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Does it make any difference in taste when you use Gas stove and Electric Stove? AFAIK, it doesn't but some people I know (amateur cooks) say that it does make a difference in taste.

Enlighten me on this one please?

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  • This question (What do I need to know when moving from an electric hob to a gas hob) doesn't mention anything about taste, just performance. Were they more specific about the difference (e.g. one tastes better, etc)?
    – Erica
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 9:19
  • they say gas stove cooked food tastes better
    – binsnoel
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 9:44
  • It will taste different if the gas flame touches the ingredients and come back in the pan( when tossing ingredients in the pan). but this is highly anecdotal.
    – Max
    Commented Oct 15, 2015 at 13:17

7 Answers 7

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The simple answer is: no, heat is heat, it should taste the same.

Reality is slightly more complicated than that. In reality, a cook learns how to cook well by instinct with his stove. When he changes to a stove with a different behavior, his instinct is suddenly wrong, but he probably does not know it. So he cooks as usual. But because the stove works differently, he should have changed the setting and time he uses. So, a stove change alone can cause food to taste worse - not because the stove is worse, but because the cook's skill is lacking.

Also, an electric stove (especially an old fashioned one with iron hobs) cannot do some things a gas stove can, such as a very quick change in temperature. If the food absolutely requires this, it can turn out worse on the electric stove. But a good cook should be able to work around that.

So, the more complete statement should be: There is no difference in taste between cooking on electric or gas stove, if the cook knows how to compensate for the difference in heating speed.

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    Many electric stoves now achieve "simmer" etc. by varying the time period during which the burner is on its only setting "high". With thin pans, this can really mess up flavor and texture.
    – Wayfaring Stranger
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 0:24
  • ah thank you so much for explaining to me why it all feels so "wrong" when I move to an electric stove... the more constructive thing is to try to adjust and relearn your instincts but it is by no means easy and it's so much simpler to just complain. the quick change in temperature thing seems to be a pretty fatal lack though
    – skittles sour
    Commented Aug 26, 2022 at 17:35
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There is no difference in food taste when cooking using gas or electric. Gas burns pretty cleanly so is not going to leave a flavor residue you could detect.

Cooking over flame as in a barbecue or a pot over a campfire does change the flavor because of the smoke, that's the only case I can think of where the heat source can change the flavor of the food.

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No Only when smokes is added by the cooking method does it effect the taste. The only real reason why gas is preferred over conventional stoves is that you can control the temperature of a gas stove much more accurately.

Gas mark 1, 2 and are a much more universally accepted temperature gauge then what is the case with conventional stoves that may all be different in the temperatures they give at there various marks.

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I think there might be a maybe? I find that there is of course differences in responsiveness between gas and electric. Gas is much quicker to respond in temperature, either raising it or lowering it. Electric is much less responsive. I'll take a gas range over an electric one any day of the week.

But here is my maybe...if you were to actually cook food directly with the actual heat of a gas or electric stove, there might be a difference. I would say that the heat from gas has more water vapor. If you put a clear heat proof glass container a little above a gas flame you will see some vapor on it. I would say this is lacking in electric, it is a dry heat.

I will frequently cook/reheat both corn and flour tortillas or charring veggies, directly on the gas hob and also directly on those old fashioned electric coils. I would say that there is a difference, as the electric coil heated tortilla has less moisture and a bit more crispy. And ones heated on gas is warm, but not as crispy. With the coils, you can place food directly on the coiled surface, which will cook differently. The gas flame needs that little bit of space between it and foods you cooking, or else it is extinguished. Or perhaps it's just me, but this difference only exists when you cook food directly with the heat from either gas or electric.

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If you compare a high quality electrical stove vs. a gas stove - from my personal experience, there is no difference.

But, if you're talking about cheap electrical stoves, those heat and cool very slowly and might cause food to over\under cook.

Personally, I always prefer the good old gas stove.

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It actually does for specific dishes but only because with a gas burner you can achieve higher temperatures which allow for a faster Maillard reaction. This is especially true when cooking in a wok. The higher temperature will allow for a faster charring and less loss of water making for tastier and more tender food.

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Of course it's better with gas, it cooks quicker therefore retaining moisture in the food, which aids taste...try cooking a full breakfast to prove my point.

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    Why do you think that gas "cooks quicker"? This simply isn't true. It completely depends on the strength of the burners. A high-powered electric stove can easily outperform a low-powered gas one. Also, cooking quicker is not always better. There's a reason we slow-cook stuff like chili and roasts.
    – Catija
    Commented Apr 21, 2016 at 15:18

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