How to use an electric stove?

[JackDaniels]

I’m planning to surprise my girlfriend abroad with some home cooked meals when I visit her, and I just don’t know how to use one of those electric stoves. When she first invited me to her home after the Asian dating social we attended, I noticed that she uses an electric stove rather than the usual one that uses gas. I was planning on surprising her by cooking her breakfast in the morning but I’m kind of skeptical with my cooking abilities when using an electric one. Need some help!

[ckreef]

I have an electric stove, Yea they suck but it can be managed. They do take longer to heat up and longer to cool down compared to gas so you have to account for that. How hot the settings get (usually a 1-10 scale) is going to be slightly different amongst various brands. Try and use the burner that best fits the size of your pan. If you find things are too hot and it's starting to get away from you turn the heat down and pull the pan off the eye for 30 seconds or a minute then proceed. 

 

Once you get use to the particular heat settings it's doable. Have confidence. The worst that will happen is dinner will be a few minutes late or you'll burn the heck out of it - LOL 

 

 

[moloch16]

Knowing what you plan to cook will help.  I don't think they are much different than any other stove.  You have High which is max heat, this will boil water quickest but leaving it here while cooking is often a bad idea.  Cooking is usually don on Medium heat (turn the dial half way), and if you want to simmer or cook rice it's usually done on low heat.

 

Let's say the knob is a range from 1-10

• 10:  Preheat pan, boil water, or cook fast (i.e. wok)
• 4-7:  Cooking range for most foods
• 1-3: Low heat to keep food warm, simmer slowly, cook rice, etc

[mike echo]

We had electric stoves for years. Managed them much like @moloch16and @ckreef. This being our last house, I converted from an electric drop in to gas. 

 

One of the great decision I have ever made.

 

M.

[Golf Griller]

We have electric, and I have found that if I need to get something on a lower heat, I move the pan to a different burner that is set for the temp I want. Electric does not cool down as quickly as gas.

[KismetKamado]

Any idea what kind of pans you're going to be using?  That may play a part as well.  I am doomed with electric as well.  I rarely go over the mid setting - and if using cast iron you probably don't need to go as high as you might think.  I'll also add, I think I put a nasty warp in a nice heavy carbon steel skillet going too high of heat on my electric burner, but I'm not 100% sure that's what happened.  Also warped a thin aluminum pan once preheating it too high.... And once you warp a pan and you're trying to use a flat electric cooktop... well, it just doesn't work very well.

[Bgosnell151]

13 hours ago, Golf Griller said:

We have electric, and I have found that if I need to get something on a lower heat, I move the pan to a different burner that is set for the temp I want. Electric does not cool down as quickly as gas.

 

As Golf Griller stated, if you want to lower the temp, turn another burner on at the lower temp and move the pan over.  they take a long time to cool down.

 

is it a glass top electric or a coil electric?  I have a glass top electric.  

[Golf Griller]

10 hours ago, Bgosnell151 said:

 

is it a glass top electric or a coil electric?  I have a glass top electric.  

 

I also have a glass top electric. Would like to change to gas, but not sure what would be involved in adding the gas line to the stove.

[slap1914]

We currently have a glass top electric. Like any cook you have to keep an eye on how the food is cooking in the pan. 

 

Our next upgrade will be to induction. 

[Bgosnell151]

14 hours ago, Golf Griller said:

 

I also have a glass top electric. Would like to change to gas, but not sure what would be involved in adding the gas line to the stove.

Yeah, I’m with you on that one.  I used to push for it, now I just say that a KK would do just fine instead.  

 

One can dream, right?

[retfr8flyr]

I have been cooking with electric for years and once you get used to it it's really not bad, as stated you need to plan you temp control much better, then with gas. Have any of you checked out Induction cook tops? If you have to stay with electric and want gas speed, then induction is the way to go. Golf Griller, it would be much cheaper to go induction then changing over to gas, unless you already have a gas lint at your house. I just ordered a new range today and had to decide whether to go with induction, or stay conventional. After much researching, I decided to stay conventional. I just couldn't justify the added cost for the induction tops.

[Golf Griller]

9 hours ago, retfr8flyr said:

I have been cooking with electric for years and once you get used to it it's really not bad, as stated you need to plan you temp control much better, then with gas. Have any of you checked out Induction cook tops? If you have to stay with electric and want gas speed, then induction is the way to go. Golf Griller, it would be much cheaper to go induction then changing over to gas, unless you already have a gas lint at your house. I just ordered a new range today and had to decide whether to go with induction, or stay conventional. After much researching, I decided to stay conventional. I just couldn't justify the added cost for the induction tops.

 

We do have a gas line to the house. Just not to the kitchen.

9 hours ago, Bgosnell151 said:

Yeah, I’m with you on that one.  I used to push for it, now I just say that a KK would do just fine instead.  

 

One can dream, right?

 

One can dream. Maybe after we get the last couple of house improvements completed.

[AntinOz]

Gas is incredibly common in Melbourne. We have mains gas everywhere. I have gas cooktop and electric oven, best of both worlds. I would be tempted to try induction if I upgraded. I even had a mains fed gas bbq (before I knew better) at one place I rented. Four guys sharing a house and nobody got blamed for forgetting to full the gas bottle!

 

I grew up with electric, and would never go back. I even complain when the gas is too slow. Induction would be worth a try through.

[HeavyG]

There's nothing wrong with electric stoves. They do operate a bit differently and it may take some getting used to if you have never used one before.

 

I'm still using an old school coil burner type. An electric doesn't cool down as quickly as a gas but so what? Just move the pot to an unused burner. Or set it on a trivet. Or factor that into your workflow/timing.

 

Electric stoves actually boil water quicker than gas stoves. Electric stoves also generally have better lower temp performance. Many gas burners really don't work well at their lowest settings and many don't spread the heat as evenly as an electric burner. That's why you can buy those things called "flame tamers" or "diffusion plates" (those are actually also sometimes useful on electric coil burners too).

 

I don't have gas in my neighborhood so I'll never get a gas stove in my house. I know that eventually my 40 year old stove is going to die and I really don't want a glass cooktop because I'm a pan tosser and slider and I know they just aren't up for the way I roll and a cracked glass top is expensive to replace.

[Beermachine]

Electric stove = buy a Kamado Joe