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naturalLiving ❙ Fall-Winter13
S
ince nine out of 10 chefs cook on a gas range, shouldn’t you? From
professional chefs to Wolfgang Puck and Rachael Ray wanna-be’s, culinary
craftsmen prefer the precise, incremental control that natural gas provides.
In fact, upwards of 80 percent of food preparation involves range burners.
Gas burners heat quickly and easily maintain their temperature, whereas
the eye of an electric range cycles on and off to maintain temperature. Cooks can
raise and lower the heat settings on both types of burners, but only gas burners
allow the cook to see the flame move in response to his actions.
“Even when using the oven for cooking, much of preparation starts on the
stovetop,” says Sue Bailey, manager of product development for major appliances
at Viking Range Corp. “We all like to see that pretty blue flame and know that it’s
working. Especially when simmering, it’s great to tweak the burner and see exactly
how high the flame is.”
In addition to that ubiquitous flame that provides precise temperature control,
cooking with gas offers superior energy efficiency and reliability over an electric
range. A typical gas burner can bring water to boiling about three percent faster than
a comparable electric burner. Plus if the electricity goes out, you can still cook with
a natural gas range. Further, gas ranges offer many great features, including auto-
matic ignition, self cleaning or continuous cleaning and smokeless broiling.
Gas ovens are naturally convective, meaning warm air flows around food dur-
ing cooking, but some manufacturers have introduced convection gas ovens that
bake and broil faster than a conventional gas range. Baking in a gas oven adds
moisture to the food; a moist baked chicken dinner or a succulent rib roast entrée
is always better when it’s prepared in a gas oven. Another advantage of a gas oven
Gas ranges offer unmatched convenience, precise control
and a host of advanced features.
By Matt Bolch
Now You’re Cooking!
Gas ovens preheat
faster than electric
ovens and reach
baking temperature
faster without
using the broiler.
Photo courtesy
of Maytag.
12naturalLiving ❙ Fall-Winter