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I'm surprised I only found one previous thread on this topic and it was 5 years old, so i think it's worth asking again since I'm sure some things have changed.

We're going to be remodeling our kitchen very soon. I'm not a professional chef, but i do like to cook. This will be the first time I've had the opportunity to actually pick out what stove to use rather than using whatever came with the house or apartment.

I'm trying to decide which type of stove to get. Gas I have the most experience with and seems like the simplest to use. It's also a bit of pain to keep clean.

The induction cook tops seem very cool, certainly seem to be easier to clean. But i'd have to replace a fair bit of cookware. I'm not really concerned about having to do that - buying a new set of pots and pans will be relatively cheap compared to the remodel.

The ceramic ones - the only reason that seems worth considering is it should also be easier to clean than gas. But it also feels like it would be too similar to those cheap stoves that use those coils - and I hate those things.

Can anyone list more pros and cons of each to help me make a more informed decision. E.g., this one will heat faster, etc. No opinions, just comprehensive facts, please.

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  • I do strongly believe that the previous induction vs gas question covers a lot of this, and that not much has changed since then. But that question doesn't include electric as an option, so I think this is worth reopening.
    – Cascabel
    Aug 10, 2015 at 16:14
  • I would like to point out that what you want to cook can be important to know... If you do a lot of stir-fries and you love your wok, induction isn't a great option unless you get a fancy (expensive) wok hob. Since induction only heats what it touches and woks have no flat base, you're in a bind.
    – Catija
    Aug 10, 2015 at 22:20
  • I don't even own a wok (or if i do i don't remember where it is ;) although now that you mentioned it, i suddenly feel like it's important. I can always make do with a large pan. So i don't think a wok would be an issue, but thank you for bringing it up.
    – merk
    Aug 14, 2015 at 20:30
  • Some ceramic stoves control temp by switching the heating element on at off at different frequencies. This can give you a "simmer" that is really a "boil madly for a minute, then cool for a minute". That makes some things cook differently than they would on gas or even old style electric coils. Feb 21, 2018 at 23:30
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    Just thought I would update this since someone just posted an answer - i went with an induction stove/cooktop from samsung. I'm happy with it. For me the trade-offs with gas were worth it - mainly for the easier clean up. I did attempt to cook with flat-ish bottomed wok once, and only once. A waste of effort. The only significant complaint i have, specific to the brand, is that the markings on the knobs indicating which 'burner' it controls are coming off. Given the choice, I'd go with an induction cooktop over gas.
    – merk
    Apr 6, 2018 at 22:13

4 Answers 4

2

Aside from the differences in cleaning and price, which are important, I find that the biggest issue for me is actually cooking on the stove.

Gas

  • This is what you're used to using
  • The control of it is reasonably accurate (if your gas stove has better control than high/low/off)
  • The response time is immediate (if you lower the setting, it has immediate effect and less energy is transferred to the pot)
  • Reasonably energy efficient

Electric

  • It's quite a change from gas, requires new cooking habits (mostly due to the response time, see below)
  • The control is very accurate (on a modern stove you'll have ten power levels)
  • The response time is quite slow (takes a minute or two to heat up initially. Worse is that changing from power level 8 to 4 takes a few minutes, with the pan being too hot for that time)
  • Low energy efficiency (relative to the other options)

Induction

  • Doesn't require a major change in habits, but does require thought (I used to heat a pan with oil on the gas, then lift it to move the oil around to cover the bottom. On my induction stove, picking up the pan turns off the coil after a few seconds)
  • The control is very accurate (usually ten power levels)
  • The response time is very fast. Faster than gas on initial heating of the pot, equivalent to gas when turning down.
  • Reasonably high energy efficiency.
  • A powerful induction stove can transfer more energy than gas for equivalent safety, as the gas would require a large flame. Simply put, a 3kW induction stove can boil a 5 litre pot of water in about three minutes.

Note that for a good induction and electric stove, you'd probably need a three-phase electrical connection in the kitchen. You should check the model before talking to the electrician, though.

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  • I'm confused about the energy efficiency bit - gas definitely wastes heat out the sides. Are you talking about the price of the electricity vs the price of the gas?
    – Cascabel
    Aug 10, 2015 at 17:37
  • @Jefromi Heat transferred to pot relative to money spent is the ultimate energy efficiency for me, but it's different in every district, depending on the price of gas and electricity. In this case I was talking about heat on pot relative to heat generated/wasted.
    – Carmi
    Aug 11, 2015 at 16:21
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    I see - my point was that in terms of heat on pot relative to heat generated by the stove, gas seems clearly less efficient than electric. The area around the stove tends to heat up more, and it's especially evident from how hot the sides of the pot get.
    – Cascabel
    Aug 11, 2015 at 16:28
  • The one thing you can do with electricity with 100% efficiency is generate heat, so I'm not sure why you think electric ranges are inefficient.
    – A. R.
    Feb 21 at 15:40
2

Induction (I never actually read this, but thought it looked useful; used my own knowledge)

  • Only work with certain metal pots
  • Will not burn non-metal items, as long as they haven't had a metal (kid-friendly)
  • Cost-efficient once installed (if not in CA or other states with expensive electricity)
  • Easy to clean: water and soap

Gas

  • Works with all types of pots
  • Dangerous, may catch items on fire (stay away from curtains, plants, etc)
  • Generally less cost-efficient than induction stoves (unless in CA or other states with expensive electricity)
  • Harder to clean: occasional scrubbing is needed

Ceramic (resistive heating)

  • Works with all types of pots
  • Remains hot and dangerous for a longer time than induction/gas stovetops
  • Less control over heat, may burn food or reduce quality
  • Takes a long time to prepare and heat up
  • Medium cleaning difficulty: no hard scrubbing, but not just a wipe away; may affect performance if not clean

Brands: There are sooo many brands out there. You might want to check out GE, Home Depot, Sears, and IKEA first. But for ceramic cooktops, a deeper search might be in question.

TLDR: Depends on what you're looking for. Induction is the generally best (cost, safety, maintenance, control) but only works with certain pots.

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  • +1, and: in Australia, with the cost of gas to run a gas cooktop vs. the cost of electricity to run an induction cooktop, gas is cheaper.
    – Ming
    Aug 7, 2015 at 5:57
  • That's exactly why I mentioned the price differences. Nice catch @setek !
    – andrewgu
    Aug 7, 2015 at 15:32
  • I'm in california, so elec is somewhat pricey. Although I don't think this would raise our bill too much since it's not like it's going to be in use non-stop. An hour or two a day average is probably about how often it will be used. And most of that would probably be using two 'burners'. I can't seem to find how much elec it would use per hour per 'burner'.
    – merk
    Aug 14, 2015 at 20:56
1

1 great feature with gas is that you can still cook if your electricity is out. This feature has come in handy on a few occasions but is certainly not a deciding factor.

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  • I'd say that also works in the other direction.
    – user34961
    Feb 22, 2018 at 12:25
  • The only thing that I can think of in the other direction is if you’re in an earthquake area… if you don’t have gas at all, no worries about a broken gas line (and explosion risk). But not so great if the power goes out because of ice storms
    – Joe
    Feb 21 at 2:02
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I have used all types. Gas is best. Look into any restaurant or commercial kitchen and you will find nothing else. Response time is tops for both raising temperature and lowering. It is also the most energy efficient and lowest cost of operation.

Worst is glass/ceramic cooktop. Heat control is horrible. The glass surface gets very hot and even after you turn it down it stays hot and continues to over cook your food. The control knob does not directly control heating. The glass top has sensors that measure temperature of the surface, then turn the sub-surface heater coils on or off constantly changing from high to off. Totally inadequate for trying to control your cooking temperature. They are terrible to clean. Any tiny drips or accidental boil-overs (because heat response is so bad) causes whatever you are cooking to burn to the surface of the glass. No liquid cleaners will remove. You must either use an abrasive cleaner and scrub, scrub, scrub, or use a razor blade and then an abrasive cleaner. If you only boil water, or use the microwave you can clean a ceramic once and then not use it and it looks ok. Other than that it is worthless. No one who loves cooking could have designed a glass cooktop stove.

Electric resistance coil is actually second best. Works on any type of cookware and is quite controllable. When you turn the control knob up or down it immediately increases or reduces the power to the coils and changes the temperature. A little more difficult to clean than gas, but far easier than glass top.

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  • I have down voted this as it is a mixture of opinion and false information. Further more as it fails to mention induction doesn't ever answer the question. Dec 30, 2019 at 9:19
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    @404Usernotfound On the other hand, this kind soul finally gave a specific answer about cleaning ceramic glass with a razor blade and not just a vague one i.e. "a pain", like all the other responses in both threads... Jul 7, 2022 at 4:47

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