Benefits Of Electric Ovens Over Gas Ovens

A gas oven cooks food through the use of gas burners that create heat in the cooking chamber. Whereas, an electric oven creates heat by using electricity to heat specialized coils. While professional chefs tend to prefer gas ovens because they offer much more precise temperature control, electric ovens hold many unique and key advantages over them. Below, Which Cooker go over a few of them.

Greater Energy Efficiency

For one, electric ovens are more energy efficient. Any oven that circulates heat with included fans is considered convection ovens. Ovens are actually the least efficient cooking appliances according to Energy Guide. This is primarily due to the fact oven walls tend to absorb a lot of the heat that the oven produces. That being said, when comparing gas and electric ovens, electric offers superior energy efficiency. Typically, a gas oven will convert around 6 percent of total energy consumption into usable heat. The oven ends up losing a lot of usable energy because the heat escapes through the exhaust ducts. Whereas, the average electric oven is able to convert anywhere from 12 to 13 percent of all energy produced into usable heat for cooking.

Installation Process

Installing an electric oven is a much more convenient and easier process than installing a gas oven. The installation process for an electric oven doesn’t require you to utilize external sources of fuel that you have to bring in from outdoors. Rather, it utilizes your home’s electrical grid which requires plugging your oven in. Therefore, it is much easier and similar to installing a dishwasher. In order to install a gas oven, you will need to pay to have a professional gas company install and run a gas line directly to your home. While, you could utilize an existing gas line that your home uses if you already have a natural gas hook-up, if it doesn’t already run to your kitchen, you will need to hire a professional plumber to get lines to your kitchen. The cost to run a pipe from your home’s natural gas tank is likely to cost anywhere from $200 to $500 as of 2011 according to Energy Guide.

Much More Even Cooking Temperatures

Electric ovens are capable of cooking things much more precisely for the average person. After all, the electric ovens are capable of achieving a much more even and uniform internal cooking temperature. Thus, the cooking temperature is much more predictable which can eliminate cold spots or even hot spots in foods and make it much more difficult to burn food. Whereas, the gas flames with a gas oven are likely to be much more unpredictable and they won’t always release the same amount of heat. A lot of manufacturers tend to install fans directly inside of electrical ovens which can help to better circulate the heat which allows electric ovens to cook food at even temperatures throughout.

Drying

Gas ovens are typically much more humid by default. This helps to keep foods much moister. Whereas, electrical ovens typically produce much more dry heat. Dry heat is typically preferred for cooking meat and dehydrating fruits. However, it is not preferred for baked goods.

Price

When it comes to the initial cost, electric ovens tend to be cheaper in comparison. Thus, an electric oven is not going to cost as much as a gas oven of a similar size. According to Energy Guide, as of 2011, gas ovens will typically cost as much as 50 percent more than electrical ovens.