How to Choose Between a Thor Gas Range or Thor Electric Range

You have several factors to consider when choosing between a gas or electric range, and while you may like options in both camps, this guide will help you choose the best fit for your culinary needs.

If you’ve decided on a Thor professional range or just want an upgrade from the range you currently own, you may feel a bit overwhelmed by the wide array of options available. But your first step can narrow down the choices immensely. The first option you need to decide on is whether you want a Thor gas range or an electric one.

This guide presents the different considerations that may influence your decision between a gas and an electric range and helps you determine which features should become the deciding factors for your purchase.

Breaking Down the Differences Between Gas and Electric Ranges

Although you may be accustomed to using one type or another, when you’re ready to purchase a professional range, you should consider all your options, including a type you haven’t cooked on before. After you compare the differences between cooking with gas and electric ranges, you are better equipped to select the right range for your household.

Although you have many factors to weigh when selecting the perfect Thor gas range or electric range for your home, typically the first factor is whether to choose gas or electric. These considerations can help you decide:

• Supply line: You have to be able to hook up your range to power to use it. So if you plan to move the location of your range, you have to make sure you have the proper voltage outlet for an electric range or that you have a gas hookup where you want the range placed.
  
  If you’re positive you want a gas range or even considering it, you need to have gas to power it. You may have an on-site tank running a supply to your home or you may be hooked up to a gas utility already. Even if you currently have an electric stove, simply look behind it for a gas pipe with a shut-off valve to see if your range area is hooked up for gas.
  
  If you don’t have a gas supply to your kitchen already, you can have a licensed contractor install one. So you have to decide whether it’s worth the additional costs. If you’re in the middle of a renovation or building a new home or kitchen, now is the perfect time to consider switching to gas.

• Temperature control: If you cook like a culinary star, then you understand how precise temperatures can affect the outcome of your dish. From sauces and soups to braising and frying, temperature control can be the difference between a creamy sauce or a gluey glob stuck in your pot. Gas ranges offer you precise control of the temperature for each burner. You can turn flames up or down and visualize what’s happening under the pot.
  
  Electric ranges don’t respond as quickly to temperature changes, and it’s  difficult to know just exactly how high or low your heat is. However, for  most home cooks, you easily get a feel for temperature adjustments, and  the precision doesn’t make a real difference in your everyday cooking

• Cooking tasks and efficiency: If you regularly use higher-level cooking techniques such as charring or flambéing, you need a gas range to accomplish these tasks. Chances are that if you enjoy using these techniques, you already have a gas range. If you’re just eager to try them, you need to consider how much you may actually perform these tasks before you make it a deal-breaker on your next range.
  
  On the other hand, you lose cooking efficiency with a gas range. Because you have an open flame, you lose heat while cooking, which you don’t with an electric range that transfers heat directly to your pot or pan. So while you may expand techniques with a gas range, you lose efficiency which affects low-temperature tasks, such as simmering, which is used quite often in daily and high-level culinary tasks.
  

• Ease of cleaning: Even the greatest of cooks has to clean, and once you’ve prepared a delicious meal, you want cleanup to be quick and easy. An electric range offers the greatest ease of cleaning because it’s completely flat. Although abrasive cleaners can damage your cooktop, you simply need to know what to (or not!) use, and cleaning your range is as simple and easy as wiping down your countertops. With a gas range, you have to clean around gas fixtures and under grated burners, which doesn’t offer the same ease as an electric range, especially if the burner grates need to be cleaned.
  
  
• Safety: If you have young children in your household, you may not like the thought of cooking on an accessible flame where even a slightly misplaced cloth or paper towel could start a fire. While anyone—young or old—risks burning themselves on both an electric or gas range, electric ranges tend to be safer.
  
  In addition to not having an open flame, electric ranges have no risk of gas leaks. If you have a gas range, even a slight turn of a knob may not produce a flame, but it does introduce gas into your kitchen. So a carbon monoxide detector is essential if you’re considering a gas range.
  
  
• Operating costs: Just because you’re ready to invest in a professional range doesn’t mean you want to increase your utility bills. Although utility rates vary from state to state, if you prefer to keep your utility bills low, gas ranges typically cost less to operate. However, if you run on solar, the opposite is true.

When you’re deciding between a Thor gas range or an electric one, which factors become deal breakers really depends on what’s important to you. If ease of use and efficient cooking are at the top of your list, an electric range may be the best choice, but if you need precision control to perform masterful cooking techniques, you may be better off with a gas range. Regardless of which choice you make, Premier Home Supply has the perfect professional range for your household in a variety of sizes and styles.