Need help adapting to Gas cooker?

[TiG]

As topic, my accomodation in High Wycombe has got Gas hobs, and for the life of me i've still not cracked the best way to approach using them, typically with electric cookers i just stick it up to max heat and cook from there, the pan warms nice and gradually and i can adjust temperature to suit.

But gas just instantly warms the pan, tend to bake stuff to the pan instantly now, although boiling rice on Gas is so much nicer...

Any advice guys?

TiG

[turkster]

Yeah I'm also trying to get used to a gas hob ( and a gas oven which is even worse )at my new flat and as you say I burn things because it heats up so fast .

Probably just requires a bit of practice though .

[Rave]

Oh man, I seriously pine for a gas cooker, I have electric now and it sucks supremely. The hob takes ages to warm up even at full power, then suddenly it gets so hot that you have to whip the pan off while it settles down to a sensible cooking temp. Total nightmare TBH.

With gas I just used to give the pan a good blast a full whack (or close to) then turn it to a sensible cooking temperature (or simmer) when I was ready to put in whatever I was cooking. If you're boiling something for example you just get the water boiling then turn it to simmer and it's easy to keep the temperature just right; if you're frying just get the pan hot then have it on maybe half heat while you fry the food.

Do you ever see electric hobs in a restaurant kitchen? Not very often, I'd wager.

Rich :¬)

[stytagm]

Gotta agree with Rave here, I've had gas my whole life until this year, and I must have boiled over so many pots of pasta 'cos of the electric weirdness.

As the adverts used to say, gas is just so 'off and on-able'

Also at least half a dozen times I've left the sodding electric hob on for hours, only to return to the kitchen and think 'its a bit warm in here', hate to think what it did to my 'lectric bill

I will admit that the fan asissted oven is fine even for cakes, don't know why people complain about them so much.

[Rave]

Yeah, in fairness fan assisted ovens are good. What you need is a gas hob and an electric oven IMO.

Rich :¬)

[Nick]

Yep, I'll go with Rave on all of that... inc the stuff about gas hobs and leccy ovens...

I would go into more detail but I'm so damn tired the room feels like its tilting and I havent touched a drop so I think thats a sign to head to bed...

Night night

[SilentDeath]

I dont do much cooking.. but gas is soo much better for heating things.
For oven Id prefer fan assisted gas, assuming they exist, theres no reson why they cant.

OT but when I do electronics stuff, a gas soldering iron is soooo much better at getting the correct temp, which does need to be quite exact. I have blowtorch attachement for it I use for heating cups of tea when I forget to drink them and they get cold and horrible.

[Zak33]

this is a rare problem....normally its gas people having to adjust to the nightmare of electric.

Gas is hotter faster, and you simply use less of it.....by all means get the pan hot in a quick MAX POWA blast, but then you are in control....its like a cars acclerator pedal...sensitive. Unlike Electric which needs a week of planning to adjust the heat up or down.

One thing that is VITAL tho...cheap pans dont spread heat. SO the bit the flame hits gets hottest.

Better quality pans (normally heavier) spread heat superbly.

Problem gone

[SilentDeath]

Thats another reson for gas, its a LOT cheaper. For electric to get very hot, it takes a lot more power, which costs loads. But for gas, you can get enough gas for a 1000°c flame for about 5p.

Zak is right about pans. Good ones will have copper bottoms, becuase copper spreads heat very well, thicker the copper the better. Copper cant be on the inside though, becuase it is toxic. Becuase copper costs so much more than steel, cheap pans will usually just be steel or very little copper.

[turkster]

Good ones will have copper bottoms, becuase copper spreads heat very well, thicker the copper the better. Copper cant be on the inside though, becuase it is toxic.

Ah but if you have too thicker base you get back to the electric feel where the pan does not respond quick enough to changes in the gas because it has a lot of heat stored in the base .

[Rave]

True. You can't go too far wrong with Tefal IMO, everything about their pans is pretty much just right if you ask me.

Rich :¬)