Hello
I’d like to say I did search gas ovens and read a great thread in 2020 about picking out a new one. Also the gas oven baguette thread. Super interesting.
I chose to start a new thread with my particulars. I’m building a home that will be finished in April 24’ and I want some oven selection pointers.
I think I answered my first question. Gas is preferable to electric for baking. As such I’ll go with a 36” all gas range and a separate electric wall oven for roasting.
Is my assumption correct? Never used a gas oven but I’ve always questioned the heat uniformity of the electrics I’ve had. I use a heat gun and still get confused.
Having a range will suck because I’m 6’4” and don’t like to stoop. Maybe I get a dual fuel range and a gas wall oven. Problem there is it won’t be as wide.
Brand. The better brands the builder can get are Thermador and Wolf. Has anyone had experience with them?
I don’t t have the answers you’re looking for. Just a comment. I’ve had a gas over for ten years and wish I had an electric one. I have a Blue Star (the cooktop is great though). There are no electronics so it’s hard to get precise temps. When a recipe says reduce temp to 435F I laugh. Impossible. But I’ve learned to know the oven well and have managed. I also think that with gas there are more issues with retaining steam due to vents. But I’ve resolved that with a clay baker and now a Challenger. So, just wondering why you prefer a gas oven for baking!
Hi @LBH. If retaining steam is a concern – that is, if you are not using a covered baker of some kind – a gas oven will likely present more difficulties than an electric one. I most frequently bake deli ryes that don’t fit into a Dutch oven. Baking hearth loaves such as these in a gas oven was always a problem, but it became untenable as the oven got older and leakier. About a year ago, I finally replaced my 20+ year old gas oven with a dual fuel range (gas cooktop/electric oven). While I’ve found that venting is still somewhat of an issue, it is far less of an issue than it is with gas ovens. The electric oven seems better at holding temp with smaller fluctuations in temp. (That could be a function of it being new, but I’ve got to believe that the venting of gas ovens is at least somewhat to blame.) I prefer a gas cooktop, which is why I paid a premium for dual fuel. It involved upgrading the electrical service in my (also old) home, but it has been worth it to me. I hope this helps.
EDITED TO ADD: Here is a link to a post on another forum discussing gas v electric and suggestions on how to improve and capture steam. (There are other such threads on that forum, but this is the one I found first.)