going for time ahead.
My dear wife, is scared of gas stoves (don't know why, and i do not ask) i think gas cooker and electric oven are ideal.
However, back home in Croatia (ex yugoslavia) we had a fuel stove. With strong winter, they were used for heating, as well for cooking.Houuse cooks knew where on the plate is a hot spot for cooking, and where is a spot for simmering on the side.
As living in a unit, there was an issue with igniting, smoke, the pressure in the chimeney. Still it is to me, a dear nostalgia.
Chimeney sweeper was doing his maintanance every now and then, or on call.
Christmas comming, he would come around, as pissed as a parrot, handling calendars, with his thumb  print on them. it was considered good luck.
I also remeber, many Christmas cards had a chimeney sweeper on them, oposing to the kitchy greting cards now. I've seen one, with baby Jesus, in santa clothes the other day.  I guess it is chinese commercialisam


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