Anyone have a gas stove/electric convection oven at home?

SeattleDeb · #1 08-06-2001, 06:52 PM

We're updating from our all gas range to dual (gas stove/electric convection oven). I love my gas stove but don't like a gas oven (at least ours takes forever to heat up and the cooking is inconsistent).

Just looking for recommendations specifically from cheftalk folks (have done epinion type searches).

Deb

CampChef · #2 08-06-2001, 08:33 PM

I'm interestd in knowing why you are considering electric in the first place. We had electric at home many years ago, but my whole kitchen in the restaurant was gas, I loved it and soon switched all our home appliances to gas. I've heard of folks who love their home electric convection oven, but they are folks who always had electric. I think it would be hard to go back to electric after using gas.

Katherine · #3 08-07-2001, 03:47 PM

Gas cooktops generally are more versatile, while gas ovens work about the same as electric. I think you were probably saddled with a lemon all these years.

[ August 07, 2001: Message edited by: Katherine ]

panini · #4 08-07-2001, 05:24 PM

I have to agree with Kathrine, the btu output should be the same if not better with gas. Clean orifices will always burn evenly. Electric elements will not,think about it, they curl the element to confuse the electricity, that's what generates the heat. Technically electicity should not generate heat. I'm pretty sure you will find recovery better with gas.
Same on the cook top,great recovery and quick reduction in heat when turned off.
jeff

Mezzaluna · #5 08-07-2001, 05:50 PM

Re a professional style gas oven taking forever to heat up: my Viking's igniters for the oven have a life of three or four years. I learned this the hard way (gradually longer preheat and cooking times, finally didn't get above 200 degrees). Yet another thing that, had I known, I'd never have bought that unit. A couple of years later they came out with gas cooktop/electric convection oven. I'd really prefer that. Anybody want to buy a used Viking all-gas range?

CampChef · #6 08-07-2001, 08:57 PM

I strictly stick with gas with pilots. I know they are getting rare, but never a problem with an igniter. I've replaced a few thermocouples in my day, but they're $20 and you can switch them out in fifteen minutes. Try switching out all your electric elements for $20 and fifteen minutes.

Another thing to check on a gas oven that doesn't heat is the air mixture. Make sure you're getting sufficient air. Look at the little air vents on the end of the flame tubes.

panini · #7 08-07-2001, 09:11 PM

Mezzaluna, I'm not really sure what your refering to when you say igniters. How ever there should be nothing to impede the gas. Gas will always fire up faster than electric. On the roraries they usually have a gas blower which is powerful and on the convection they will usually have and extra rim of element to fire up. Keeping in mind I bake not cook, we have 4 dbl stacks,2 convect.etc. they are all gas.
Campchef, I'm sure you already know this, but when replacing those thermal coup. you should be using aluminum instead of copper. Ya know what, I wonder if Mezzaluna is talking about the regulators? I know it's bad and I will probably go to **** but those are the first thing I bypass.
Jeff

SeattleDeb · #8 08-07-2001, 09:30 PM

Thanks everyone...and I agree..I think we've been stuck with a lemon, and this being our only experience with gas ovens, we got ourselves a little biased. I signed up for Consumer Reports today and pulled off ratings for gas/gas....esp interested in the ones that are rated "excellent" for baking/broiling. Have some new ideas to look at.

Thanks everyone for your input...truly appreciated!

Deb

SeattleDeb · #9 08-07-2001, 11:13 PM

I've always had electric, had gas oven in this house the last 8 years. It doesn't cook as evenly as electric, and takes a long time to heat up. That's what we've experienced.

Katherine · #10 08-08-2001, 08:00 AM

Re: igniters

When you turn on one of those pilotless gas ovens like the one I have, the gas doesn't come on right away. Instead, a little electical unit warms up, and only when it gets hot enough to ignite the gas does the gas start flowing. It takes about a minute on my oven.

Jill Reichow · #11 08-08-2001, 01:48 PM

SeattleDeb, we just added on a new kitchen and I bought a 6 burner 36" Dacor. Gas cooktop with gas broiler and electric convection oven that features either pure convection, convection bake or straight bake(old fashioned electric oven style). I have been more than pleased with it. We had considered Viking but read so many bad reviews about customer service and problems that we went with Dacor. Cooks evenly and quickly, at a lower temp for the pure convection. I am more than pleased and I have flipped from gas to electric from one area of the country to another. I have prefered gas, but found a more stable temp with electric.

SeattleDeb · #12 08-08-2001, 03:38 PM

Thanks for the info Luv2..we hadn't looked at Dacor..the one dual fuel we liked was 3600.00 which was almost as much as the Viking (Viking didn't get the highest rating on Consumer Reports either). Found another appliance store to check out this coming weekend. I didn't think there was so much to learn about the different possibilities of range choices.

#13 08-08-2001, 03:43 PM

Let me add my 2 cents here. When I was growing up, my family had a really excellent gas stove at home, which was much better for us than the regular stoves we have now which have burners. I am not talking about the gas stoves with which we are are familiar; I'm talking about a very unusual type of gas stove which my stepfather built himself. He got the parts and pieces for the stove from some very good mechanical shop, from what I remember, along with some instructions on how to put the stove together. I remember watching him build the stove into our kitchen.

I kind of miss that stove because we always cooked very tasty meals on it, which sometimes do not taste so good to me cooked on other stoves, including the one I have now (I have a stove with regular burners at my place). We would just switch the stove off and on every time we needed it or were done with it, just to spare excess gas and the gas bill. We would then light a match and apply it to the burners on the stove, and to the one in the oven if we needed to use the oven. When we turned the oven on, we had to open the windows because the gas would make our eyes smart if we didn't; it was such a strong smell!

I don't know where in the world that stove was found; everyone liked it and the food that was cooked on it; we had no problem at all cooking on it, though we did have a few problems trying to light the stove when it wouldn't light up right away like it was supposed to when we turned it on.

Mezzaluna · #14 08-08-2001, 04:22 PM

Whatever Katherine is talking about is what I mean. Thanks, Katherine! I have two bars of flame under the oven box, and each one has an igniter. The serviceman took out two and replaced them with new ones made by someone besides Viking- I forgot who- because they can last 4-5 years instead of Viking's 3-4 years.

SeattleDeb · #15 08-14-2001, 06:20 PM

Happy to say my new GE Profile Spectra all gas range got installed today. Bought a GE Profile Microwave Oven (with convection that will bake/broil/etc) as well but it got damaged in the warehouse. One more week.

The old range had a lip that went over the tile on the sides...and the GE doesn't, so now I have exposed (and chipped) tile to work with. Amazing how one little project leads to another.

And yes...the gas oven does heat up quickly, I'm quite impressed.