Ottakee Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We just moved into our new house. It has a Tappan gas stove. Our last house had electric. I am a bit nervous with the gas stove and my special needs kids cooking. I worry about them with the open flame. ANy thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Hmm, not sure about your children, but I much prefer the instant off of gas. And the obvious flame. We have gas, but at my mother's cottage there is electric. I'm constantly placing empty pots on just used burners so nobody gets burned on a coil that doesn't look hot. And I much prefer cooking on gas myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I so wish we could afford to replace our gas stove with electric. I have severe chemical sensitivities as well as a lot of allergies, and it negatively affects my health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I much prefer gas. I don't think I'd go back to electric. I'm not sure which will be right for your kids. Maybe not let them cook unattended until you feel comfortable with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I wouldn't worry about the "open flame." If anything, some electric stoves are even more dangerous to unaware kids because they don't look hot when they really are. Gas cools down incredibly fast. It'll still be hot after turning it off, but if you're boiling water on a gas stove, the moment you turn it off, it'll stop boiling. Not so on electric, which will hold heat longer. For cooking, a cheap electric stove is better in some ways than a cheap gas stove. Simply put, it'll get hotter. However, a really good, pricey gas stove will get much hotter than electric, as well as cooler (as in, for doing low heat tasks like melting chocolate). Plus, cheap or expensive, you can control the heat on the gas stove much better than on the electric meaning the instant something starts to burn, you can turn it down and get a faster response. They're just different. I'm used to gas so when I cook on electric, it throws me. When it's an inexpensive model, there's pluses and minuses to both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I prefer a gas stove. I like that when I turn the burner off, food doesn't continue to cook. I think it's just a matter of getting used to it. My mother is 76 and still deathly afraid of gas stoves :001_smile:. As long as you supervise while your kids are learning the new stove, I'm sure you'll be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I like the instant on, instant off. It's easier to fine-tune the flame. My gas stove works even when there's a power outage, and electric does not. The best thing about my new kitchen when we built our house was that I no longer had to have an electric stove! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Neither. I have induction - it's the best of both worlds. No gas smell, super easy cleanup on smooth top surface (truly nothing burns this is not an electric smoothtop), instant temp changes like gas, burner doesn't get hot. Burner instantly turns off when pan is removed, and it heats things super fast (my canning pot that used to take an hour to boil now boils in less than 20 minutes). Only drawback is your pots and pans have to be magnetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldskool Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We have a gas stove and I would never have anything different. I like how the temperature can be quickly adjusted. We have never had a problem with the kids getting burned, but I think partly it is because they can actually see the flame and that has made them more cautious. Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 (edited) I have a dual fuel we love. Since it's not a SS, I added the full-across the top grates. (which I adore) I've never had a problem with my highly curious special needs child, despite the controls on the front (there are child-proof knob covers available in child proofing sections of stores). It also has a control lock-out child-proof lock (as do my dishwasher and washing machine. think the dryer does too.). Yours should too. I like that I can use it when we have no power. (despite living in the middle of a city, we've had power outages greater than four days three times. Always in the winter . . . .:banghead: ) I like that I can instantly change the temperature up or down, and it is obvious if it is on. Edited September 5, 2011 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I love gas and will never have electric again, for all th ereasons everyone else mentioned. Also, whenever we lose power (electric) we can still cook on the stove (gas). It's nice to be able to do that. You just have to light a match near the burner and it comes on. Our hot water heater uses natural gas too, also nice. When the power goes out, we can cook, heat the bottom level with the oven and take hot showers. Makes it not that bad :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 As someone who has had no power last week for 6 days, I'm thrilled to have gas stove in this house. We seem to go back forth between gas and electric with each move. I'm always happiest with the gas stoves. It cooks so much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 You can roast marshmallows on gas stoves. No more needs to be said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I have gas now and I would much rather have a flat electric stove. I hate cleaning up the gas stove. Too many places to clean crumbs and drips from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Neither. I have induction - it's the best of both worlds. No gas smell, super easy cleanup on smooth top surface (truly nothing burns this is not an electric smoothtop), instant temp changes like gas, burner doesn't get hot. Burner instantly turns off when pan is removed, and it heats things super fast (my canning pot that used to take an hour to boil now boils in less than 20 minutes). Only drawback is your pots and pans have to be magnetic. My parents have one of those. It is so neat and we will be having one someday in our dream home. They are so fast and so much safer. I saw that they had some of them in the Food Network kitchens on a special once. They have induction and gas. I don't think they even use electric. You just can't get the precision with electric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We took an electric stove out to get a gas one. Much prefer the instant on/off and the heat is much easier to control. Real chefs ALWAYS cook on gas. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I have gas now and I would much rather have a flat electric stove. I hate cleaning up the gas stove. Too many places to clean crumbs and drips from. We had one of these too. The glass cracked while I was simmering soup stock. Nothing had fallen on it or anything. When I told him I'd just been simmering stock he said "Well you aren't really supposed to cook on them continuously for a couple of hours." Right, because, you know, it's only a stove. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusksAngel Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We had a gas stove at our old place. I really miss it. It just cooks better and I love being able to cook, heat even when the electricity is out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Love, love, love gas. I had an electric stove for about 16 years; I learned to live with it, but I never loved it. :glare: I will never choose electric for a cook-top if I have a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I grew up with an electric stove, and have had alternating gas and electric stoves for 20 years now. Given a choice, I will take a (good) gas stove every single time. My current one is a fantastic gas stove with a continuous grate, and I am in love with it-- and using it to teach my SN DS8 to cook. When you turn a gas stove off, it is OFF. You can adjust the heat level very precisely, and you can see very clearly when it is on. As a PP pointed out, you can buy safety covers for the knobs at most baby stores and hardware stores if you have knobs on the front, and many modern models have a child lockout button on the rear. My Mom was apparently traumatized by an "old fashioned" gas stove when she was little, and tells the same old stories about how horrible and unsafe they are over . . . and over . . . and over . . . again every time she sees my stove LOL (shes >70). But ours is super safe, and IMO safer than electric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2Ride Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I would take a gas stove over electric any day and a couple of Carbon Monoxide detectors. We have a gas stove top a gas water heater. We lose power here fairly often during storms and having the two keeps us bathed and fed well. I also like the fact that if it's on, you know it and when it's off, it's off. If it leaks, your detectors will let you know if you don't smell it first.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I wouldn't worry about the "open flame." If anything, some electric stoves are even more dangerous to unaware kids because they don't look hot when they really are. Gas cools down incredibly fast. It'll still be hot after turning it off, but if you're boiling water on a gas stove, the moment you turn it off, it'll stop boiling. Not so on electric, which will hold heat longer. For cooking, a cheap electric stove is better in some ways than a cheap gas stove. Simply put, it'll get hotter. However, a really good, pricey gas stove will get much hotter than electric, as well as cooler (as in, for doing low heat tasks like melting chocolate). Plus, cheap or expensive, you can control the heat on the gas stove much better than on the electric meaning the instant something starts to burn, you can turn it down and get a faster response. They're just different. I'm used to gas so when I cook on electric, it throws me. When it's an inexpensive model, there's pluses and minuses to both. :iagree:, especially with the bolded. We had gas until we moved here and I wish I could have it again. The gas stove was better to cook with once I was accustomed it. I had greater control of the flame and as such had greater control of how the food was cooking. The grates to sit the pots on were cast iron and they cooled way faster than the coils of my new electric stove. Plus, I could teach my kids that the flame was fire and when they saw fire they had to stay away. With the electric coils, they may be hot but not necessarily red or give any visible warning. I have had some near misses with my dd4 and the electric stove already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 You can roast marshmallows on gas stoves. No more needs to be said. :iagree: My kids do it all the time. I keep an old meat fork around for this purpose. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 My parents have one of those. It is so neat and we will be having one someday in our dream home. They are so fast and so much safer. I saw that they had some of them in the Food Network kitchens on a special once. They have induction and gas. I don't think they even use electric. You just can't get the precision with electric. I've never seen an electric stove on a cooking show. Electric ovens, yes, but not a stove/cooktop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We just moved into a place with an electric stove. I hate, hate, hate it. Even though I like a lot about this rental & our neighborhood, I have learned in the past 6 weeks (this is my first real experience cooking on electric) that from now on, electric cooking is a deal breaker for me from now on. I truly detest the thing. It's fairly new, it heats things up quickly-- so it's good for boiling water, but not very helpful when I need to cook something slowly. I have to cook everything on low, and still have problems with things cooking too quickly/burning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We redesigned our kitchen and ripped out an electric range to put in a 5-burner gas cooktop and double electric ovens. Best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 We redesigned our kitchen and ripped out an electric range to put in a 5-burner gas cooktop and double electric ovens. Best of both worlds. I love gas stoves - especially if you are in an area where power can go out frequently. When we moved, we got a ceramic stovetop (electric) and I am warming up to it. Cleaning is a breeze, hopefully power will stay on more consistently here. I would definitely go with an electric oven because I found out that gas ovens leave a black film on glass dishes like Pyrex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 Sounds like I should keep my gas stove. We just moved but our old house (only 2 miles away) had frequent power outages so cooking during that time would be great. I guess I will adjust and will just have to watch the kids more closely. It was easy with the electric stove to tell them to put the burner on 4 for grilled cheese or 8 for boiling noodles, etc. Here that will be harder with gas. It did make nice brownies though today in the oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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