When it comes to choosing your range cooker, it is important to know what options are available to you. Knowing what size or colour you want your cooker to be is just as important as understanding what is required for your cooking. Most importantly, you should know what fuel type of range cooker you need: gas or electric. At Rangecookers we offer a wide variety of both, so read on to find out which cooker is suitable for your needs...

Every cooker has benefits and drawbacks, so the right cooker for you often depends on how you like your food cooked and the way you like to cook it. Here are a few things to consider...

 

Which is more efficient and reliable?

Gas hobs offer easy-to-control and instant heat that tends to spread evenly across the base of a pan, meaning less stirring needs to be done to get your dinner properly cooked. However, gas cookers can be slower at heating up larger amounts of food, so if you're cooking your family size roast you may have to wait a little longer. Electric ovens often have fans, meaning your food will cook evenly and take less time. Multifunction ovens also have different heating elements that you can use to your advantage, for example using both the grill and fan at the same time to cook different foods required for your meal. If you choose to purchase an electric cooker with an induction hob (see our previous blog post here) you can speed up your cooking times even more.

 

Which is cheaper?

Understanding the effect the appliances in your home are having on your monthly budgets can be one of the most important factors in your purchase decision. Whilst a lot of the time any comparisons done between gas and electric cookers see them using roughly the same amount of energy, gas cookers have lower running costs. However, a gas cooker may not suit your cooking requirements, so it is beneficial to compare the prices and consider whether it is worth the extra money.

Which is easier to clean?

Whether you choose an electric ceramic top cooker or an electric induction top, the flat cooking surface makes them both much easier to clean. As the hob doesn't get hot on an induction top, any accidental spillages can be cleared with just one wipe. A gas cooker can be harder to clean due to the raised burners and pan supports. It is often more time-consuming cleaning a gas cooker, with cast pan supports being more susceptible to dust collection and excess food from spillages. 

 

Which is more environmentally friendly?

An electric cooker is generally the more environmentally friendly option when considering overall carbon emissions. With natural gas cookers, these heat more efficiently than electric cookers so, in terms of the hob, less energy is needed to produce the same amount of heat. However, electric ovens will heat up quicker than a gas oven. The thing to consider is where you get your electricity from. If your electricity comes from a company that supplies only renewable energy, then electricity would be beneficial when it comes to carbon emission. So, it all depends on your energy source.

Gas cookers are favoured by commercial chefs due to the ability to control the heat and cooking speeds instantly. However, if you are more of a pizza and chips kind of chef, an electric cooker could be the one for you. If you're still undecided, there is also the option of a dual fuel cooker, which features a gas hob and an electric oven. Combining the best of both worlds, dual fuel is often a preferred option.

 

If you have any questions about gas, electric or dual fuel cookers then please get in touch with our team on 01244 402 975 or visit our website to view all the range cookers we have to offer.