Gas versus electric cook tops
When choosing your cook top for your house, you have the choice between gas and electric. Each type of power has benefits and drawbacks:
Gas cook tops-
Gas cook tops are convenient in that they give you more precise temperature control than electric cook tops.
Kitchens with gas appliances must have proper ventilation.
To have a gas appliance you have to have a gas line, so if you do not already have a gas line, you will have to re-plumb your house. This can be costly or impractical. So, unless you have it, this is not a really viable option.
You will have to talk to your local gas company to get a gas cook top.
With gas cook tops you can choose between a variety of fuel types. You can choose propane (liquefied petroleum gas), instead of natural gas, or you can choose natural gas. However, if you choose propane, you would get a propane tank, you can buy one, or rent one.
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If you choose to use propane, you will need to make sure your cook top is made to run on natural gas. If it isn't you will need to buy an LP gas converter.
If you buy an older gas appliance it is important to note that it may have a continuously burning pilot light, known as a standing pilot. However, if you buy a newer gas cook top you will have an electronic pilot. Also, newer appliances are easier to clean as they have sealed burners instead of drip pans. So, when choosing a gas cook top, choose a new model.
Electric coil burners, or electric cook tops-
Electric burners maintain low, even heat better than gas cook tops do. So, if you are going to cook on lower temperatures, electric is a better option.
An electric burner can boil water faster than a gas one can.
A drawback is that with electric burners you can't control the temperature as easily.
Burners take more time to heat up and cook down.
The electric cook tops cost less than gas cook tops on average.
It often costs more to operate an electric cook top than a gas cook top.
Takes longer to cool this stove type down than a gas stove.
Is harder to clean spills, unless you get one with embedded coils covered by a material, spills can be difficult to clean, and require the removal of the coils, so can only be cleaned after a coil has cooled, which gives the spill a chance to set, harden, etc.
Besides gas and electric, you have more options. You can also choose between radiant, or ribbon elements, which work in a similar way to the electric cook top, but do not heat as quickly; halogen coils, which work like a light bulb, but generate more heat than one. They warm faster, and give off a glow. And last you can find magnetic induction burners as well. They do not get hot, but rather rely on magnetic energy to heat the pots and pans placed on them. This form of electric cook top offers excellent control over heat and heats faster than gas does, but is also much more expensive.
These last three varieties of cook tops come concealed by a glass ceramic surface. There are usually patterns on the surface to indicate where the coils are below. They look nice and uncluttered, however, this surface is vulnerable to scratches. One last drawback is that it is difficult to tell when the burners have cooled, so you will want to be careful.
