So you’ve started thinking about your dream kitchen and the question of the cooker came up.
What’s the best choice for you, electric, gas, induction or dual fuel?
This decision will be partly influenced by your previous experience of cookers, what your kitchen is already set up for and you own personal cooking preference, but we’ve looked at some of the factors involved to help you make the best decision for your needs.
We’ve drawn up a list of pros and cons to help you figure out what option is best for you.
Gas Cooker Pros and Cons
Pros of gas cookers
-
A gas hob offers instant and easy to control heat, which makes it particularly good for simmering. The heat spreads out more evenly across the pan or pot, meaning you don’t have to stir your food as much.
-
Running costs are lower as gas is cheaper than electricity.
-
Gas cookers tend to be slightly cheaper to buy, on average.
Cons of gas cookers
-
Hobs can be slow to heat up large pans of food, so it may take longer to get your dinner going.
-
Heat distribution in the oven tends to be less even as gas ovens don’t usually come fitted with a fan. A gas oven is therefore usually hotter at the top than at the bottom, which can be an advantage when you’re cooking multiple dishes, but also make it more difficult to cook batches of the same dish evenly.
-
Gas hobs, with their raised burners and pan supports are more fiddly and difficult to clean than flat ceramic or induction hobs.
-
You will need to enlist the services of a qualified Gas safe registered professional to install and gas or dual fuel cooker. This will add more money onto your installation costs in comparison to an electric cooker, which may negate the cheaper purchase price.
Electric Cooker Pros and Cons
Pros of electric cookers
- There tends to be a more even heat distribution thoughout the oven as most electric cookers have fans to help move the hot air around.
- Some electric cookers have a multifunction oven, which means that you can use the grill and fan at the same time. Particularly useful for occasions when a gentler heat is required, such as grilling a thicker piece of meat.
- The hob is easy to clean as most will be flat and therefore less fiddly to clean than the burners and metal pan supports on a gas cooker. Some electric hobs come with touch control instead of dials, which make for even easier cleaning.
- Quicker cooking times. Electric ceramic hobs generally cook quicker than gas hobs. However if you opt for a model with an electric induction hob you’ll get even speedier cooking times as they are quick to heat up the content of a pan and are generally better at simmering at low temperatures too.
- Not every electric grill is fantastic, but on average they tend to outperform gas models in terms of browning food evenly.
Cons of electric cookers
- Higher running costs as electric cookers cost more to run than gas cookers as the price of electricty is higher.
- Electric ceramic hobs hold heat longer than gas or induction hobs. This can pose a risk to inquisitive kids or pets and any pot left on will continue to cook for some time. They can also be slower to heat up.
Dual Fuel cookers
Some people like the flexibility of an electric oven and grill and gas hob. Duel fuel freestanding ovens are less common and tend to be more expensive than other options. Again, you would need to have it installed by a gas safe registered professional.
Like anything – there are good and bad models out there so it’s worth making sure you read online reviews and do your research.
It’s evident that both gas and electric cookers have their clear advantages and disadvantages. It’s up to you to decide which suits your home, lifestyle and budget the most.
