Gas cooktop and electric oven…I had Jenn-Air in last house and really like it.

Now I have an induction cook top and electric oven. Love, love the induction…I rate it better than gas.

I think the gas/ induction thing will wage for a long time. I have an all gas range and doulble electric wall ovens I bake a lot run a catering biz from my home and I love some things like pizza and bread baked in a gas oven I do have an induction burner I use for delicate sauces and I love it but have no need to go all induction especially siince I have about 4K worth of very good pots I bougt in Italy the are not induction compatible.

I find induction good for boiling water . Now have gas cooktop and electric oven.

I have had a Wolf all gas (propane) for 18 years. I make breads and rolls at least 3 times a week, stews, roasts, fruit pies you name it and this stove has cooked it. No problems, cause there’s no electronics on it. No self cleaning that gets up to 1100 degrees that will eventually wipe out the thermostat. No electronics not even a timer. It was made to cook and that’s all it does. Before we got a standby generator I could count on the stove. Granted without electricity we had to light the burners with a match no big deal. There were times back then when I was feeding half the street because I had a working stove.

hshambarger , I have used gas and electric ovens over many many years and there are differences but I think you can adjust. Some of it depends on how you use your oven. Baking is a complex interaction involving ratios of ingredients and bakeware along with the characteristics of the oven. If you have had an electric oven you “keep” over time recipes that work out in electric and the same with gas. If you are a scratch baker, recipes might be more sensitive to the differences while cake mixes are formulated to work in a variety of ovens. My sister has a gas oven and I have electric. We both make the same cookie recipe(vanishing oatmeal cookies from the Quaker Oats box). We use the same ingredients and aluminum 1/2 sheets. Her cookies come out thin and crispy and mine are thicker and chewier.

How do you use your oven? What type of gas range are you considering? What DF? Are you getting convection? Have you used that before? Have you considered a rangetop and separate oven? You can pick each based on your needs.

“Gas ovens are more humid“

This has been taught for a long time and you will see this on some of the manufacturers websites. It is based on the idea that the combustion of gas produces water. There is much more to consider though and you have to look at the structure of the oven, the food cooking and what is happening. If you read some of the books and articles on cooking science, the explanations of things like the Maillard reaction will lead you in a different direction.

I think for the OP, I have noticed in reading cooking and baking forums, people say the following things pretty consistently. I have noticed these things too.

-Gas ovens put more heat and moisture into your kitchen.

-It is much more difficult to keep added steam for bread baking in a gas oven.

-Gas ovens are better for roasting produce better browning.

Gas ovens do produce CO2 and other gases along with water as byproducts of combustion but have much bigger vents to eliminate these byproducts of combustion. If you turn the oven on, you may have a little condensation but as it preheats and the air currents are established, much of it is vented out. For browning to happen, you need superficial drying to allow the temperature to rise and the chemical reactions to take place that produce browning. Adding a pan of water to add humidity would only act superficially and inhibit browning generally. It will do nothing to keep meat cooking, internally moist. You can boil a piece of meat dry.

Electric ovens have much smaller vents. Food cooking, produces a surprising amount of moisture. Electric ovens hold onto this moisture. This is a benefit when baking for things that rise, whether it be cakes or bread, for the first part of the time that they bake. The moisture promotes starch gelatinization allowing a little longer rise. Some bread bakers add a lot of steam during this time to promote even more starch gelatinization to get a certain crust. I have read posts from bakers who switched from electric to gas that complain that their cakes in particular do not raise as well and look dry on the surface. I have also seen people going from gas to electric complain about too much steam in an electric oven. This effect has probably increased over time as electric ovens are designed to be more energy efficient. For the second half of the baking time it is better to promote browning in many cases. Gas excels here but in an electric oven it can be accomplished by turning on the convection fan and even opening the door briefly to allow steam to escape. There are some electric ovens(called combi or CSOs) that are so sophisticated that they control the level of humidity by adding moisture and venting at the appropriate time. They have computerized programs to do this. The Gaggenau CSO users manual has some excellent explanations about what humidity levels are beneficial during various stages of baking, roasting and steaming.

There are some changes that have happened in ovens over time that are worth noting.

One big difference in electric ovens now from a few years ago is that almost all have a hidden bake element on the bottom. I don’t know that I am a big fan of that because it subjects the bottom of the oven to a lot more heat. There are so many reports of enamel chipping especially while using the self clean. You also lose some of the radiant heat from the open element which for me affects how some pies bake.

Electric ovens can now have different modes that direct heat or use convection fans to produce certain effects in what you are baking or roasting. Some have a third/fourth element in the back called European” or “true” convection. This is marketed as producing a more even heat but this is not always the case and can really produce excess browning or hot spots. Manufacturers use baffles, reversing fans, double fans or varying fan speed to avoid this effect of convection. These modes used to be available on the prostyle ovens only but now are available on less expensive ovens and even some gas ovens. Some electric ovens have very tight temperature control. Gas ovens have improved in this area sometimes too.

With gas ovens, the broiler is usually a weak feature but some now have infrared broilers which are much hotter but can be smaller. You usually find these on prostyle appliances.

All of these things might appeal to some while others want the most simple appliances as possible because they feel there is less to go wrong.

Induction range or all gas if you are set on a range. Dual fuel is a waste of engineering and more costly for less actual benefit. A cooktop and wall ovens is the better choice for maximum customizing your cooking equipment to your needs, if you really use it to it’s limits to need customizing. Most people aren’t restaurant quality constant cooks. Anything that will bake meatloaf and make mashed potatoes in the stove top will work just fine.

I'm addressing this very question today, between a Wolf dual-fuel and Wolf gas. I have the Wolf DF now, and I love it. But we are moving and leaving it in the house. The all-gas version is $1500 cheaper. Based on this discussion and others, it appears that the biggest differences are that the gas is not self-clean and that it puts more heat and moisture into the house.

Neither of those are particularly deal-breakers for me and I am leaning towards the gas. However. we have bamboo floors, and since the stove vents out the bottom (a big surprise for me when we got the first Wolf), I wonder how MUCH heat and moisture? Will it be a problem on the floor?

“Anything that will bake meatloaf and make mashed potatoes in the stove top will work just fine.”

That might be true for a lot of people but not for the people that are asking about it on this forum for the most part.

While I would agree with live_wire’s statement about a cooktop(I would pick a rangetop) and wall ovens being better to customize your choices, it is more expensive and sometimes you can only pick a range with the space you have.

I’m a home cook which is totally different than a restaurant chef but I still like to have certain things in an oven and burners. I can cook on a campfire but love how easy it is to put something in the oven and not have to tend it as much. I like the ability to control the direction of heat and air and don’t mind a little learning curve. I prefer gas burners over induction. If you aren’t buying a prostyle range, the broiler in an electric oven is hotter than a conventional gas broiler. Yes there are significant differences even for the basic cook that might motivate them to pay a little more for the gas burner/electric oven combination.

Thanks a lot everyone. But unfortunately I do not have a wall to put a wall oven unit in anymore. It got demoted last week. My only choice is a range (cook top/oven combo) I believe I am leaning towards all gas since my contractor told me my electric panel for that area is maxed out. Thank you again.

mollyavalon - here is something to think about. How long are you planning on staying in your house? 2 - 5 years? Or forever. If it's forever then it does not matter what you get. Get what you love. If it's a short stay think about the cost of these appliances cause you really won't get it back when you sell. So are you willing to walk away from a 10,000k Wolf? We are purchasing Bertazzoni. They have the largest oven capacity at 5.9 cu ft. Food for thought. Good Luck.

Good point, hshambarger. I am 70 and we are planning to live in this house until they haul us out. I love love love cooking and I'm good at it. But you know, I was good at it during the 18 years we had a crappy electric stove too. And if I'm anything like the other people I know who are older than I am, I'll probably scale back my cooking as I age.

There are pluses and minuses to everything. This house is costing us way more than we thought. We have a big list of "things we'll spend money on after the house is done," like reupholstering the sofa, buying new rugs, and making a shoji screen cover for the TV. After this discussion I'm going for gas. The differences are not critical to me. I want that TV cover. Hope you love the Bertazzoni!

However. we have bamboo floors, and since the stove vents out the bottom (a big surprise for me when we got the first Wolf), I wonder how MUCH heat and moisture? Will it be a problem on the floor?

Perhaps it's a thing of the past now? It seems that the new ranges (all gas, from those models I've seen) have their vents located on the top, at the rear of the stove.

But I'm guessing by now you bought your stove already...