Electric skillets have an ongoing battle with gas stoves. Just like any other famous debate, people are siding with the two sides almost evenly. While some people hate the idea of electric skillets, some think that is the future. So, which one’s better? We’ll be talking about that in this article, so stay tuned!
You’re going to see a lot of discrepancies among the results of your searches. While some people think that we should be sticking to cooking with gas, others believe it’s high time we moved to electric skillets. To most consumers, the difference might seem too negligible. But is that the case?
Electric Skillets vs. Stoves
Availability Factor
You can use an electric skillet for frying or cooking food. It’s basically like any other pan, but you use electricity instead of gas for cooking. There are so many options for electric skillets available in the market. Some fancy ones even come with heating surfaces. You can get your food cooked way faster in these. Now that’s a feature exclusive to the electric skillets.
Versatility Factor
You can get electric skillets in different form factors too. Although this might seem like much, the difference in surface areas may come into play. But the electric skillets do tend to be a wee bit bigger than the gas stoves. Although most gas stoves nowadays are non-stick, they aren’t in the budget segment. Compared to that, almost all electric skillets come with durable non-stick coatings.
Energy Consumption Factors
Things are a bit simpler with the stove, though. You can choose the temperature settings manually and control the heat. But you can’t select how much electricity goes into the electric skillet. So, the use of energy differs from place to place.
Why You Should Choose Gas Stovetops
People are so comfortable and used to the idea of using gas stoves that they don’t want to switch. And it’s perfectly understandable since these gas stoves are quite reliable. They don’t break down quickly, so you don’t have to be worrying about buying a new one every year. Some people prefer to keep things old school.
Variable Use of Energy
Another reason to buy gas stoves is the variable use of energy. Cooking using gas is seemingly more efficient as no energy gets wasted during the conversion process. Electricity is said to lose a lot of energy when converting to heat. This makes people prefer the efficiency of gas stoves. The wasted energy is quite significant, and most people wouldn’t want to be paying bills to waste electricity.
As the heat from gas stoves heat the cooking pots or pans directly, they don’t have to face the energy wastage process. Even though heat distribution isn’t even while using normal skillets, most people are willing to compromise.
Features:
- They use high temperatures, and you can control the heat
- You can control the use of energy: in this case, natural gas
- You can manage all the settings with simple knobs making these things easy to operate
- Some of the gas stoves have baking ovens on the bottom part
- You can cook things faster just by turning the heat up
- A single unit can run a small restaurant easily
Pros
- You don’t have to worry about power cuts
- Applies the heat directly to the cooking pots
- Timer controls help out quite a lot
- The direct heating allows things to cook faster
- Gas bills are standard
- You can use multiple sources of energy
Cons
- Uneven heat dissipation
- Takes up a lot more space
Why You Should Choose Electric Skillets
The modern electric skillets on the market come with a bunch of features. You can choose the temperature settings and lots of other stuff. The constant heating is a big plus point for electric skillets, but you won’t see all the top-notch features in the electric cookers’ budget segment. The electric skillets are also a bit tricky to wash. But it gets more comfortable with time. Electric skillets also have useful features like “Keep Warm.” With this feature, the skillet will keep your food warm for the set time. So, if you’re running a buffet, you might want to consider getting one of these.
Non-stick Coating
Another great thing about electric skillets is the durable non-stick coating. They are either stainless steel or aluminum. But the coatings are susceptible to wearing off. This means that you can quite scratch away the layer with a couple of swivels from a metal spatula. Once you start seeing through the coating, it’s time to get a new one.
Features:
- Compatible with a wide range of pans and pots
- They are pretty versatile; so you can cook pretty much everything
- High quality-materials make these skillets durable
- Lots of features and settings even in the budget segment
- Special features such as “Keep warm” help keep the food warmer
- You can tweak the heat settings to provide the optimum temperature
- They are pretty compact and help you free up space
- You can sauté, pan-fry, stir-fry, and braise on an electric skillet
Pros
- Great for searing meat
- Saves a lot of space
- Will last for years
- Temperature controls are unmatched
- Larger than stove pans
- Even heat dissipation
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Electrify dependent
- The coating will eventually wear off
Final Thought
There are still a lot of misconceptions about both types of cooktops. Some people use them as per their convenience and don’t care about energy, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. Electric skillets offer the convenience factor. On the other hand, a gas stove heats the cookware directly. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of cookers; the one you use should be convenient for you.