Make the choice: gas or electric ovens

Are you ready to choose the best cooking appliances for your needs? Read up on the important details so you can make the informed choice.

• A traditional freestanding range combines the cooktop and oven into one unit.
• Standard models are 75 centimetres wide, although you can find them ranging from 50 to 100 centimetres wide.
• A freestanding range is usually the most economical choice. Built-in models are more expensive.
• Dual-oven ranges offer a second oven (sometimes a microwave) mounted above the cooktop.
• Choosing a separate cooktop and wall oven offers the greatest versatility.
• Most cooktops have four burners and are 75 centimetres (30 inches) wide. They can be installed on any countertop, even an island countertop in the middle of the room.
• With the growing popularity of two-cook kitchens, it makes sense to consider installing a range as well as a modular cooktop.

• Electric cooktops have improved significantly in the past few years. Newer types of elements promise quicker control than traditional coils, including automatically adjusting temperatures.
• Gas ovens are now comparable to electric models both in oven size and heating performance.
• If you don't have a natural gas line into your home, you can only have an electric model.
• If you can choose, compare the costs of purchasing and operating the two. Your local utility company can supply you with energy costs.

These are some of the most common electric stoves you'll find:

• Conventional coil burner: A flat, spiral burner uses electric resistance to get hot. Spills go through the coils and are caught in drip pans below, which then must be cleaned.
• Solid element burner: A cast-iron disc containing electric wires is sealed into the cooktop. Spills fall onto the cooktop surface and are easier to clean.
• Radiant heat burner: Wires, shielded by a smooth black glass-ceramic surface, are heated through electric resistance. The coil heats very quickly and the glass-ceramic surface is easy to clean.
• Quartz-halogen burner: Halogen-filled quartz lamp tubes, surrounded by electric resistance wires, create an almost instantaneous heating element that glows red under a glass-ceramic surface material.

There are fewer types of gas stoves, but the differences are important:

• Conventional burner: An aluminum ring or cylinder is set into a large opening in the cooktop. A rack for heating rests on top.
• Sealed burner: A solid, porcelain-coated cap and burner element stem are sealed to the surface of the cooktop and then covered by a heating rack. Spills cannot run below the surface.

• A convection oven looks like a conventional electric oven, but has a fan that blows the heated air throughout the compartment.
• The uniform heat produced by the fan makes the oven cook faster and more evenly than a conventional oven.
• Although they cost more to buy, a convection oven ultimately uses less energy than a conventional oven.
• Countertop convection ovens are also available, sometimes combined with toaster oven or rotisserie features.

There's a lot of different considerations to think about when picking an oven and stove. But if you know what you need, and your budget, you can pick the right oven and stove for your kitchen.