Do You Know... How much hood and CFM's you need?

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A popular combination today in ranges is called dual fuel. This is where the top burners are all gas, high flame, griddles, charbroilers and all that good stuff, but with electric ovens below. Here is the story behind this.

In top burners for skillet and wok cooking, you can't beat gas. I don't care what anyone says, the great chefs of the world have been using gas and with all the technology available, they are still using gas burners almost exclusively. However, ovens may be a different case. Because the combustion by-products must be vented to the outside, gas ovens traditionally fluctuate more in their temperatures. In other words, the temperature is kept more as an average, with the burner cycling on and off to maintain an average temperature set on the thermostat. This is where electrics are more efficient. Electric ovens are more of a sealed environment. The elements can turn down to maintain a more precise temperature using its thermostat.

Another difference. Gas is a moist heat whereas electric heat is dry. Items tend to dry out faster in an electric oven. However, a self-cleaning feature, which gets near 900 ° F, is much easier to achieve and I believe safer in an electric oven.

Here is my advice:

If you don't plan to get convection or self-cleaning, get a good gas range and enjoy the oven for everything you normally bake and roast.

If you are using propane as your gas source, but also have 220V electricity available, get a dual fuel range.

If you are using propane as your gas source, but don't have the electrical power, don't get self-cleaning in your all gas range.

If you like even heating, want self-cleaning, convected or not, buy a dual fuel range and throw a couple of ice cubes inside when you need humidity. (Like for developing bread crusts)

Now with all this having been said, don't forget to consider the broiler inside the oven. A gas infrared broiler inside of a convected, self-cleaning electric oven would be close to perfection. (Only steam injection would make it better.) There aren't too many like that. A coil type electric broiler will work, they have for years, but they lack in speed, browning and evenness of cooking. If oven broiling is a big part of your cooking style, get the best inside broiler you can and make self-cleaning much less important on your list of wants.