Ed Pawlowski wrote:

"Pete C." wrote in message

On that last part, I've seen at least four reports of houses leveled by
gas explosions on CNN.com in the last few weeks alone. Oddly enough, not
a single report of a house exploding from an electrical issue.

Sure, gas pops a couple of houses a year, but electrical fires are far more
common, just not as dramatic.. Same with oil burners, woodstoves, coal
stoves, etc.

Not as dramatic, not as likely to damage neighbors homes and most
importantly a lot less likely to kill the occupants. Boom, you're dead,
vs. fire, you run.

The fact that you hear of a house blowing up from gas shows
how rare it is if it makes more than the local news.

Not really, it's just more likely to kill the occupants and as we all
know, the media loves dead people.

How many people were
killed in traffic accidents this week? They are so common they don't even
make the local news. IIRC, there are still 40-50,0000 traffic deaths a
year, but no big outcry to fix anything.

Indeed there are plenty of traffic accidents, and generally they get
local press as well (media loves death remember). The key difference is
that there aren't viable alternatives to traffic, your drive, take a
bus, train, and all have plenty of accidents. On the home front, there
are safer alternatives to gas in the home, so you are able to make a
choice to reduce risk. You can also make a choice to reduce risk by
having gas detectors too, but for some reason people tend to overlook
this and only think about smoke and now CO detectors.

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:31:39 -0600, "Pete C."
wrote:


Ed Pawlowski wrote:

"mike" wrote in message

Some like having the controls out of
the reach of children, but because of the hot combustion gas issue,
you often find gas controls right out front where kids can get to
them, unfortunately.

Let it go.

************************************************** *************

What you see as an advantage, I see as a great disadvanatge after suffering
iwth electric for a few years. Do yo really think it is a good idea to
reach across a boiling pot to reac the controls on an electric? Or while a
steak is being seared? We were very happy to give the electric away and
have propane put in.

Advantages and disadvantages to both types, however they are all pretty
superficial. A good cook can readily produce good food on either type.
On control location, I like any location but on the front, which is
oddly popular on commercial and pseudo-commercial units.


As for the fear of gas leaks, no rational facts can overcome fears of the
mind.

On that last part, I've seen at least four reports of houses leveled by
gas explosions on CNN.com in the last few weeks alone. Oddly enough, not
a single report of a house exploding from an electrical issue.

A lot more houses by far, are leveled by electrical problems, and a
lot more people are killed that way.

I don't remember you writing if you wanted gas or electric. I'd try to see
if Consumer Reports has a free online section. Have a look at that. I'd try
to avoid anything complicated. Electronic circuits tend to go bad. Having
done some appliance repair, the parts house guys call GE "Generally
Expensive". Their replacement parts are higher cost than other brands. I
also avoid Sears, I personally don't like the company.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Zz Yzx" wrote in message
...
After a measly 32 years, my range has cratered.

Any rec's for a new one? $500-$700 price range?

Any ones to stay away from?

Thanks a heap,
-Zz

On Nov 20, 12:59*pm, ransley wrote:
On Nov 20, 9:37*am, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:





On 11/20/08 11:24 am SteveB wrote:

After a measly 32 years, my range has cratered.

Any rec's for a new one? *$500-$700 price range?

Any ones to stay away from?

Thanks a heap,
Stay away from electric.

Why? My wife was a Home Ec. major in college and has taught Home Ec. She
has used both gas and electric ranges over the years and seems perfectly
content with her new ceramic-top electric range. We could have had gas
run to the kitchen for a gas range (the furnace is gas), but she decided
that electric was fine.

Perce

Unless you have subsidised Hydro you pay alot more to cook, I pay 30%
more per Btu for electric. Now Electric companies over the last year
has successfully got major rate increases put through that will stay
in effect, last I saw Ng is in a big down trend. Cooking on electric,
no pro will use electric nor will I. Plus electric electric elements
dont last.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Must be a matter of application and where one is located?

Assuming the OP was asking about ordinary domestic use, where the
requiremnts are to cook daily normal , meals for several people,
conveniently, quietly and safely without wasting a lot of heat to
outside through oven hoods etc.

We also use a microwave for quick heating, re-heating etc. And also
the usual appliances, e.g. toaster etc. We do use some propane in a
camper trailer, but don't drive that much because of the increased
cost of gasoline!

For restaurant/haute-cuisine or celebrity kitchens the requirement
could be very different.

Electricity here (95%+ generated by clean hydro) has gone up slightly
in cost and now averages ten Canadian cents per kilowatt hour. Approx
say 8 to 9 cents US. Or around 4 to 5 pence in the UK. Most here use
electricity for home heating also.

Have found that even used electric stoves are low maintenance and with
electric there no requirements for bottled gas tanks to be so many
feet away from doors or windows of a dwelling etc. etc. or gas
delivery problems. (There is not piped in gas here although we produce
it (and oil) out from wells on the Newfoundland Grand Banks. It's a
tough maritime climate but is a politically stable area of the world;
compared to say Nigeria or competing with the Somali pirates. But
they'd have to come a long way (Transatlantic) to take over a Canadian
oil/gas rig!!!!!!

Also to the point is that huge amounts of electricity are generated
further north at Churchill Falls (Named after that UK compatriot of
FDR) and some of it is exported via Canada to the northern USA. E.g.
New York State.

That production is being greatly increased by another project called
The Lower Churchill during next few years so the prospect is that
politically stable sources of electricity which is less polluting and
foreseeably will remain cheaper, especially when electric vehicles
become common, is the way of the future.

Regards.

On Nov 20, 8:49*pm, "Pete C." wrote:
SteveB wrote:

"Boden" wrote in message
...
SteveB wrote:
"Zz Yzx" wrote in message
. ..

After a measly 32 years, my range has cratered.

Any rec's for a new one? *$500-$700 price range?

Any ones to stay away from?

Thanks a heap,
-Zz

Stay away from electric.

Steve
I agree. *We have a gas cooktop on one island and an electric cook top in
another. *With few exceptions my wife always cooks on the gas one. It is
more responsive. *Heats faster and cools down faster. *I can't imagine
cooking with a wok or boiling lobsters on an electric unit. *A 20,000 BTU
gas burner heats up fast.

Boden

It comes down to this for ME, Boden. *People who know how to cook choose
gas. *It's very simple.

Now, IF I am stuck somewhere (like where I live now) where gas is not
available, I CAN use electricity. *However, I prefer using the $50 used
propane four burner stove in my cabin to the nice electric range I have in
my house.

We are going to do a kitchen remodel as soon as our ship is released from
Somali custody, and the numero uno priority is having a large propane tank
installed and gas piped to the new GAS range.

Steve

People who know how to cook just cook.

Yeah, and people who play the violin just play. I suppose that makes
a $100 violin from the pawn shop about the same as a Stradavarius. I
provided a survey earlier that showed 96% of pro chefs prefer gas.
If it didn't make a rat's ass of difference to them and they think
electric and gas are just as good, why is that? I wonder what and how
often some of you guys actually cook.




While I have a nice dual fuel
stove in my current house, the previous house had a crappy old electric
stove and I produced great dinners there too.

From the small amount of appliance shopping I've done, it appears that
at any given price point, you can get a better quality electric stove
than gas stove.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

If you want to save money, that's perfectly fine. But it doesn't
change the fact that pro chefs and most serious cooks prefer gas.

On Nov 20, 11:46*am, mike wrote:
On Nov 20, 7:15*am, Zz Yzx wrote:

After a measly 32 years, my range has cratered.

Any rec's for a new one? *$500-$700 price range?

Any ones to stay away from?

Thanks a heap,
-Zz

Get an electric with "tight" coils. *They are higher quality than the
scrawny-coil types.

Advantages of electric;

-No dangerous open flame
-No added humidity from combustion
-No explosion hazard
-No stink
-More efficient transfer of energy from element to pan instead of
wasting energy on hot combustion gases flowing up around the pot/pan
unused in large quantities
-Cooler workspace above pan for stirring (see previous point)
-Durable coils

Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't appreciate the finer aspects
of gas cooking. *But if you don't already have a gas line in place by
your range, and any of the above points are important to you, I
suggest electric, especially if you're already used to it's heating
response characteristics.

I don't recommend smoothtops. *Too many people have too many problems
with cracks, stains, pot size acceptance problems, etc.

Curious that you can only find the negatives for gas, and some of them
highly dubious at that. It would seem a fair person would get a
piece of paper and list the pros and cons for both electric and gas,
as opposed to concentrating on one side of the page. Did you help
Bush when he was making the decision to go to war in Iraq?

Stormin Mormon wrote:
I don't remember you writing if you wanted gas or electric. I'd try to see
if Consumer Reports has a free online section. Have a look at that. I'd try
to avoid anything complicated. Electronic circuits tend to go bad. Having
done some appliance repair, the parts house guys call GE "Generally
Expensive". Their replacement parts are higher cost than other brands. I
also avoid Sears, I personally don't like the company.

But some Kenmore stuff gets high marks from Consumer Reports (which are
in the library).

Lou

Sometimes, you favor or avoid a brand cause you don't like the company. If I
read a Consumer Reports, and Sears was the only A+++ rated range, I'd still
buy some other brand.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"LouB" wrote in message
...
Stormin Mormon wrote:
I don't remember you writing if you wanted gas or electric. I'd try to see
if Consumer Reports has a free online section. Have a look at that. I'd
try
to avoid anything complicated. Electronic circuits tend to go bad. Having
done some appliance repair, the parts house guys call GE "Generally
Expensive". Their replacement parts are higher cost than other brands. I
also avoid Sears, I personally don't like the company.

But some Kenmore stuff gets high marks from Consumer Reports (which are
in the library).

Lou

On Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:35:25 -0500, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Sometimes, you favor or avoid a brand cause you don't like the company. If I
read a Consumer Reports, and Sears was the only A+++ rated range, I'd still
buy some other brand.


There are some pluses with Sears. They guarantee most of the products
they sell, I found Sears has available parts online. Kenmore is not
high-end quality, but often above average. I have seen brand-quality
vary over time so what was good 10-20 years ago may still not be good.

"Pete C." wrote in message

Not as dramatic, not as likely to damage neighbors homes and most
importantly a lot less likely to kill the occupants. Boom, you're dead,
vs. fire, you run.

The fact that you hear of a house blowing up from gas shows
how rare it is if it makes more than the local news.

Not really, it's just more likely to kill the occupants and as we all
know, the media loves dead people.

How many people were
killed in traffic accidents this week? They are so common they don't
even
make the local news. IIRC, there are still 40-50,0000 traffic deaths a
year, but no big outcry to fix anything.

Indeed there are plenty of traffic accidents, and generally they get
local press as well (media loves death remember). The key difference is
that there aren't viable alternatives to traffic, your drive, take a
bus, train, and all have plenty of accidents. On the home front, there
are safer alternatives to gas in the home, so you are able to make a
choice to reduce risk. You can also make a choice to reduce risk by
having gas detectors too, but for some reason people tend to overlook
this and only think about smoke and now CO detectors.

Cooking and smoking are the two leading causes of fires. Here is number 3

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eopsterm...8&c sid=Eeops
Electrical Fires were the 3rd Leading cause of Fire Deaths in Massachusetts
in 2006. 579 Electrical Fires Caused 4 Civilian Deaths in Massachusetts in
2006.
Local fire departments reported that there were 579 structure fires caused
by electrical problems in Massachusetts in 2006. These fires also caused 75
civilian injuries, 92 service injuries and an estimated dollar loss of $26.2
million dollars. The average loss per fire was $45,248.

http://fireandfloodrepair.com/articl...ouse-fires-are...


With over 18 years as a Fire Marshall in Georgetown, Texas, Dan Jansen is an
expert in the world of fire safety. During his tenure as a Fire Marshall,
Jansen has dealt primarily with fire education, safety and prevention.
Jansen said that fires are caused primarily by consumers and homeowners
being careless when it comes to dealing with potential hazardous situations.
Jansen also said that the most common causes of home fires today usually
have to deal with extension cords, heaters and curious children.

http://www.essortment.com/articles/f...on-home_76.htm
"One of the most common fire causing elements is the use of an extension
cord in place of permanent wiring
," he said. "Most people are not aware of this danger. People will take
extension cords, and they will plug multiple devices into them for long
periods of time. Extension cords are designed for temporary use. I have seen
something as minor as a small transformer, that works the air compressor for
an aquarium, be enough to short out an extension cord."

Shears used to, and probably still uses off spec parts. So if you want a set
of breaker points for a Sears Tecumseh engine, the ordinary Tecumseh points
won't work. I'm sure they do a lot of things like that to keep the parts
traffic coming back. But, not *MY* parts traffic.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Phisherman" wrote in message
...

There are some pluses with Sears. They guarantee most of the products
they sell, I found Sears has available parts online. Kenmore is not
high-end quality, but often above average. I have seen brand-quality
vary over time so what was good 10-20 years ago may still not be good.