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Kitchen oven accuracy

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    Kitchen oven accuracy

    I finally have to ask, for a kitchen oven/range, is gas or electric better? Lots of things to think about. I have a gas range, burners and oven.
    It is 20 years old so I really want to investigate now so I can make the best choice of what to get when it conks out. I liked gas burners because I used to homebrew, and if you ever boiled over wort on a stove you know what a mess that makes and you can't grab anything to pull it off! That is molten stuff, and it is lots of fun to clean off after it hardens. I like having instant off. When I wrap bbq meat I usually put it in the oven and then one time I checked the temps. When I set it to 250, it will go down to about 205 before it turns back on, and up to 275 or so before it shuts off, so maybe averaging 250 or close enough. But that is a wild swing, and now I bake bread, and I would really like it to be more stable, that is a shorter cook. Maybe it still doesn't matter. I have not had an electric range for 30-40 years, do they fluctuate that much also?

    I also bake pizza. If I set it to 550, the max digitally, it does not get anywhere near there. I read online that others have the same problem. No real fix for that, that I can tell. I set it to 525, then it seems to heat up really well, I don't have an oven thermometer and I have heard the bbq thermometer probe wires are not real happy with high heat, so I haven't checked the high temps out really well. I just know max doesn't work right on mine.

    Then there is convection. I am sure getting convection is good for many things, I am guessing bread is not one of them. Does convection help with pizza? My gut feel there is that faster is better, or does convection at that high of a heat not make a difference?

    Of course I do not have the outlet necessary for an electric range, which would cost hundreds extra to run! I am willing to consider all the options though.


    #2
    I have to go with gas. First for the instant control of the burners. Second for the increased control the new ovens have. Someone posted on here there gas oven temp range at 350 and it was +/- 10 degrees, very tolerable. The new ones all use thermocouples and are much more accurate than your old oven.

    As far as

    Comment


      #3
      Most electric, if not all, are sinusoidal. For a 170 setting, mine will range from 150-195.

      Comment


        #4
        Yep, set my electric to 350 and it varies from 320 to 375. Done that since new. Doesn’t seem to make any difference.

        ETA, I’ve had electric stoves and ovens most of my life. You tend to like what you’re used to. Our current range is a couple years old, and I like it a lot. It has one of those flat black cooktops, and heat response is as good as any gas range I’ve ever used. Turn it up or down and the new setting is right there, in a couple seconds. The only thing is that total cool-down takes about 20 minutes. But it’s a damn good appliance.
        Last edited by Mosca; June 3, 2020, 07:22 PM.

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          #5
          My cheap electric oven SWINGS up and down like crazy. Pizza stone that lives inside helps. Switching to gas sometimes soon so that will be a welcome change on the cooktop, but the last gas oven I had had an ignition problem.

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            #6
            We had to make the same decision last year. We went with a duel fuel set up, meaning a gas cook top over a pair of electric ovens. I love the gas cook top. My wife is a very good baker, she wanted electric ovens. We've had to have two service calls on the upper oven. The wife was burning everything she put in it. I put one of my maverick probes in it to see how it cooked at 350 deg. It warmed up to 460 then cooled to 425 before kicking back in. No wonder things were burning. After two tries they have everything working fine now. Given the chance to start over I would still go duel fuel.

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              #7
              The only way I can keep my oven close to its setpoint is in convection mode. I actually cook in that more all of the time. My oven temps vary all over the place on the inside, based on my Smoke readings. I like that way better for most things, pizzas and such too. Some people cook lower or with less time this way, I really don't. I just make sure I rotate the cook throughout cooking.

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                #8
                Take a look at steam capabilities. I don’t know that much about it but supposedly a lot of the better ovens are coming with the option now. I know this is not what you are looking for, but this gives you a place to start with the technology; https://anovaculinary.com/anova-precision-oven/.

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                  #9
                  I keep my large pizza stone in my oven all the time sitting on the oven rack set on the lowest possible rack position if I am not using both racks. I read this somewhere that the pizza stone acts as a heat sink and keeps your oven at a more consistent temperature. Not sure if it is true but it made sense to me.

                  I have a 5 year old electric Whirlpool oven.

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                    #10
                    I keep two large black iron griddles in my over that weight about 25lbs each. One on the base, and one on the top rack at highest setting. My kitchenaid now only fluctuates about 5° either direction. It is electric. Range gets hot enough to error out my laser thermometer that goes to 750° on a black iron skillet in a little over 10 minutes.

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                      #11
                      I have a combinaiton gas top and electric convection oven. Also a convection oven.microwave combination. There's a griddle/frill pan for the burners - 5 burners with connected grates. Outside grill has rotisserie. With this setup I can do most things pretty well. Most oven temps are iffy below 275 and above 475. Not always accurate but usually close. Mine are more accurate. According to the location of the lower heating elements, hot spots can occur. Pizza stone on lowest rack can help. Don't cook your pizza there. Message me if you'd like to discuss anything further.

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                      • HawkerXP
                        HawkerXP commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Welcome to the Pit!

                      • RonB
                        RonB commented
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                        Welcome to The Pit.

                      #12
                      First of all, can you use electric? Gonna need 240vac with up to 50 amps to the kitchen. The exact circuit will depend on factors such as the number of eyes on the stove, wattage of the oven elements, features like a convection fan, and so on. Thing number 2 to check is the rating on your service breaker. My house has 150 amp service because there is no gas line running to my area, so everything is electric. The service panel can hold the HVAC, water heater, drier, and kitchen appliances all at the same time. But at my in-laws place they have gas, so the house was built with I believe a 60 amp breaker. Their water heater and oven/stove is gas. They also have to use a gas drier. So check that first, your options may or may not decrease unless you are willing to hire an electrician who can fool with the utility company meter.

                      Second, consider induction. I really want an induction stove. All the benefits of gas, all the safety of electric. You can get a smooth top stove WITH the instant on/off of gas AND the eye does not get hot but rather the pan does. Drawback there is you MIGHT need new pans. The quick and easy test is to use a magnet. If the magnet sticks well, your stuff is induction ready (cast iron works very well). If the magnet sort of sticks you need to verify if it works or not. If the magnet does nothing its not gonna work at all.

                      Comment


                      • Mark V
                        Mark V commented
                        Editing a comment
                        I do not have 240 to my kitchen. That is expensive to run, more than I ever would have thought. Did that once with an electric water heater. That was because the venting was out of code, and could only solve reasonably? with an electric. Might do it again when I really need a new stove, and when I have money coming out of my ...

                      • SmokeyGator
                        SmokeyGator commented
                        Editing a comment
                        jfmorris Maybe. I just looked up a GE induction stove with electric convection oven. IF you run all the eyes on high and use the broiler on high, it could pull 60a. But realistically when does this ever happen? Also induction can do neat stuff. The range I pulled up has a sous vide mode. Plug a temp probe into the thing, set the temp, and there you go. So wanna simmer something? Its got you covered.

                      • SmokeyGator
                        SmokeyGator commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Mark V if you dont have 240v to the kitchen, then that is a point for gas. A big point.

                      #13
                      Gas burners and an electric oven are ideal.

                      Comment


                      • Attjack
                        Attjack commented
                        Editing a comment
                        That's mildly surprising that the oven is less stable. Very interesting. It would seem like a kamado is going to be even more rock solid.

                      • jfmorris
                        jfmorris commented
                        Editing a comment
                        Attjack the most stable graphs I have seen are on both the Weber Performer (with SNS) and the SNS Kamado, when smoking WITHOUT the controller. If I use the PartyQ, its got a constant "sawtooth" or sine wave pattern to the cooking chart, going +/- 5 degrees or so from the set point. The electric oven is similar, but has a wider swing - and seems to be worse at lower temps.

                        Most home ovens have a sweet spot at 350F - their default temp - and I found it stays much closer to temp there.

                      • Attjack
                        Attjack commented
                        Editing a comment
                        I see what you're saying now. I guess that makes sense though. The fan kicking on is and off is definitely going to have an effect. My girlfriend is the baker in the house. My chickens, pork shoulders, and briskets will probably be none the worse for wear if my fan makes things fluctuate a bit.

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