Question: What kind of range is best?
I can't resist a little Office humor.
Here's the dealio.
We're hoping to renovate our kitchen sometime this year and it's going to need all new appliances as well. The fridge has already been chosen, but the range (and we are for sure getting a range) has been of recent discussion lately.
I grew up with electric coils and have never had an issue. Since I learned how to cook on them, the issue of "control" has never bothered me that much and I got used to it. After we got married our apartments used electric coils - still used to it, still not a big deal. When we got our house, though, it came with a gas stove - much to Tom's delight. I had heard him speak highly of gas and the ability to control the temp more easily, so I was looking forward to trying it myself and was honestly convinced I'd love it. We love to cook, so having gas was pretty exciting (searing over electric coils isn't the best... things like that). Sadly, I really do hate to admit it: I hate our gas stove!
Years ago, we made an agreement that I would eventually get the final say on a fridge, and Tom would have the final say on a range. We would take each other's thoughts into account, but it would ultimately be up to that person. The reason we made this agreement is because Thomas feels more strongly about stoves than I do, and I feel strongly about certain fridges.
Unfortunately, I now feel pretty darn strongly about ranges! So we're going over the pros and cons of certain types and trying to make an educated decision. Granted, we won't get one for several months, but it's good to be prepared and be able to keep an eye out for sales on appliances you eventually want to buy.
We are still weighing the pros and cons and I thought it might be sort of fun to open the floor for discussion with others. Let me share with you what we have and please share your two-cents as well in the comments.
Gas
CONS
- Entire cooktop gets hot
- Open flame is dangerous (towels, children's fingers, reaching for cabinets above)
- Middle space too hot to use for drippy spoons/utensils
- Difficult to clean
- Takes forever to boil
- Cannot get to food if dropped under flame
- Cannot whisk for long periods without burning hand/utensil handle
- Can heat room temperature
- Oven takes longer to heat
PROS
- Cheaper
- Temperature control
- Can still use in power outage
Electric (Glass Cooktop)
CONS
- Lack of temperature control
- Hot burner
- Uneven cooking
- Takes a while to boil
- Can't use in a power outage
- Glass could crack/break
PROS
- Cheaper
- Easy clean-up
- No flame
- Only single burner gets hot, not entire surface
- Safer for fabric and children
- Attractive look
- Can use as extra counter space when not in use
Induction
CONS
- Expensive
- Needs special pans (though, we do own them)
- Unknown: neither of us have used it before
- Can't use in a power outage
- Unsure of technical issues
- Lack of product choices or variety
PROS
- Temperature control
- Fast boil time
- Easy cleanup
- Safe, cool surface
- No flame
- Attractive look
- Can use as extra counter space when not in use
This is a really difficult decision! What are your opinions? We don't know a ton about induction, but we're very curious.
I mean, when shopping for these things, even the location of the knobs becomes a factor! We're not sure if we trust a completely "touch-screen" based range - what if something in the software busts? What about ovens that have a small upper level and a larger bottom level? Don't you save some energy and time if you can heat up only the smaller oven for baking cookies or cooking a casserole? Can basic be better in saving yourself from tech errors down the road? What's the deal with slide-in ranges - are they worth the extra cost?
We would LOVE to hear your thoughts!
