YES. that's a dealbreaker, ladies.

I don't think it's a deal-breaker. I'm incredibly happy that our new place has gas, because the old one was electric.

My best advice for an electric stove/oven is to get a thermometer to place in the oven so that you can get more accurate temperature readings. Our old one was off and things went a lot smoother when we figured out the correct temperature.

I moved from a rental with gas to a rental with electric this year. I miss the gas a bit, but not too much. Cheap gas stoves don't simmer very well - its hard to turn them down without turning them off. Electric takes longer to heat up, but I usually put the pan on, put oil in it, and then start chopping. Its pretty efficient if you're used to it.

Personally, I prefer gas because that's what I learned to cook on and what I've cooked on for most of my adult life. That said, electric works just fine unless you want to roast a bell pepper, in which case you'll have to use the broiler. I never noticed uneven heating, although the lack of fine temperature control caused me a few problems but then again, my gas stove doesn't go significantly lower than my electric one did. There are differences, but you learn to compensate. The perk to electric is that it usually means an electric oven which I've found to have less variation in temperature than gas. Everything has it's plusses and minuses. Gas vs. electric shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

It would be a definite deal breaker in my book. I've only had an electric stove once in my life and hated it. I'd love an electric oven and a gas cooktop.

Gas is slick and great for consistency between stoves - I can go over to my friends house and see the flames and guess how hot it is.

That said, my current (1970s) electric stove gets hot enough that I set peanut oil on fire. Yeah, oops.

akostalas: LOL

I was a bit disappointed when we transitioned from gas to electric by moving to our current apartment, but actually, I have gotten used to it and rather like it now.

We bought a house with an electric stove (no gas lines to the house either). While I was a bit annoyed at first, I've adjusted handily and if something doesn't come out well, I can't blame the stove top.

Quality cookware is a must.

I have also heard electric ovens perform better than gas, but I can't tell the difference.

If you want to use cast iron, expect it to take FOREVER to get hot with a halogen stove. It's so frustrating that I haven't used them since the first few weeks. If I didn't love the apartment so much (area and price), I would probably have moved because of this.

-Ruth

I've been cooking with electric for three years now, and do just fine. Pretty sure the stove dates back to at least the 1980's. It's just a matter of adjustment.

My oven runs hot, and the burners aren't totally flat so my pan usually tilts a little bit, and sure, they don't heat evenly, but it's really not the nightmare people make it out to be. I cook good food, and I do it well enough to impress people. I wouldn't choose electric for professional cooking, but electric vs gas is definitely not the most important choice in an apartment hunt.

Mold in the walls? Mouse nibbling damage? Needles in the parking lot? Those are deal breakers. :)

It depends on the quality. My last apartment had electric. There was no gas in the building at all (heat was electric too). I was worried, but my landlord had paid a lot of money for the range (it was new) and it was great. But that was a high end electric stove. My grandmother has a shitty old electric stove that is impossible to cook on.

I only knew electric stoves until I moved to my apartment two years ago. I have an irrational fear of fire (can't even light matches) and I'm always worrying about the pilot lights going out and having to relight them myself. I wish I could find an apartment in the city that had an electric stove but no such luck. :\

we just finished a move back into a rental house with a gas stove and i am so relieved to have gas back. i feel much zippier in the kitchen now that i don't have to wait (and wait and wait) for the stovetop to warm.

electric stovetop was hardly the deal-breaker though. walkability, location, space... there are so many other factors.

Gas stove, electric oven. I strongly dislike gas ovens; every one I've ever used has been drafty, inconsistent, and hard to get hot enough for pizza. But that may just be my experience!

I had electric stoves for a long time, too, and although I definitely prefer the greater control with gas, I think that electric burners do low heat and simmering better. YMMV.

It used to be a dealbreaker. Then the place we saw had windows stretching across walls with a city view, a deck large enough for a garden, spacious enough for us to fit all of our things, top floor, souther and western exposure and rent way below market... I figured the electric stove wouldn't be so bad.

Mine gets really hot! I'm still learning to adjust.

absolutely. When I moved I wouldn't even look at any place with an electric stove

No way is this a deal-breaker. Finding a space and location you love and can afford is much more important.
I can't imagine being in a terrible tiny apartment and saying 'But the stove it GAS!' but I can imagine standing in the same apartment and saying 'But the location is SO great!'

I grew up with an electric stove, so I don't see the problem with them at all. I have trouble using other people's gas stoves, but I'm sure I could learn how to use one if I had one. I do see the benefit of instant on, instant off.

However, I could never give up using electric ovens, even though I have to use a thermometer because the one in my apartment is really old and about 50 degrees too hot. Electric ovens, especially convection ovens, make baking so reliable. I'm more of a baker than a cook, anyway, so I could never compromise on my baking tools.. especially when I've learned how to make electric stoves do what I want well enough.

I grew up with gas stoves, but since moving out I have only had electric stoves. I think they are perfectly fine... The only problem I have really had is not having enough "big" burners... The last couple of apartments I have been in have had three smaller burners and one large one. I'd much rather have two small and two large.

I thought I would hate electric, but it has its pros. Fast boiling, ability to turn down very low. Cons: the slow transition from one temperature to another. I would say it is not a deal breaker. I would prefer gas, but electric is do-able.

We have an awesome Wolf 6 burner back home (being enjoyed by our tenants), while we have a tiny ceramic cooktop. Really, only 2 burners get used, as the other 2 are way too slow.

Have to add though, that I really prefer the electric oven back home -- I find that although there may be more hot spots than a high-end electric, it is a wonderful moist heat, and everything turns out better. Our electric rental oven is terrible -- barely larger than an easybake oven, with horrible hot spots. It is surprising, as we had Euro appliances before, and could fit all our bakeware in them -- you could roast 2 geese and some trimmings if you wanted to. Not this oven! Barely one chicken and veg fit inside!

It's not a deal-breaker, but it really changes your cooking when you go from well-equipped to badly equipped.

oops! I tried to write that I really prefer the GAS oven back home, and don't like our rental home's electric oven

GAS

If it was a deal breaker for me, I could've never bought this house- we have no gas lines out here in my hood (in Seattle). Gas appliances are rare here in this city. I was freaked out at first, but I've adjusted quite well. The only thing that makes me crave a gas stove is heating tortillas right on the burner. Now I have to carefully broil them.

It should have been. I HATE my tiny electric stove/oven.

Living in an area with frequent power outages has made a gas stove and a gas water heater a major plus regardless of my cooking needs on a regular basis.

An appliance that can be moved and replaced can not be considered a deal breaker when you are making such a large purchase. Most american homes have gas inside for one purpose or another that can be worked out to bring to the kitchen if you must have gas stove. I have cooked with both of them. In Europe we had mostly electic ovens and cooked in pressure cookers for faster results. Here I have used only gas and have a top of the line stove that bakes like nothing on earth. The only difference where chefs say electric is better is when you are baking cookies and delicate things, bcs electric is not as hasty as gas is. For this kind of baking an over with a fan is a must, which nowdays even some good gas stoves have them.

I spent years worshipping at the alter of gas cooktops. I couldn't imagine cooking on a poky electric stove. Then I moved into my current apartment (where I've been for more than seven years) and electric was my only option. I've now come to love my 43-year-old turquoise electric stove. It doesn't have as much nuance as gas, but I've learned to work with it (and I LOVE the electric oven - it's so dependably consistent).

These days, when I have the opportunity to use gas, four times out of five, I burn whatever it was that I was cooking.

That's all to say that it's always possible to adapt and an electric stove shouldn't be a dealbreaker.

what about those fancy induction cooktops? my boyfriend's new apartment has one, and while it does have some pros, they do not seem to outweigh the cons. Cons: it looks filthy unless you wipe it down TWICE after using, and you have to buy all new pots and pans if they aren't already magnetic. Pros: somewhat fast heating and cooling (but also gas seems to be just fine for that) and the surface is cool to the touch, which is I guess is necessary for some people in families. I'd rather have a regular old gas stovetop or a nicer electric one.

Electric stove was always a dealbreaker for me before.

But the last place I lived did have electric and it really wasn't that big a deal in the end. I had a much harder time adjusting to cooking at high altitude (I moved part time from CA to CO) than on an electric stove. I've moved again and have gas again and haven't really noticed much difference- the gas is slightly easier to control because electric does take along time to cool down once it gets really hot.

The oven depends on the oven itself more than the gas/electric thing. I have an old gas stove from the 40s at my house in CA and the oven is horrible. The electric oven at the old place and the gas oven here now (new stove) are both fine.

Still, I wouldn't go out of my way to choose electric over gas. But I guess if everything else about the apartment is perfect it wouldn't bother me. But if it was another thing on a long list of problems, than yea, maybe.

I don't think it's a dealbreaker. Sure, gas may be nice for the range, but an electric oven is actually better for baking. I think it's a bit of a snob thing, since I've had both and I could make all the same things on both stoves. I'm not saying they're not different, or that you might not have a preference, just that I don't think it's that big a deal. You just have to learn the differences and adjust accordingly.

Yes, total deal breaker. Waiting 20 minutes to boil water, i'd lose it!

Not a deal breaker for me, but I prefer gas. My current apartment has an electric range. I can still cook. Just took some adjusting to since using gas ranges for so long. There's some random inconveniences I guess, but overall not that bad.

Originally an electric stove was a deal breaker for me. I grew up with gas and the one time I had cooked on electric, it did not work out well. I looked for my first apartment for 6 months, and finally the otherwise perfect one had an electric stove. I sucked it up and rented it, and I really have to say that I've gotten used to the electric stove. It only took a couple of weeks, and now I have to think a couple minutes ahead when I cook, but the difference is really not that big a deal. I still prefer gas and dream of the day when I get to use it again, but I have to say, the people who eat my food can't tell the difference, so it doesn't really matter that much.

I grew up cooking on electric and once I used gas swore I'd never go back. As luck would have it when I moved in with the bf - you guessed it electric stove. Love him, love our place and our electric stove (ceramic top) is brand new so I have no major complaints. It heats fast and even. I do miss the adjustability (is that a word) of gas and still prefer it over electric in general. We also have electric convection oven/microhood combo as well as an electric oven and I do prefer electric ovens over gas as I've found them to heat more evenly.

An electric stove takes a bit of getting used to since I like looking at the flame when I am cooking. But I have learned to control temperature with the knobs instead. Granted that my electric stove was brand new. I did not see that much of a lot of difference in the time it cook something. So maybe age makes a difference. I do think that there are bigger deal breakers for an apartment than stove type.

It probably depends on the age of the stove...I CHOSE to switch to electric when we bought ahouse because I wanted the glass top - so tired of gunky gas stovetops in my apartments.

I notice absolutely no difference - this may be because all of my apartment gas stoves were not the highest of quality and had the same issues people SAY are true w/electric - the flame was either ON and scorching things or fizzling out.
My new electric stove, on the other hand, is clean as a whistle, heats up just fine, and cooks evenly.

I agree with teetee above. I had always had gas and thought it was superior, but when i bought my hundred year old house it only had electric hook up for stove (go figure!). I have a newish glass/ceramic top stove and really like it. And the oven is perfection. Two thumbs up for GE!

I grew up with an electric stove and oven and have been using gas since moving to Japan 20 years ago. I think that both are fine, but you have to make adjustments with electric because the heat isn't as instant. Essentially, you have to give the coils time to warm up. There are benefits to both. Mainly, I miss the fact that you can keep food warm by leaving it on the burner on an electric stove (as the coils cool down slowly). However, gas does have finer adjustment and you can heat things much more quickly.

It certainly wouldn't be a deal breaker for me if there was an electric stove.

I despise our electric cooktop, but prefer the electric oven. The flat surface is actually much harder to clean, and things tend to get burned on and never come off no matter how much scrubbing. Also, the elements will stay hot for a while after you turn them off which I do not like.

Doesn't anyone else like how gas ovens perform? I really find that things like turkey turn out better in a gas oven.

The only time I have ever cooked with an electric stove was in my college apartment (i guess they didn't trust us with gas?), and while I am sure they were the cheapest appliances going, they were awful even though they were brand new. I much prefer the control of a gas cooktop, although I am not partial to a gas or electric oven, but I really only use the oven for baking.

My boyfriend and I have a gas stove in our place--I grew up cooking on electric, he had never used a gas stove before, and he certainly seems to be a bit wary of it exploding or killing us with gas fumes or something like that.

While I strongly prefer a gas cooktop, it would not be a dealbreaker for me. I agree with HannahS, mold in the walls and needles in the parking lot are certainly dealbreakers, a stove, not so much. But I can scarcely afford an apartment with a kitchen :)

Growing up I was used to cooking on an electric stove but since I moved out from home for college, I've been using gas and have fallen in LOVE. I just can't imagine boiling water on electric. I tried it once when I was home and almost died waiting.

That being said, I have to move again in a month when I graduate and I am definitely NOT turning down a nice, affordable apt just because of the stove.

With gas stoves, the products of combustion go into the air in the kitchen. Unless you have an extremely good and powerful exhaust fan, the air in the house will be slightly polluted. It's been found that people in houses with gas ranges have more pulmonary ailments than people with electric ranges. So that's one point.

I think electric ranges do a fine job---obviously, the high-end ranges, with continuous temperature adjustment will do a better job than ranges with 5 push-buttons (and thus 5 temperatures). It does require getting accustomed to them, but that's true of all kitchen tools.

I have a cheap GE gas range that takes forever to boil water (just doesn't get hot enough) and yet won't hold a simmer. And the oven temperature is very uneven.

I'd trade it for a good electric in a second.

When I was growing up, we never had a gas stove. I didn't live in a place that had one until three years ago (when I was 33).

So far, I haven't noticed a huge difference over the electric stoves I grew up on, but then, I'm not much of a chef. I'm sure that people who are better at cooking than I am notice whatever subtle nuances it is that I'm missing.

(The only thing I need to remember is that turning a burner off on the gas stove makes the heat go away *immediately*. On the electric, I used to turn the burner of when I wasn't quite done, since the residual heat would be enough to finish on.)

gas rule's!

Laundry is a bigger concern to me than the stove. I can always adapt to electric or gas...with a preference for gas...

Laundry on the other hand: in unit (woo-hoo!!!), on site in a creepy basement (ulp!), on site in a pleasant room (okay), or schlepp to a laundromat (blarrrgh!)...

It's a deal-breaker.

You get hot spots on pans because you don't always get full direct contact. This is not so bad if you have a full set of nice thick pots and pans, but if you're using any thinner pans, you'll often have things burning at one spot in the pan.

You don't have nearly as much control with electric ranges.
There are many times when you'll want to quickly turn down the heat to a simmer, and it's not possible to do this with an electric stove because the iron alloy coils hold on to a lot of heat. It takes a while for them to cool down, that's red hot iron that you're looking at!

Things like lightly browning garlic become a big problem.

Both of these problems become even worse if you're cooking two or three things at once, because you start to lose the option of quickly moving something off the heating element on to a cool one.

It's not a deal breaker for us, but we accept that gas stove is a dream to cook on. That's one of the reasons that I think we will be staying at our current rental for a long time. We have a fantastic gas stove here.

I bought a condo in an all-electric building, and thought I would *hate* the stove, but I'm getting used to it. I have a fairly middle-of-the-road GE glass-top ceramic range.

But when I can afford it, I'm getting induction.