You'll be fine....I loved my Dacor gas cooktop...it was an older model (mid 90's). The cooktop was before the new burners that have a simmer function....I had trouble with burning rice the first few times I used it. I'm a not a careful or clean cook, and I have never come even close to burning myself. Though I've burned myself on plenty of oven elements! Of course I don' usually cook in clothing that would easily catch on fire either.

One tip...make sure you keep the flame under the bottom of the pot. That will minimize burning potential.

Have fun...What are you going to make first?

You will LOVE gas. If you can cook on electric, you can cook even better on gas. An electric eye stays hot even when the burner is turned off. It's hard to regulate temperature because of the slower cool-down on the burner. But with gas....you turn it down or off, and the response is instant. With electric, when something is done, you turn the burner off and move the pan. with gas....just turn the burner off. No need to move the pan....no more heat is being applied. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE gas. And a huge advantage is you can cook when the power is out.

Thanks guys.... knew I could count on you to put out the fire from my latest moment of second-guessing myself! What will I cook first?? Hmmm... I don't know. I have gotten pretty good to cooking and cleaning up without a kitchen! Maybe I didn't really need all this new stuff after all! LOL Thanks!

I am a huge fan of gas stoves. It is so much easier to cook on gas because of being able to control the heat. Don't worry . . . in the 35 years I've had one, I've never come close to getting burned or setting myself on fire. However, my grandmother set a pot holder on fire on an electric stove. It's hard to screw up on a gas stove because you see what burner you have on instantly. On an electric stove if you turn the wrong burner on (as my grandmother did) you don't realize it until it starts to get red.

Just keep the flame adjusted so it doesn't come up the sides of the pot. Get used to looking under the pot to adjust the flame. Don't just adjust it standing straight up . . . you have to bend and look while you are making your adjustments. It's easy. So, so , so much easier than electric.

One last thing . . . some people believe that standing in front of an electric stove all your life contributes to cancer. It makes sense. When you are in front of an electric stove your energy field is being affected by the electromagnetic field of the stove. The Kushi Institute (macrobiotic founder and teachers) believe this is so.

How I wish we could retrieve my post from the first couple days I was using my gas rangetop. I received SUCH an outpouring of help, advice, and encouragement. I was so frantic that I would always hate it, always be scared of it, always begrudge it's cleaning, and that it was going to catch my one of my kids' hair on fire! Only one of those turned out to be true ;-)...I am still disappointed in the cleaning, because it's like having a coil stove, only worse...But I've even gotten over that for the most part, and my aggravation has turned to acceptance. (Mine is an open burner Wolf, so different challenges than your sealed burners...You may have different headaches or none, I can't say.)

Anyway, after 15 months, I still see cooking on my stove as a fun adventure. I know that, technically, I could cook almost anything on my electric ranges that I can on the gas and I've always enjoyed cooking. But for whatever reason, I have a new excitement for trying things I've never done before and it's so great to have the much more responsive temperature change. And, truthfully, there are things I can do on the gas I couldn't really manage before...Better stir fry and sear, better simmer, 2 burner cooking with my griddle/grill pan, the use of larger pans (and more than 2 at a time), and even roasting veggies directly over the flame (which I haven't yet tried). The cooking shows do things that look within my grasp now.

Take a deep breath, learn, and have fun! It'll be great!

I found part of the advice that was so helpful. These brilliant words were written by Plllog:

"Ouch! You've always driven an electric golf cart around the island but you need to drive over the bridge and onto the Interstate, you know you need the power so you took the plunge and got your first internal combustion auto: A Ferrari. Everyone is very impressed, and it's very pretty, but man, oh man, is it powerful!! Unexpectedly powerful. And fussy. It needs constant attention or you'll be into the guardrail. The windows are so squinty you're scared you're going to run over the children every time you back out even though you know they've already left for school. And that bright yellow shows every spec, so it always seems dirty after every trip, what with the exhaust dust and pollen and soil in the air that all seem to stick. Why, oh why did you buy a Ferrari???

Oh, yeah. It's one of the best cars ever. It's a home version of what the pros drive. It has more power than you can ever use. And it's SO much fun to drive.

So. Family meeting time. Show the kids the wok and explain an open flame to them. Then show them what it looks like lit. Buy a great big pot lid at a garage sale and put it on the wall by the stove, and buy a fire extinguisher and mount it nearby. Explain fire safety, have family fire drills, have the kids practice smothering a (makebelieve) fire and the routine of using an extinguisher. Check the smoke point of the oils you use and use a candy thermometer in your pan to figure out how high (low) the flame will have to be to keep it under that point.

And be sure you set your flames a tad smaller than your pan. Don't forget to use the simmer for lower temperatures. Use the middle burners for the most spattery stuff. That's the stuff that most needs the hood too, and it keeps the spatter off the counter.

Put a griddle next to where you're cooking if you have a lot of splatter because it's easier to clean than the stove. Keep a kettle on the stove as well. Use a spatter guard. Arrange things so that combustibles aren't near the stove, but flame retardant pot holders and mitts are within easy reach.

Never pour oil or alcohol from the bottle over the open flame. Pour into a prep bowl or measuring cup, or take the pan away from the flames. Teach these things to the kids even if they're not allowed to touch the stove yet.

While it's still pretty clean, take the amazing Wolf rangetop (what I would have gotten if I hadn't learned about induction here) totally apart, clean it, put it totally back together. Repeat, skipping the cleaning step. Repeat. Repeat again. Once you're familiar with it it won't seem as big a deal.

Is that the closed burner version? You say "each drip pan" Either way, the biggest deal is picking up the grates! Consider a part of what makes housework such a good workout :) Once you have your cleaning routine down, it won't seem to be such a chore. But yes, even with my crappy old four burner, the whole thing needs cleaning after each use. Even with the amount of cooking you do, however, I think you could limit it to once or twice a day if nothing really messy happens.

The more you use the burners the less mess there will be. That's why I recommended the kettle above. Think how great it'll be when you're completely moved in and you've really got it going!! Translate this picture to the way you cook: A pot of stock, a kettle, and a pot of chili in the back. A pot of beans, and a tortilla warmer in the front. Three open burners to make a meal on, and the kids can make themselves burritos as they walk by. (Okay, that was my mother's childhood, but you get the idea.)

You're going to LOVE your Ferrari. You're going to be able to make minestrone, braise lamb shanks, saute onions and mushrooms, steam a whole mess of vegetables, and grill cheese sandwiches for lunch, all at the same time.

But going from a golf cart to a Ferrari you're going to need some time to relearn how to drive. At first it's going to seem scary and intimidating. But, next year? Oooh! You'll be at the track every other weekend eager to race!"

We LOVE plllog!!!!!!

PS love our gas range as well! Have only had gas and wouldn't want anything else!

I had a Dacor cooktop two houses ago and LOVED it. If those long drippy sleeves of the 70's make a comeback, you'll have to remember not to cook in them, but other than that, it should be a pretty easy adjustment. My Dacor was white and clened up very easily. Just wipe things off before you cook again. If you cook things on with repeated cooking, they will be a lot harder to get clean.

Thanks so much all of you (my DH thanks you too since now he won't have to deal with my obsessing over this!!)

Judy- hadn't thought of health benefits! Bonus!
Rhome- you are always awesome and reassuring! And your replay of plllog's msg had me laughing AND revving my virtual engines! How creative!!
cat- thanks, I'm glad you'd stick with your choice
lascatz- you mean those sleeves aren't the style anymore!!

Faleash, I just checked and found that I saved the entire discussion from my similar post from 15 months ago. If you'd like to read all the helpful comments, email me through 'my page' and I'll send it to you. :-)

Late to the party as usual, but my mom had electric and that's all I knew growing up. My first apartment 35 years ago had gas, and I would never choose anything else, for all the reasons given in the posts above. But here's one of the reasons I really love gas. You can roast peppers.

Put the pepper on the burner ring (no pan, just plunk it down), turn on the fire and watch. Turn the pepper with tongs when it starts to char. When all the outer skin is charred, remove the pepper, let it cool, scrape the black off and taaa daaaaaa! A roasted pepper!

Try THAT on an electric burner!

I'm 64 and I have never once used a electric cooktop. Over the years, two of the tract homes that we purchased new came with electric cooktops but I upgraded to gas. The only thing I hate about gas is the clean up. Now if they could just make gas with a nice smooth surface!

Blushing here -- and happy to be worth a re-post.

Faleash, the sleeves question was a good one. Ordinary sleeves shouldn't be a problem if you don't let the flames get out of hand. For proper safety, however, you should either change out of, or use an elastic to tie up, bell sleeves, kimono sleeves, or snything else that drips off your forearm. Similarly, you should tie up long hair--it's good practice anyway, but if you're a bend to see what the flame looks like under the pot kind of person, you want to keep the hair out of the flames.

a woman i worked with is a bit on the large side. she used to go home and change into (i kid you not) a moomoo to prepare dinner. well, she got a little too close to the gas burner and all of a sudden her garment of choice MELTED onto the skin of her belly. ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch!

as if wearing a moomoo weren't bad enough, now she cooks in the buff. yes, the laughs keep on coming!

i can assure you this is not an every day occurrence. as i said before, this woman is very large so parts of her just sort of go where they may, if you will. if your sleeves have never caught on fire while cooking on an electric cooktop there's little chance you'll have any issues. besides, you don't turn the flame up so it goes up the sides of your pot! the flame is under your cookware!

and here's a little something for everyone who has never seen an actual moomoo:

Here is a link that might be useful:

moo-moos!!!!!! I haven't heard that expression in years and years. Makes me think of my adorable Mom who loved to comment on women larger then herself.

Well, I'm thinking of a time when it seemed any long sleeves were long and drapey. Some certainly are again, but I haven't seen anything I would be cooking in with the really long ones. But maybe part of that is a long time habit anyway. Actually, it's so hot here I wouldn't be thinking of cooking in long sleeves of any sort, now or most of any year.

Point was -- you'll like cooking with gas and Dacor makes a nice cooktop.

Oh, dear. I've actually known people who did light their sleeves on fire, but again, it's bells, and those witchy styles, and things like that that drip down, that do catch. Normal sleeves do not.

Kate, that's a scary story!! The reason muumuus melt is that authentic Hawaiian ones are a majority polyester content, some 100%.

I grew up in a large family and my mom had an electric stove for "safety reasons". I have a large family now and think my gas stove is much safer. It is much easier to burn yourself on an electric stove--especially when the stove has been turned off and/or the pot has been moved. With a gas stove, the flame is a warning that the stove is hot and you need not move a pot to remove it from the heat. You simply turn off the flame.

Oh my goodness, you all are not only helpful-- you are making me laugh out loud! Not actually sure if cooking in the buff is all that safe with ANY cooktop! The sink gets hooked up tomorrow, so we are getting closer to actually trying things out. The floors get final coats the beginning of the week and then we'll let them cure a week to be safe... then we are reloading the kitchen and gonna try to wear it out with fun and good food! BTW, have I mentioned I'm scared of harming my granite too?! I'm a loony toon, I know!!

I am also considering gas in our new home build, but I have no idea how to clean a gas stove and what products to use. Are gas stoves really that hard to clean? I have a white smooth top now and I didn't think anything could be worse. I often have spills, but even if I don't the burners still look horrible after one cooking.

It's really not the gas, specifically, that affects cleaning... it's how the burners are designed and the material the cooktop is made of... I think!

I see from the above replies that you've probably received all the assurances and tips about cooking with gas that you need, but I can't help but add my story.

We bought a house 7 yrs. ago and were given the option of purchasing the nearly new Dacor dual-fuel range from the previous owners. I had only cooked on Kenmore electric stoves for the previous 25 yrs.

We bought the stove, then I proceeded to look at it for nearly a month while I somehow maneuvered to prepare all my meals in the microwave, pressure cooker, or Foreman grill. I was okay using the electric oven, but I was too embarassed to admit to anyone how terrified I was of turning on and cooking with propane gas.

I finally fessed up to my sister, who has always had a gas range, and she came over and oversaw me cooking my first stovetop meal. That's all it took - well, that and reading my instruction manual cover to cover. It broke the spell and I have been singing the praises of cooking with gas since.

Like many who've replied to this post, I could never go back to cooking on an electric stove. I'm a better cook with gas and it's much more fun to cook on, too. I get a kick out of DH, who has always prepared Sunday brunch. Since he began cooking over flames he has developed the flourish of a TV chef. You'll love it!

faleash, somehow I missed your post until now. Do you remember that I have gas? Oh, wait, my teen boys would howl at that statement so let's make that - I have a gas cooktop. I didn't hesitate to switch to gas from electric when we built our house 15 years ago, even though I didn't know the first thing about cooking with gas. I've never regretted that decision. This time around, I'm sticking with gas but I'm upgrading to a cooktop with a few fancier features. Can't wait!

And oh, wow, I'm going to try roasting red peppers on my cooktop! Great idea, thanks vjrnts!

Loved the analogy, plllog! And that muumuu on fire, now naked cook story? OMG, kate, but that's disturbing. And that photo? That has got to be photoshopped! If not, it's even more disturbing.

rhome, I'm emailing you. I'd like that list of advice. Even though I've been using gas for ages, I'm sure I can learn a new trick or two.

Thanks lisa_a-- yes, teenage boys! Mine just said "don't know why you have to update everything... you just painted the kitchen a few years ago!" Course babe, who cares that I've never had an oven big enough to hold a turkey, my microwave (which couldn't be replaced separate from the oven) made a shrieking sound so you had to open and shut it from time to time as it heated and my electric coils.... only about half of the little coily things heated, all the numbers were worn off the knobs so you had to guess how high it was and the vent no longer worked?? He never missed a meal, so I guess maybe this was all for naught! LOL

I have a DCS gas range that is easy to clean. I just take the grates off each day and wipe off the cooktop, return the grates and voila . . . all clean. I don't thinks it's a hassle anyway.

Here's a photo I found googling of what the DCS looks like.

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