What professional articles of faith serve home cooks badly?

There are certain things that professional cooks and chefs take as gospel that I don't think serve home cooks very well. Foremost among them, in my opinion, is the use of the gas stove. A professional would rather boil himself to death than use an electric stove. However, in a home kitchen I feel the case for gas is marginal at best. I have quality heavy-bottomed cookware and a cheap electric stove/oven combo, and have no trouble cooking whatever I want to. Gas is more even, certainly, but I make custards without the use of double boiler or bain marie, straight on the burner with no problem. Gas is also much quicker to turn off, but I have ample counter space in which to remove pans.

In a restaurant situation, I can absolutely see why cooks swear by gas. However, they also have professional venting, and can afford to spend $1500 on a small four-burner cooktop. Given the choice between an underpowered gas range (which is the case 90+% of the time) and an electric, I'll take the electric every time. Sure, a few of you have high-powered gas ranges, and I wouldn't deny you that choice, but in the $1500 range on down, I know what I'd choose. Having to start a pot of pasta water half an hour before I want it to boil is not on my schedule!

What other things do the pros do that don't make sense for us servantless American cooks?

I do not have any desire for high end cutlery. My set of stainless Farberware is fine for me.

I don't have much counter space so it is an irritant that an electric burner remains hot for so long.

What really doesn't serve me well are recipes that need lots of big tools: due to the aforementioned counter space issue I do not have room to simultaneously operate a mandoline, a blender, a crock-pot, three sizes of food processors and a ThermoMix!

I cooked with electricity for the first 35 years of my marriage. We remodeled our kitchen 12 years ago. I put in all high end appliances, including a 6 sealed burner Dacor cook top which is gas. I love it and will not go back to electric anytime soon. The downside is that gas puts out an unfriendly environmental soot into my house. I use the huge hood above my stove 99 % of the time, but I notice a blackish grim on the inside of my white cabinets. It is only noticeable when you wipe up something and then you see the difference. The outside is fine, because they get wiped down on a regular basis. It also leaves a opalescent film on my low E windows. I have no other explanation for what else might be causing it., and as far as I know, it is only in the kitchen.

Jeff; I can understand about the counter space. I have sufficient space, but not any extra. When I want to use my crockpot. Cuisinart Griddler, etc. I put a large baking sheet on my gas stove top and set the crock pot on it. It serves two purposes; frees up my counter space, and I can use the vent hood above it. A full size blender, baby food processor, full size processor, and toaster, are kept in two appliances garages I had built during the remodel. Love those things!

Where we live gas is almost a necessity, particularly if the alternative is to move out during power outages. However having cooked with both gas and electric over the years, I prefer gas. Granted you have to get used to your individual unit and you should not follow any cooking directions that talk in terms of "high" or "medium low" heat. You just have to know how what you have on the stove needs to cook, and adjust the fire accordingly.

We still have saucepans from Revere Ware from over 45 years ago, but we also enjoy our Scan Pan skillets, saute pan, dutch oven, wok, and grillpan.

I prefer the more immediate responsiveness of the heat control with gas. I currently have an electric range and am planning to replace it with a gas stove at some point. For stir-frying I use a gas burner powered by butane canisters indoors and a 50,000 BTU gas ring outdoors. Stir-frying on an electric heating element doesn't work well for me.

-Paul W.

What really doesn't serve me well are recipes that need lots of big tools: due to the aforementioned counter space issue I do not have room to simultaneously operate a mandoline, a blender, a crock-pot, three sizes of food processors and a ThermoMix!

Oh there's ALWAYS room for a ThermoMix!

Jeff; I can understand about the counter space. I have sufficient space, but not any extra. When I want to use my crockpot. Cuisinart Griddler, etc. I put a large baking sheet on my gas stove top and set the crock pot on it. It serves two purposes; frees up my counter space, and I can use the vent hood above it. A full size blender, baby food processor, full size processor, and toaster, are kept in two appliances garages I had built during the remodel. Love those things!

That's a good trick. I work very hard to schedule the use of 'big tools' so that everything else gets done on time.

I prefer the more immediate responsiveness of the heat control with gas. I currently have an electric range and am planning to replace it with a gas stove at some point. For stir-frying I use a gas burner powered by butane canisters indoors and a 50,000 BTU gas ring outdoors. Stir-frying on an electric heating element doesn't work well for me.

I'm with Paul: gas stovetops provide me with a degree of control that I don't get with an electric. I'm constantly adjusting and fiddling the temp as I cook and I generally don't have the time to monitor how my adjustments have taken. Perhaps if I cooked regularly with an electric stove I'd have greater feel for the ballistics of temperature change on them, but as it is they are a constant annoyance.

Mark Lipton

Perhaps if I cooked regularly with an electric stove I'd have greater feel for the ballistics of temperature change on them, but as it is they are a constant annoyance.

I lived with one for a while. You just learn how to plan a couple minutes ahead. Also, you control temp in the pot by picking it up rather than turning the knob.

Perhaps if I cooked regularly with an electric stove I'd have greater feel for the ballistics of temperature change on them, but as it is they are a constant annoyance.

I lived with one for a while. You just learn how to plan a couple minutes ahead. Also, you control temp in the pot by picking it up rather than turning the knob.

Yep. We had a really crappy, beat-up 70's vintage electric Tappan for about ten years. Prior to that, I'd used a gas stove. It didn't take too long to get used to dealing with the lag time on the heating elements (or at least on the two of the four that actually worked). Made a lot of very good meals on that thing, if I do say so myself. We replaced that POS a couple of years ago with a gas range and I certainly enjoy cooking on it more than the old one. Don't know that the meals come out any better, though.

The comments above on the slowness of electric hobs to respond are referring to oldfashioned radiant hobs.

Electric induction hobs are as instantanious as gas and more efficient energy users.

If you are thinking of changingfrom electric because you want instant response have a look at induction first.

If you are thinking of changingfrom electric because you want instant response have a look at induction first.

Some cookware does not respond, right?

Jeff you are quite correct, induction hobs only respond to ferric cookware (ie test pot with a magnet) but with the appropriate cookware they are fantastic, better than gas and safer for old #arts who might leave the gas on! Also less residual heat in the actual cooktop surface. Our future home (currently weekending) is in an area with no gas supply so we researched and found an electric ceramic cooktop with 2 induction hobs and 2 regular hobs which allows me the flexibilty of the speed of gas on the induction and the ability to use my non ferrous pots as well, for us a win-win, the concept of retrofitting with gas bottles and the need for refills etc was daunting and we were pleased to ditch it.

My wife says a professional cook might not boil himself to death rather than use an electirc stove but they would consider immediate Hari Kari with a dull knife. She is not a professional chef but did teach Food Service Management at the college level. I would say she is an excellent cook, an amateur goumet cook, etc. We do have quite a few friends who would fit the same description and can't imagine anyone of them using electric if they had a choice of gas.

My wife ...She is not a professional chef but did teach Food Service Management at the college level. I would say she is an excellent cook, an amateur goumet cook, etc.

So would the fortunate souls who are your dinner guests, I daresay, Lou.

Mark Lipton

My wife says a professional cook might not boil himself to death rather than use an electirc stove but they would consider immediate Hari Kari with a dull knife. She is not a professional chef but did teach Food Service Management at the college level. I would say she is an excellent cook, an amateur goumet cook, etc. We do have quite a few friends who would fit the same description and can't imagine anyone of them using electric if they had a choice of gas.

Lou,

In our next life, you get to be a priest, and I get to marry B-L!

If you are thinking of changingfrom electric because you want instant response have a look at induction first.

Some cookware does not respond, right?

Yes - Induction works by magnetism so base of pot has to be magnetic. Good excuse to buy some new pans.

A party trick you can do with it.

Put a silicone heatstand on the hob and a pot of water on top of that and see the water boil when you switch on the hob. When water is boild remove both hand and silicone and put hand on the hob - its cool.

I like that you have to turn off the hob when you remove a pan - no pan, no electric, no wasted energy.

My wife says a professional cook might not boil himself to death rather than use an electirc stove but they would consider immediate Hari Kari with a dull knife. She is not a professional chef but did teach Food Service Management at the college level. I would say she is an excellent cook, an amateur goumet cook, etc. We do have quite a few friends who would fit the same description and can't imagine anyone of them using electric if they had a choice of gas.

I think this type of statement fits the title of the thread quite well.
An induction cooktop can be as responsive and as quick as gas (even better than gas when talking about normal domestic equipment).
At home I have a high end domestic cooktop with a wok burner, at our country home we have an induction hob and it is IMHO amd experience, with direct comparison of the two, the better unit. It did however require actual using the beast to convince me, experimentation won me over.
There are also well known and highly respected chefs who DO use induction cooking.

My wife says a professional cook might not boil himself to death rather than use an electirc stove but they would consider immediate Hari Kari with a dull knife. She is not a professional chef but did teach Food Service Management at the college level. I would say she is an excellent cook, an amateur goumet cook, etc. We do have quite a few friends who would fit the same description and can't imagine anyone of them using electric if they had a choice of gas.

I think this type of statement fits the title of the thread quite well.
An induction cooktop can be as responsive and as quick as gas (even better than gas when talking about normal domestic equipment).
At home I have a high end domestic cooktop with a wok burner, at our country home we have an induction hob and it is IMHO amd experience, with direct comparison of the two, the better unit. It did however require actual using the beast to convince me, experimentation won me over.
There are also well known and highly respected chefs who DO use induction cooking.

Induction hob, have all electice stoves come equipped so? My wife says that is something she would like to try. I've been fortunate to accompany my wife into many kitchens of starred restaurants from here such as the French Laundry, Daniel NY, to many 3 starred in Europe and she is waiting to see one equipped with electric instead of gas. Maybe gas stove will disappear like the dinosaurs.

Lou
Not all electric stoves have induction hobs by any means. In fact all though they have been around now for many years they haven't really made much impact in Australia although that is slowly changing now. I don't know how common they are in other countries but I believe they are popular in Europe.
They got bad press intially due to the misunderstandings about appropriate cookware and the word went out that "you must have special cookware" which frightened people off. Probably the technology has improved as well.
As well as being very efficient they are clean, quiet and safer (which all goes to show I am aging!! LOL)
I think we will see more of them in the future, design wise there are interesting options, I recently saw an induction hob which was concave to hold a standard wok, cool.
cheers

they haven't really made much impact in Australia although that is slowly changing now. I don't know how common they are in other countries but I believe they are popular in Europe.
They got bad press intially due to the misunderstandings about appropriate cookware and the word went out that "you must have special cookware" which frightened people off.

I don't know anyone who bought a new hob except when they were upgrading their kitchen, so its not a common event.

I had had my electric ceramic hob since we had the kitchen made after we moved into this house 20+ years ago. THen it was time for a new kitchen and I was thinking of continuing with the ceramic hob. I'd heard of induction hobs but heard you had to buy all new pots for it so that put me off because I onlyheard that and not about their advantages.

A sales made in a kitchen shop offered to demo an induction hob and seeing him boil water in a pan convinced me.

For most people there are two types of hobs electric and gas hobs and electric comes with the baggage of the traditional type.

The third type is induction

Peter
That is a great perspective,,, gas electric and induction!!! They are all equally different (????) and all have their pros and cons.Eventually we will all choose what isbest for us re features, price etc but it is important to have the conversations which allow us to make informed decisions.
cheers