Electric Cookers

[buffologist]

All knowing Cooking community, I turn to you for help!

I am about to move into an unfurnished rental property that comes without any white goods.  The property is without gas, (and if it were mine I'd install bottled!) So I must buy myself an electric cooker.  I've never had an electric cooker before so I have no idea what it is I need to be

Comments

[altorogue]

I've had gas and electric, and I'd pick gas every time. It was a tricky, at least for me, to get the hang of what 'high' meant on the electric range; I was so used to judging things by flame size. And it was a lot harder to change things quickly- I'd turn it down and I'd have to take the pan off the burner because it wouldn't change temperature fast enough.

The one time I had to buy something to cook on in a rental place was when I lived in Thailand, where almost nobody cooks at home and not many places have a range at all. I managed to kill two single-burner electrics (one of them only took a week!) and I finally gave up and bought the slightly more expensive one that took a little gas canister, almost like a camp stove. I was returning to the US in less than a month, but I refused to deal with the electric ones any longer- and I was SO glad I bought the gas one. It just seemed to work a lot better. But that was also in southeast asia, bought from a french store and manufactured god knows where. :D

[buffologist]

I thought that it might be tricky! I know that the chinese supermarket near me sells those little gas things and was thinking of buying one, however I'll still have to buy a cooker for the oven/grill alas! I've survived in a flat with 2 hob rings, a toaster oven and a microwave before but I'd not choose to do it again!

Thanks for your advice!

[hazakaza]

I have to agree--the biggest problem is that, even when you turn off an electric stove, it still has plenty of heat in it and will take quite a while to cool, so you have to remove your pan if you want things to actually stop cooking.

[n7of9]

we've always had gas...whenever i need to cook at my bff's place on her electric stove or oven, it drives me mental!

you have no control over the heat so you have to re-learn how to cook even the most rudimentary things :(

and you need cookware with a heavy and flat bottom so the heat disperses evenly

[alloriana]

I'll also agree with the gas camp stove. My parents have electric, and due to a few medical reasons I agreed to make Thanksgiving dinner at their place. Oh BOY was that a challenge. It took me 10 minutes to realize that the back burner wouldn't get hot enough to boil water because it was secretly a 'warming burner'. Useless.

Go with gas if at all possible. Man was meant to cook with real fire.

[cygninae]

We moved into a property with no gas. And I LOVE to cook using gas, so I feel your pain! My ideal combination would be gas hob, electric fan oven

[ronin001]

mmmm...love that recipe for pate. I've got a chopped liver recipe that's similar and to die for!