We built the house we’re living in, so we basically got to pick everything —including the oven unit, of course. Much to almost everyone’s surprise, I went with a simple electric glass stovetop. Here’s why I’m glad I did.
It’s easy to clean. My mother’s gas stovetop was always pristine. But let me tell you, I did not enjoy lifting up those grates, scrubbing around the burners, and making sure all the turns and curves were clean. The flat surface of a glass stove top is straightforward when it comes to cleaning.
It’s an additional surface. When I’m not using it to cook something, the flat surface of the stovetop offers additional space for putting a cutting board or cooling cookies or apple fritters on a rack. This leaves my counters free, and that makes the kitchen even more functional.
I can slide pots around. The ability to move pots or pans from one place on the stove to another just by pushing may seem trivial until the pot is a huge dutch oven full of chili….
Cleaner indoor air. An electric stove does not introduce any carbon monoxide into the air like a gas stove does. If you have a window in your kitchen — and can keep that window open all or most of the time, that may not be of concern. However, I live in Florida, in a green home. This means two things: 1) our windows are only open during a few weeks in the spring and fall and 2) our house is very tightly sealed to keep conditioned air inside. Because of this home environment, I’m particularly careful about the gases and chemicals introduced into our indoor air and breathing zone. It seemed prudent to make a «clean air» choice when it came to an appliance we use multiple times a day.
It’s cheaper than an induction stove. Yes, all these benefits and more would have been ours with an induction cooktop, but it simply wasn’t in the budget. And I’m truly happy with what we have.
Do you have an electric stove? Do you love or hate it?
(Image credits: Shifrah Combiths)
