momto3innc Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 We are moving in a couple weeks. The new house has a gas stove. I can't believe this but I have NEVER cooked on a gas stove. Neither has my husband. We have always had a ceramic electric cook top. It's a rental (also haven't done a rental before but we want to get to know the area before we buy) and I really don't want to do anything bad to their stove or burn down their house. So please talk to me like I know nothing. Because I don't. What should I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Switching to gas is easy. It's the switch from gas to electric is hard. People tend to burn things because turning the element off doesn't turn the heat off. You don't have this problem with gas. Really, it's a non-issue. A gas oven, however, may take some adjusting, but I think that's true of any oven that's not your own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I think the biggest differences for me going from electric to gas was: 1) gas heats up much faster than electric, 2) the heat is more localized In gas because in electric the coils spread heat over a larger area (maybe this is dependent on the stovetop), and 3) gas always seemed to be hotter in general so I had trouble with very low heat needs like simmering (maybe this is dependent on the stovetop as well). Be sure to recognize what the gas smells like so you can notice it in an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 It depends on the age of the stove. If it's really old, you light it with a match. Turn the knob so gas is flowing out and stick a match near the burner. Do it quickly as the longer you wait the more unburned gas will come out. More likely you have an electric ignition. You turn the knob to "light" or "lite" and you'll hear a clicking noise. This is an electrical spark being created to light the gas. The gas will start flowing and will be automatically lit by the electric spark. Once it's lit turn the knob to stop the sparking/clicking and set the flame you want. It can be dangerous to have the gas flowing and no flame. The gas slowly fills the room and if there's a spark from anything, like plugging in an outlet, or even static electricity can set it off. That's how you get explosions. The only ways to avoid this are to have the stove completely off or to be sure there's a flame if the gas is running. If the gas is running without a flame, you will smell it. If you think it's been running awhile, open the windows and don't light any matches. If it's really strong, or you smell it for no reason like when you just wake up in the morning, call the fire department. The gas line to the stove should have an accessible valve on it so you can turn off the gas at that point as well. One of the good things about gas stoves is you can cook on them even when there's no power. Just turn on the gas and stick a match near the burner and the flame should come on, even in a stove with an electric ignition. Lastly, if you're going to be in earthquake country, make sure you know how to turn off the gas for the entire house. A lot of post-earthquake damage is been done with houses catching fire due to damaged gas lines which were leaking. ETA: In re-reading this it all sounds so dangerous. It's not. The key thing to remember is gas with no flame for more than a few minutes is bad. Otherwise, you'll probably love it. I love my gas stove and would have a hard time going back to electric. It has seriously superior temperature control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I love my gas cooktop. I had electric for 16 years, and never completely came to terms with it. :glare: Just remember to turn the flame off when you take a pan off. That's an open flame there, lol. A gas flame is infinitely adjustable, and you can *see* how high or low it is. Love that. There shouldn't be any problems with the oven. You won't notice any difference at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 The only problem you might encounter is, as noted, having gas leaking - and even that's a non-issue 99.99% of the time because it simply doesn't happen. However, I do suggest you turn on the stove for a few seconds without lighting it so you learn the scent they add to natural gas. If you ever smell that in the house and it's not because you are about to turn on the stove, leave immediately, opening up doors and windows on the way out if you can, and call the gas company or fire department from outside the house.Odds of this occurring are slim to none, but it's better to at least have a plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I grew up using electric but switched to gas as an adult. There was zero learning curve--really. One is just as easy as the other, IMO, though most people prefer gas. Just be mindful of the live flame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks so much! Okay slightly freaked out by gas leak posts but I know that's a slim chance. It looks like a nice newer stove. I'm sure I'll like it (seems like most people like cooking with gas stoves better than electric). I'm more concerned for my kids with the open flame thing...they're starting to cook more and we will all have to learn together I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I think the only thing to look out for is long hair & grabbing pots or lids with a tea towel. On electric you can be sloppy & it takes time for things to catch on fire..... things whoosh on fire quite quickly when you touch them to open flame :D I love my gas cooktop. So fast & so much more control over the heat than on electric. oh & here's a tip - when you're cleaning the cooktop & scrubbing around the gas outlet & self starter sparker, they often get gummed up & then won't want to start on their own. (I usually use a baking soda + water scrub). There are lots of finnicky instructions on getting any residue off but the easiest thing I've found is that after cleaning, I light the elements with a match & keep them on for a bit to let everything dry out & burn off. Then the self starters start working again just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks so much! Okay slightly freaked out by gas leak posts but I know that's a slim chance. It looks like a nice newer stove. I'm sure I'll like it (seems like most people like cooking with gas stoves better than electric). I'm more concerned for my kids with the open flame thing...they're starting to cook more and we will all have to learn together I guess. I am old. Except for the 16 years I mentioned earlier, I have lived in homes with gas cooking and have never, ever experienced a gas leak. I know that they happen, but I'm saying that they are extremely rare, such that you don't need to worry about it. And all of us have children who managed to learn to cook on a gas stove/cooktop; I'm sure y'all can manage it, too. :-) FTR, the two people I know who had kitchen fires had electric stoves; someone started cooking something and walked away. I will not tell you the name of one of them, except that he is married to someone who is a WTM member... :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Thanks so much! Okay slightly freaked out by gas leak posts but I know that's a slim chance. It looks like a nice newer stove. I'm sure I'll like it (seems like most people like cooking with gas stoves better than electric). I'm more concerned for my kids with the open flame thing...they're starting to cook more and we will all have to learn together I guess. In NYC, all the apartments and houses were hooked up for gas before electric became widespread. And so even the cheapest, dinkiest little apartments, all the fifth floor, cold water walkups have gas stoves. Hence, I grew up with nothing but gas stoves, as did everybody I know. Never, ever had a problem with them. But I do know how to identify gas just in case, because that's just a helpful thing to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I love gas. It's much easier to use and you can really only fry an egg properly on a gas stove in my opinion. I think you can even get a gas leak detector if you're worried about it--with small kids in the house I would do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamabear2three Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I grew up with gas, had electric as a young adult and just recently got gas back... I love gas!!! I was much more concerned about electric ranges and was hyper about never allowing anything to be placed on the stove top, ever, so that I never forgot when it was still hot because that ceramic top stayed hot FOREVER. With gas, it's on=hot, it's off=cooled off in no time at all. The thing about low temperatures and trying to simmer things - you will probably have a larger eye for big pots - just don't simmer small pots on that - I have to simmer my rice on a smaller eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 You can warm up tortillas directly on a gas stove, and it's the best!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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