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All About Electric Stoves: How Do They Work?

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If you want to be able to cook a delicious meal at a moment’s notice, you probably already know the value of having a kitchen filled with high quality utensils and appliances. There is nothing that makes cooking more difficult than having low quality cookware, knives, or even your stove. Because of this, many people are choosing to upgrade their kitchen stove and oven, and many of these homeowners are choosing to go completely electric.

If you are someone who prides themselves on having a quality kitchen with a high end stove and oven at your ready, this guide is for you. Of course, you probably have some questions like why are electric stoves a good choice? What is an electric range and how do they work? Exactly which electric range should I get? Don’t worry, we are going to answer all of these questions and more in the following post.

This Post Will Cover The Following Topics:

  • What Is An Electric Range? – Because this post will be using a lot of specific terminology, it is important that we clearly define exactly what an electric range.
  • Why Should I Choose Electric Over Gas? – For people that don’t really know the pros and cons of electric and gas stoves, this section will highlight the benefits and downsides of each. It will also explain why so many people are choosing to switch to electric as their appliance choice.
  • What Are The Different Electric Range Types? – In this section we go over the different types of electric ranges that homeowners might install into their home so that you can decide which one is the best fit for you.
  • How Do Electric Stoves and Ovens Work? – This part of the post will help explain how electric stoves and ovens both work to cook your food.
  • Difference Between American and European Convection? – There is a slight difference between American and European style convection ovens, this part of the post will help you know what the difference between the two are.
  • What Are The Additional Features and Benefits of Electric Stoves? – While the main objective of a good electric stove or oven is to cook your food, there are plenty of other features and benefits that electric ranges have. This section will highlight a few of them.
  • What Brand of Electric Stove Should I Get? – Frigidaire, Samsung, Whirlpool, Amana, Bosch, and more. This section will cover some of the different brands of electric ranges you can get for your kitchen, and which might be best for you.
  • What Are The Different Aesthetic Styles of Electric Stoves? – Electric ranges that do their job well is important, but it is also important that the range you put in your kitchen is aesthetically pleasing. This will cover the different types of aesthetic styles you might find when purchasing one.
  • What Other Item In My House Should I Consider Switching To Electric? – Electric stoves aren’t the only thing that people are choosing to make the switch to electric for. This section will highlight another vital home item and why switching to electric might be a great choice for you.

What Is An Electric Range?

A range is a stove and one or more ovens combined into a single unit. An electric range is one that has completely electric heating elements to cook your food. This means that not only the stove is electric, but the oven as well.

Electric ranges don’t require any fuel for burning like wood or gas. Instead they are connected directly to the electricity in your home and produce heat on the stove and in the oven to take care of all your cooking and baking needs.

Why Should I Choose Electric Over Gas?

There are a lot of reasons people tend to choose electric over gas, but both systems have their merits and flaws. While you can get electric ranges with an electric stove and electric oven, or gas ranges with a gas stove and a gas oven, there is also a third type homeowners can choose to get: a dual range. These ranges will usually have a gas cooktop and an oven that is electric. By having a gas cooktop and electrical oven, you get the best of both worlds. That being said, let’s cover the benefits of each type.

Benefits of electric stoves:

  • Boil Faster – Electric stoves can usually boil water or other things much quicker than gas stoves. Some electric stoves even have a power boil feature that is made to boil water incredibly quickly. When trying to time the cooking of several different foods at once, it is important to have a reliable way to quickly boil liquids instead of having to wait a long time for it to boil.
  • Easy Cleaning – Electric stoves tend to have a much smoother surface that makes them incredibly easy to clean compared to gas stoves. Some electric stoves even have a smoothtop where the stove stove is flush with the rest of the countertop. This means it is even easier because you can easily clean your counter and your stove all at the same time.
  • More Stability – Because electric stoves tend to have a flat surface, this means they are a lot more stable for your pots or pans that you place on them for cooking. There is no need to worry about a heavy pot slipping and falling over so easily.
  • Easier Installation – Because there is no gas involved, you don’t need to have gas lines run to that part of the home or have them hooked up. The range is just put into place and hooked up to electricity.

Benefits of gas stoves:

  • Fast and Even Cooking – High quality gas stoves usually cook a little faster and more evenly than your typical electric stove, as long as you are using quality pans when cooking.
  • Precise Heat Control – Gas stoves have a little bit better heat control. You can easily set it slightly more or less hot, and the temperature adjusts very quickly. Additionally, you can raise a pan slightly off the burner for even a little more control. If you try to do this with most electric stoves the heat goes away almost entirely.
  • Cools Down Fast – After you are done using gas stoves and turn the flame off, the stove cools down very quickly compared to electric stoves, meaning you can clean up sooner without the higher risk of burning yourself.
  • Removable Grates – While electric stoves are usually a bit easier to clean, gas stoves have removable grates to make them pretty easy to clean as well.

Benefits of an electric oven:

  • Quick Preheating – Preheating an electric oven is very quick so you don’t have to wait long if you are going to bake or roast something.
  • Consistent Heat – Electric ovens have a very consistent heat inside of them that makes them ideal for baking. This is why some many professional bakeries are making the switch to electric ovens if they haven’t already.
  • Dryer Heat – The dryer heat that you get from electric ovens makes them much better to broil or roast food.

Benefits of a gas oven:

  • Quick Preheating – Gas ovens actually preheat quite quickly too if you have a higher quality oven.
  • Quick Cooking – While the heat isn’t as consistent, gas ovens can still cook food pretty quickly due to high heat output.

Keep in mind that electric ranges are typically much safer for your home than gas ones. There is no worry about gas leaks and the chance for a kitchen fire when cooking is greatly reduced due to the fact that there is no flame present. However, you still need to be cautious when cooking with an electric range because the chance of a fire when cooking isn’t completely eliminated.

If you already have both electrical wiring and a gas line where your range will be located, it might be worth it to pick up one of the dual ranges out there. This gives you all of the precision cooking benefits of a gas stove with the consistent temperature of an electric oven. Many professional kitchens choose to go the dual range route for this exact reason.

What Are The Different Electric Range Types?

There are many types of electric ranges out there, so let’s cover a few so that you know what your options are. Keep in mind that the cubic foot space you have available will dictate what type you can get because some are much larger than others. The cu ft of your range should fit precisely unless you are planning to remodel your kitchen to fit a different size. Keep in mind that for the types of electric ranges listed below, there may be some crossover. Certain oven types or stove types might be part of a single or a double oven design, or they might be freestanding or slide-in. Here are the types:

  • Freestanding Electric Range – A freestanding electric range is one that looks aesthetically pleasing on the sides so it can be placed with nothing on one or other side of the range.
  • Slide-In Electric Range – A slide-in electric range is one that is made to be installed with cabinetry on either side. It isn’t designed to sit at the end of a cabinet or freestanding completely.
  • Single Oven Electric Convection Range – This is a range that only has one single convection oven instead of a double oven, usually directly underneath the stove.
  • Double Oven Electric Range – The double convection oven design allows for two different things to be baked or roasted at different temperatures at the same time. Sometimes one of these ovens can be a different type than a standard oven, like an air fryer.
  • Range With Air Fry Oven – An air fry oven is one that allows for air fry cooking, a method that quickly cooks crispy food without the need for much oil like deep frying. It is generally considered a healthier way to fry foods than deep frying, but the consistency of the food will be slightly different due to the lack of oil needed.
  • Range With Electric Griddle – Some ranges can have an electric griddle on top as part or the entire stovetop. This makes it easier to cook many types of foods that require more space or a flat surface. These are great when you want to cook some types of hamburger patties, frying eggs, or even making pancakes directly on it. This is a rarer inclusion on a range, typically people purchase these as a standalone item so they don’t have to reduce their normal stove space.
  • Range With Induction Cooktop – This type of stovetop allows for induction cooking, which allows a much faster heat transfer to special pots and pans and more consistent and precise temperature control. This type of electric stove can make them just as good as gas stoves when it comes to heat control.

How Do Electric Stoves and Ovens Work?

Electric stoves typically work by thermal conduction. This means that electricity heats up the electric coils under the “burners” and the amount of electricity going through it depends on how hot that coil will get. While these coils can also radiate some heat, you typically won’t see much heat transfer to your pot or pan unless the pot or pan is in direct contact where conduction can take place.

Sometimes electric cooktops use an induction range which works slightly differently. With induction, you need to use special pots and pans with typically magnetized copper coils built into the bottom of them. Then, with an induction stovetop a much faster transfer of heat occurs. There is little time to wait for the pot or pan to heat up, the heat transfer is almost instantaneous. Additionally, after cooking food and removing your pot or pan off of the induction stovetop, the stovetop won’t be hot like a typical conduction coil stove, therefore you can clean it right away if any food spilled onto it.

Electric ovens work by convection. Different types of heating elements are used to warm the air inside of the oven, and hot air warms any cool spots, creating a consistent amount of heat throughout the oven. There are two types of convection oven heating, American and European.

Difference Between American and European Convection?

American convection usually refers to the typical style of electric convection ovens. However, there is also European style convection. This type is also commonly referred to as true convection. This means an additional heating element blows additional hot air into the oven for even more consistent heat control.

What Are The Additional Features and Benefits of Electric Stoves?

There are many other additional features you should be aware of when looking at electric ranges. Here are some of them:

  • Self-Cleaning – While many people just turn on the broil setting to burn excess food that is in their oven, some electric ranges have a self-clean feature to do this for you. This can work the same way, but it can also be a steam clean with certain steam cleaning ovens.
  • Frozen Bake – Some ranges have ovens with this setting that more precisely bakes frozen foods without the need for thawing it out first.
  • Temperature Probe – An oven with a quality temperature sensor will help make sure that you have an incredibly accurate temperature for precise baking.
  • Storage Drawer – Many ranges have a drawer underneath to store additional pots, pans, banking sheets, and more.
  • Fingerprint Resistant – Some ranges are made with a surface that has a resistance to getting a smudge from your fingers. This helps them look clean and new much longer.
  • Front Control – Most modern ranges have front controls. By placing the controls of the range on the front, you have easy access to everything you need without having to reach over hot, boiling food on the stovetop.
  • Wi-Fi – For a cool smart home feature, some ranges can connect to apps like SmartThings. With these apps you can preheat your oven from your smartphone or get a notification when the oven timer is done.
  • Oven Capacity – Some ovens can be very large for particularly large items like big pizzas, giant turkeys, or baking more items at the same time.

What Brand of Electric Stove Should I Get?

There are many brands of high quality electric stoves or ranges that you can go. Brands like Samsung, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, Amana, Bosch, EasyClean, and Flex Duo are good. While getting a high quality brand is important, you also want to check which features you want on specific brands and models. There is no point in getting one brand over another if it doesn’t have all of the features you actually want for your kitchen.

Whatever brand you choose to get, be sure to check for rebates from places like Best Buy for additional savings.

What Are The Different Aesthetic Styles of Electric Stoves?

The aesthetic style of electric ranges can matter almost as much as how it functions. You want to make sure that you get one that fits the same decor styles that you already have in your kitchen. If your other appliances are stainless steel, then your range should be stainless steel too. Keep in mind whether you are getting a freestanding unit or one that needs to be slid-in between countertops and cabinetry. A freestanding unit with an exposed side will have the surface material that is much more prominent in your kitchen. Here are some of the many styles you can get:

  • Stainless Steel
  • Resistant Stainless Steel
  • Black Stainless Steel
  • White
  • Off White
  • Other Colors

Before purchasing, be sure to note the surfaces of other appliances in your kitchen as well as the color and other decorating choices that may affect which surface material style you want to choose. Also, keep in mind that any kind of stainless steel ranges will be much easier to clean and will look new for much longer if properly taken care of.

What Other Item In My House Should I Consider Switching To Electric?

Kitchen appliances aren’t the only thing that people are choosing to make the switch to electric these days. There is another household necessity that people are deciding to go completely electric with: fireplaces.

Electric fireplaces have absolutely come far over the last several decades. Modern, high end electric fireplaces have many benefits that far outweigh wood or gas fireplace alternatives. Here are just some of the great benefits of electric fireplaces:

  • Cost Effective – Electric fireplaces are much more efficient that both wood and gas fireplaces that require ventilation where important heat can escape. A high end electric fireplace will cost you significantly less to heat your home.
  • Safety – There isn’t an additional risk of having a house fire with electric fireplaces. While wood and gas fireplaces have multiple ways that a house fire can start, they also produce harmful emissions like smoke and carbon monoxide. Electric fireplaces have no flame present and don’t produce any emissions besides warm air.
  • Hassle-Free – Unlike the hassle of wood fireplaces with all of the cleaning and maintenance, electric fireplaces are super simple. Turn the fireplace on and enjoy it. That is it.
  • Easy InstallationMost electric fireplaces can be installed by placing it in any room of the house and putting the plug into a standard electrical outlet.
  • No Ventilation – No required ventilation means you don’t have to have a chimney built and you can put it in any room. You also get much more efficient heating.
  • Remote Control – Many come with a remote or smartphone app for easy installation.
  • Realistic Atmosphere – Some fireplaces have incredibly realistic flame effects that are hard to tell if you are sitting in front of the real thing or not.

If you think an electric fireplace might be right for you, there is only one brand to choose: MagikFlame. MagikFlame have several features that completely set them apart from the competition:

  • Holographic 3D flame effect projection with 30 flames to choose from.
  • Realistic audio of crackling logs so you can be fully immersed.
  • An efficient and powerful 5,200 BTU internal convection heater.

If you are interested in electric fireplaces in general, or you want to learn more about MagikFlame electric fireplaces specifically, please check out one or more of the following links:

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  • Best Electric Fireplace Buying Guide – If you want the serious details about buying your first electric fireplace, check out this ultimate guide that explains everything you need to know.
  • Payment Plans and Financing – You can claim your MagikFlame electric fireplace right away due to the effortless payment plans set up for you.
  • Warranty – MagikFlame takes great pride in the quality of their products. Their full warranty completely reflects that pride.
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