Professional and passionate cooks typically have a bias towards gas as their preferred fuel source. Faithful gas cooks are likely to continue to espouse all the advantages of cooking on gas and while cooking with a live flame is beneficial, there are still some very good reasons to consider an electric cooktop. So, here we’ll explore the advantages of an electric cooktop.
Easier Cleaning:
When you have a smooth electric cooktop, it is far easier to clean compared to a standard gas cooktop. Although there are sealed burners, these are often at a far higher price point, so most gas cooktop users need to deal with crumbs, grease and other debris creating a mess that is not only difficult to clean, but can clog the gas burner.
A smooth electric cooktop has no such crevices where bits of food can collect. You can clean the surface with a cloth, brush or cleaning product. In fact, if you wipe the cooktop down when it has cooled to being just warm, most remnants can be easily removed with a damp cloth.
No Harmful Gases:
While cooking with gas may be effective, recent studies have highlighted the potential for harmful gases that are created during the process. When the fuel is burned, it creates carbon monoxide. In most cases, this gas is vented to prevent any harm to the occupants of the home, but if there is a fault with your gas appliance, a leak may occur.
Unfortunately, carbon monoxide is odorless, which means that it can accumulate inside the home with potentially devastating consequences. In fact, major cities across the country are beginning to implement plans to eliminate gas cooktops from homes in favor of electric models. Aside from ambient heat, electric cooktops do not create any byproducts.
No Need for Industrial Ventilation:
Since gas cooktops can generate high heat outputs, you need to have proper ventilation to keep the conditions in your kitchen comfortable. Generally, you will need 100 cubic feet per minute for every 10,000 BTUs of heat produced by a gas appliance.
Since some gas cooktops can create up to 50,000 BTUs, you would need to upgrade to an industrial range hood, as the typical conventional kitchen hood cannot accommodate this level of heat.
While an electric cooktop does need a vent, the requirements are far lower than a gas cooktop. In many cases, standard range hoods have sufficient capacity to remove the heat produced.
Greater Affordability:
When compared to other types of cooktops, electric models tend to sit at the bottom price point. Of course, there are both affordable and more expensive models, and the price is dependent on the size and features, but when you compare a like for like model, you are likely to find electric is more affordable.
Induction Technology:
If you’re looking for an even more effective cooktop, but don’t want to use gas, you could consider an induction cooktop. Induction heats the cookware directly via electromagnets. This turns the cookware into the heating element, but you need to have ferromagnetic cookware.
This type of cooktop is more costly compared to a standard electric cooktop, but induction is highly efficient with minimal wasted heat. This means that cooking times are reduced. For example, you can boil water in approximately two minutes compared to the five to eight minutes needed with a traditional cooking surface.
If you’re considering a new cooktop, you can explore your options with our online collection of cooktops. Alternatively, you can speak to one of our home appliance specialists who would be happy to walk you through all of the available options.
