At a Glance:
Gas vs Electric Cooking Appliances
How to Safely Use Gas Appliances
There are many things to consider when purchasing a new cooking appliance, but which appliances are the safest option for both you and your family should be one of the main considerations.
If you keep up with the news, then you might be familiar with the IRA, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act, a debate which questions whether homeowners should be using gas appliances at all. In many major cities such as San Francisco and Seattle, the conversation has reached the point that there is even talk about outlawing gas appliances completely.
Considering all of this, you might be wondering “When are gas stoves being phased out?” From the look of it, there is no official plan to phase gas stoves out completely, but there have been several states that have investigated regulations on gas stoves or even made the decision to execute a ban on gas appliances altogether. But with the dialogue ripe with considerations to outlaw gas appliances, many homeowners are beginning to question whether gas appliances are safe or if a move to cleaner appliances is the right move?
To give you more insight about the topic, we’ve joined the conversation to give our point of view and to explain the possible risks of using gas appliances, plus the advantages of switching to electric fuel sources.
Discover Cooking Appliance Deals
No matter what fuel source feeds your passion to cook, Don's Appliances has the cooking appliances to make the experience even sweeter.
Gas vs Electric Cooking Appliances
If you are looking to replace a current range or cooktop, you might be wondering what the difference is between gas, electric, or induction appliances. While each fuel source helps create delicious food, each is also different in its functions and capabilities. Let’s look at the difference between gas vs electric ranges.
Gas Appliances
If you desire truly gourmet cooking, then investing in gas appliances is the way to go—at least, according to professional culinarians. There is a reason why chefs love this style of cooking: better precision, efficient heating, and adaptable heat that changes on the dime. However, gas appliances require a natural gas or propane hookup to function, and there is a new debate whether gas stove contribute to indoor air pollution.
Cooking with gas appliances can produce two harmful gases that can pollute the air: nitrogen dioxide and small particulate matter. While these are concerning facts, it has also been found that gas stoves make for less than 3% of the household's natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of why and why not to use gas appliances.
Pros:
✅ Gas stoves heat extra fast, making mealtime happen sooner.
✅ Gas appliances are compatible with most types of cookware, making grilling, searing, or simmering a breeze.
✅ A live flame can be adjusted for on-the-spot heat control.
Cons:
❌Gas appliances require ventilation.
❌Grease build-up from gas stoves can accumulate quickly if not taken care of right away.
❌There is the possibility of carbon monoxide leaks with gas stoves.
Electric Appliances
With electric cooking appliances, the heating source comes from electric coils or heating elements that can be controlled through a thermostat or knob. Newer electric cooktops use ceramic surfaces atop coils or heating elements for a cleaner look. By heating the cooking surface, electric stoves transfer the heat from the cooking surface, through the cookware, and to the food you are cooking.
Pros:
✅ Electricity is better at maintaining a boil or low simmer.
✅ Electric ranges tend to heat up faster.
✅ Electric range ovens are better for baked goods.
Cons:
❌An electric stove could cost three times more energy than a gas stove.
❌Burners take a longer time to cool down, making them a safety hazard for possible burns.
❌Cooking with electricity results in slower cook times.
Related: Gas vs. Electric Wall Ovens - Which Should You Buy?
Induction Appliances
In essence, induction appliances are a type of electric cookware that use electromagnetism to heat cookware. While standard electric appliances heat the cooking surface itself, induction ranges and induction cooktops use the actual cookware as its heating source. As a result, while the cookware gets hot, the cooking surface stays cool to the touch.
Pros:
✅ Induction heats faster than gas or electric appliances.
✅ Induction technology rivals the temperature control of gas appliances.
✅ Induction cooking appliances are the most energy-efficient.
Cons
❌Induction appliances are quickly becoming the most expensive on the market.
❌Induction stoves & cooktops need specific cookware to work.
❌Induction surfaces scratch easily.
Related: Gas vs. Electric Dryer: Which is Better?
How to Safely Use Gas Appliances
When it comes to any sort of cooking appliance, it is always important to know how to safely operate it. Arming yourself with the knowledge of how to cook with gas appliance safely includes knowing the danger. Some of the biggest factors homeowners forget is the dangers cooking without ventilation and gas appliance ventilation requirements, learning how to turn a gas valve off, and keeping a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.
Luckily, many manufacturers have taken the guesswork out of safely using gas appliances and equip them with built-in safety features. Let’s look at what those are:
✔ Safety Valves
Most gas appliances come equipped with a safety gas valve that regulates the flow of gas through the stove. With this feature, the thermostat controls whether the valve is opened or closed. When the stove gets hot enough, the thermostat triggers the valve to open and allows the gas to flow. When you turn off the burner, the pilot cools down and causes the thermostat to trigger the valve to close.
✔ Electric Ignitions
While gas stoves operate by heating gas, they still come with an electric ignition that controls and reduces the gas the stove uses. When enough current builds up in the igniter, it allows the valve to open safely and causes the hot igniter to ignite the burner. Fortunately, this process only requires gas for the last step in the process, as well as causing the gas flow to be cut off more quickly because as soon the igniter reaches temperature the igniter loses power.
✔ Wi-Fi Compatibility
It's no secret that Wi-Fi-enabled features can make for a smoother cooking experience, but it is also a great safety mechanism that many manufacturers put on ranges of all types, including gas ranges. Wi-Fi compatibility allows users to control a smart cooking appliance from any room in the house, as well as control a vent hood. Being able to remotely turn your vent hood on to filter out steam, cooking grease, and more adds an extra level of safety to gas ranges.
✔ Illuminated Knobs
Aside from aesthetics, modern gas range models often come with illuminated knobs that light up to let users know whether your cooktop is on or off. This can help prevent leaving a burner on, resulting in gas leaks.
Additional Safety Tips for Using a Gas Stove:
- Don’t let the burners run without ignition.
- Be sure you have a carbon monoxide detector.
- Never open the oven door to heat the kitchen or house.
- Keep flammable materials like paint, gas, cloth towels, or wooden utensils away from burners.
- Use cookware that matches the flame size.
Gas Range Review
While we have many ranges to offer, we want to take a quick look at this beautiful 30” Gas range from Samsung’s Bespoke Collection. First, we’ll look at a gas model, then we’ll review an electric alternative.
Samsung Bespoke 30" White Slide In Gas Range
Achieve true culinary perfection with the beautiful Bespoke Samsung range. Featuring continuous cast iron grates, a large 6.0 oven capacity, and Wi-Fi features for voice control and mobile preheating through the SmartThings™ App. This Samsung gas range comes with dual brass rings, which quickly adapt from high to low flames for better safety and enhanced control.
Standout Features:
- Air Fry Mode
- Smart Dial
- Convection+
- Illuminated Knobs
Featured Samsung NX60BB871112 range review: “Cooking with gas is the best way to start anything in the kitchen. We have always had electric ranges and will never go back. The stove top is laid out perfectly and has all the safety features you could ever want. The oven is outstanding for baking absolutely everything. The drawer is many steps above any stove we have ever had. We love it.”
Samsung 30" Fingerprint Resistant Black Stainless Steel Slide-In Induction Range
Check out this 30” slide-in induction range as an alternative appliance to the gas stove option. Featuring a fingerprint-resistant 6.3 cu. ft. oven capacity, and top-of-the-line cooking capabilities, this range is a great option to fit your needs in the kitchen. What’s more, this range boasts up to 90% energy efficiency, but it doesn’t skimp with other features such as Air Fry and Convection+ baking.
Featured Samsung NE63B8611SG range review: “Our induction range was installed 6 weeks ago and I am in love with it!! The cooktop heats super quickly and responds immediately to any temperature adjustments. It is super easy to wipe up any drips if they happen. The oven temperature is perfectly balanced.....no hot spots!”
Gas Cooktop Review
The beautiful Bosch 800 Series stainless steel gas cooktop offers the classic look of gas appliances with performance even advanced cooks enjoy. See how it fares, then take a look at which model we recommend if you want to go electric.
Bosch 800 Series 36" Stainless Steel Gas Cooktop
Enjoy the delicacy of powerful precision, high and low heat simmer options, along with a sleek modern design. Thoughtful design, including sealed burners, not only keep mess out for easier maintenance, but it also reduces dangerous flare-ups. Additionally, the knobs are design with a push-to-start design, so accidentally turning them on is less of a problem.
Standout Features:
- OptiSim® Burner
- STAR-K Sabbath compliant
- Distinctive Single Red LED Light Indicates Burners Are On
- Powerful 19,000 BTU Burner for Boiling, Searing, and Stir-Frying
- LP Conversion Kit Included for Conversion from Natural Gas to Liquid Propane
Featured Bosch NGM8656UC cooktop review: “When I first chose my cooktop, I had another product in mind but my very knowledgeable salesman steered me to the 800 Series and I'm so glad he did. My last cooktop was the same size but the pots were always on top of each other. This layout is perfect. I can use five pots at once without a problem. The fact that a light goes on when the burners are lit is an invaluable safety addition. Wonderful product. Easy to keep clean, beautifully engineered - probably by someone who actually cooks!”
KitchenAid® 36" Stainless Steel Electric Cooktop
We love this KitchenAid® electric cooktop as an alternative cooking source because it has five radiant heat elements, a sleek glass cooktop, and metal control knobs. If you think you’ll be compromising by switching from gas to electric, this model makes you think twice. With a range of heat output, including an Ultra Power element for high sears and Even-Heat technology for low simmers, this electric cooktop almost feels like cooking with a live flame. And as far as safety goes, the hot surface indicator is a convenient way to let everyone know when to be aware.
Featured KitchenAid KCES556HSS cooktop review: “I have a beautiful, modern cooktop with an "ultra high" temperature setting. It really works! Boiled water for spaghetti in half the time. I love it!”
There are many benefits to owning gas ranges when it comes to the cooking and energy performance they offer, so if you are confident in your ability to manage a gas appliance safely and efficiently, then we say go for it. If you don't know how to properly operate a gas range, or don’t take the safety measures recommended by health experts and manufacturers, then you should not own a gas range. Just remember to follow the safety tips set in place for you and remember to ask the retailer or manufacturer if you have safety concerns with your stove.
So, why shop at Don’s Appliance for all your cooking needs? At Don’s Appliance, we make customer service and satisfaction our main priority by being attentive to the needs of our customers, ensuring we are up to date with current issues, and educating our staff on product knowledge, expertise, and services that will meet the need of anyone who walks through our doors.
Why Trust Don’s Appliances?
Founded in 1971, Don’s Appliances is a family-owned, independent appliance retailer based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Don’s has since expanded to 10 locations selling, delivering, installing, and servicing all major appliance brands. Large enough to offer competitive pricing yet small enough to continue offering the “white glove” service we pride ourselves on, our focus is always on the customer experience — from the first step into a showroom to the purchase transaction to well after your new appliance has been installed.
When our customers are remodeling or building a new house, Don’s has all the expertise, product knowledge, inventory, brands, displays, and services to meet and exceed your needs. And in the event an appliance breaks, we are there, right on time and with the right product, delivery, installation, and service.
Shop Gas Appliances at Don’s
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and cooking appliances online at Don’s Appliance. Our friendly experts are always happy to help you learn all about gas appliances — whether you call us at 866-544-1711, email us, or use our online chat feature. Better yet, stop by any of our Don’s Appliances Pittsburgh, PA warehouse locations. Visit us today!
Learn More: How to Measure Cooktop Sizes for the Perfect Fit