In general, NG is considered more desirable. The effective output is generally greater than LP, even with factory conversions-only a few ranges run as hot with LP as with NG.

With LP, you generally have to pay a demurge (sp) or rental charge on the tank annually, an often forgotten cost.

If you can afford to run the NG line, go for it. That was not an option for me since it would have cost us more than $30K to extend the line, so we had to go with propane. To compensate for lost BTUs I was glad I found out about the BlueStar, which is factory set for LP without a knockdown factor, unlike pretty much every other brand out there. We ended up buying and burying a 1000gal propane tank in our side yard since we also converted the furnace to propane.

Since you're interested in wok cooking I recommend you check out the BlueStar, in case you haven't already.

We have no choice but to go with LP. We have electric ovens but I thought there was some difference in the amount of moisture created using LP vs NG which may make a difference in oven cooking. Maybe others can confirm this.

The tank I have been told is not expensive to buy (a few hundred dollars). We are not that far along to make that decision just yet. If we had a choice though, I would certainly stay with NG as that would give me more choices in appliances. LP may also be more expensive per unit of heat given the transportation costs. I did the math for heating the house this way and it was astronomical from what I recall.

As to needing high heat, our current plan is to get a dedicated wok induction hob. That solves the high-power requirement and opens other options like Wolf beside Bluestar. Below is the experience of someone with wok induction.

Here is a link that might be useful: wok induction performance

The cynic in me questions why if Bluestar and Wolf can make a range that doesn't lose power to LP, no one else seems to. Maybe because it's a difficult thing for us homeowners to disprove?

That said, I have yet to see one brand that advertizes HIGHER output in LP configuration.

I don't have the slightest idea if there's any validity to this, but I've seen people here mention something to the effect that LP is more dangerous in the house because if it leaks it hangs low and takes longer to detect.

According to http://www.cogeneration.net/FuelAndEnergyConversionandEquivalence.htm

A cubic foot of Natural gas is 1030 BTU while a cubic foot of propane is 2500 BTU. I think it really depends on the jetting of the burner as to how well propane should work. However for a given volume propane is about 2.5 as many BTU.

kitchendetective, if other things are equal and the choice is between NG and LP, most people would choose NG because it is cheaper. Also, LP is potentially more dangerous than NG because it is denser than are and so can "pool" rather than dissipate. But obviously lots of people burn LP with no safety issues, so that's not much of a factor. To answer your basic question, though, it doesn't matter which you choose when it comes to cooking performance. That's assuming, as you said, that you're buying a factory LP unit and not converting an NG model for LP use, which almost always results in power loss.

The cynic in me questions why if Bluestar and Wolf can make a range that doesn't lose power to LP, no one else seems to.

LP is generally considered to be 5% or so of the market, thus many companies are not willing to do the extra 'work' to get LP power up to NG levels for such a small market.

In general, NG is also much less expensive than LP. If you are just powering a range, it makes little difference. But if you are powering other items (gas hot water is definitely superior to electric) than the price is certainly a factor.