The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Edge of Reason on January 01, 2015, 12:54:08 PM
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Our 20 year Kenmore stove's oven can no longer handle long cooking times...the french fries always come out somewhat soggy and this year's Christmas dinner (roast) wasn't as crispy/juicy as usual. We replaced the bottom element last year when it burnt out but I don't think its the elements....I think its the thermometer malfunctioning after being on too long. It has served us well so I think it may be time for a new one....
We live in an airtight house (with an HRV) so I am not considering gas/propane as I am concerned with air quality. I am looking at convection options and I do like to use my cast iron on occasion so I am concerned with scratching on a smooth top. I am also wondering how they cook compared to electric coil.
I am willing to pay for quality (something that could last us another 20 years if possible)...What do you have and are you happy with it. Do you have a convection oven (true convection or fan?) and do you like your smooth top?
Thanks in advance!
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My old apartment had electric coil, it worked fine but wasn't my favorite. New place has smooth top and I much prefer that. I couldn't put it into any scientific terms though or even why I prefer the latter but I do. It seems like it is more efficient, but again, no proof :)
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I can, so smooth tops are a non-starter. Every glass top I've used at friends' houses looks TERRIBLE in just a few years.
I will probably stay electric for my next stove, but ideally induction for the efficiency and control improvements.
No personal experience with convection ovens but from past reading I've gotten the impression that they're not worth it - or come down to very specific styles of cooking.
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I can, so smooth tops are a non-starter. Every glass top I've used at friends' houses looks TERRIBLE in just a few years.
I will probably stay electric for my next stove, but ideally induction for the efficiency and control improvements.
No personal experience with convection ovens but from past reading I've gotten the impression that they're not worth it - or come down to very specific styles of cooking.
I'm pretty positive that I would hate an induction cooktop. Not because of the functionality, but because of the noise. The ear-splitting high-pitch tone that they make would either annoy me to death or give me headaches. It's the same sort of sound as a CRT TV that's on, but not actually playing anything; I can tell, in a reasonably quiet room whether or not a TV is on, based on whether or not there was the noise.
In other news, I've pretty much only ever cooked on electric coil burners, so I have no real input on whether they're better than a smooth-top.
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I would choose an induction cooktop or stove over any other electric option. It heats much faster, uses electricity more economically, & when you turn it off, it's off; while the surface will still be hot, it's far less hot. When you first switch on a hob, you can put your hand on it all day -- it doesn't transfer energy until a conducting pot or pan is placed on it. Some induction units make a hum noise while operating; if this bothers you, make sure to try it out before purchasing.
The only downside to induction is that you might have to replace some cookware because it isn't conductive or magnetic. What works: steel, stainless steel, including "clad" cookware, & cast iron, including enameled cast iron. What doesn't work: all-aluminum, ceramic, & glass. I am not a fan of aluminum cookware, & glass/ceramic is better suited to the oven. There are economical alternatives to "all-clad" that work very well.
I prefer true convection over fan convection, & will generally use either before traditional radiant oven heat. Most ovens except the most basic will let you choose between convection & radiant. Convection allows you to reduce the time by 25% or reduce the temperature by 25 degrees, depending on whether you are baking or roasting & for how long -- either way you are saving energy. Plus, convection allows multiple racks to be used simultaneously, further saving energy. True convection is air heated & then distributed into the oven, while fan convection depends on radiant elements with a fan to move the heat.
For example: http://ovens.reviewed.com/content/kenmore-elite-95073-freestanding-induction-range
We have a high end induction cooktop & true convection oven. We initially bought an inexpensive portable 110v induction hob to try out when our conventional electric cooktop started to die. It still gets used for tabletop cooking like shabu shabu or on a buffet table.
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I can, so smooth tops are a non-starter. Every glass top I've used at friends' houses looks TERRIBLE in just a few years.
Interesting. We've had our smooth top for 17 years now. Here's (https://www.flickr.com/photos/13357687@N07/15982746399/) a pic. It does get cleaned after almost every use, though, with the cleaner it came with called Cerama-Brite.