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Oven confusion

post #1 of 11
9/10/12 at 4:49am
Thread Starter 
Hello. I'm from the uk and am currently a hobby baker but looking to expand in the future and do some cakes for business. My husband and I have just bought a house and will me moving from our small flat in a few weeks time. The house comes with no appliances and we can't take ours with us.

I have been doing some reading and trying to decide on the best cooker for me. I currently have a duel fuel with gas hob and electric fan assisted oven. It's a really poor quality one and inhale terrible problems with hotspots. I definitely prefer a gas hob but not sure what oven would be best. I know that gas ovens make for more moist cakes but on the other hand electric fan assisted gives you more even heat distribution. I have seen for sale some gas ovens with fan assisted for even heat distribution. Has anyone had any experience with this, is it the best of both worlds? If not do people have better experiences with gas or electric?

I'm really confused about what to buy! I am used to electric oven at home but have also used gas conventional ovens when working in restaurants but only for roasting not for baking.
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post #2 of 11
10/2/12 at 11:18pm
I am from the US, and I definitely prefer electric over gas. I always use an oven thermometer to try and assure the temperature is correct, because I have found that even in new stoves the oven temperature can be off. I have a gas stove now, and I absolutely hate it. I think my cakes are drier then they were with the electric. I think the temperature is harder to regulate, and I think that the cakes don't bake as well. It, however, is an older gas stove, so this could be part of the issue. But I wish...everytime I make a cake...that I had my electric stove back.
If you are a newbie you might want to check out
my blog!
www.cakenewbies.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Cabes-Cakes/100000350374357
http://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwcabescakescomphotos/
Jackie
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If you are a newbie you might want to check out
my blog!
www.cakenewbies.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/people/Cabes-Cakes/100000350374357
http://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwcabescakescomphotos/
Jackie
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post #3 of 11
10/3/12 at 5:44am
I hear electric is better than gas. I never had a gas oven. Also i hear when you use the "fan force" in the oven, the cakes become a bit dry. so i am scared to use the fan. i dont bake more than one cake at a time,. unless its a little 8" then i can bake two on one shelf. would love to hear what the others would have to say.
In the house of the wise, are stores. But a foolish man devours all he has. (proverb 21:20NIV)
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In the house of the wise, are stores. But a foolish man devours all he has. (proverb 21:20NIV)
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post #4 of 11
10/3/12 at 6:24am
I have a gas (double) oven and love it! Now, I only used an electric oven once to bake in (I had a graduation cake due and our A/C went out and it was 100 degrees so there was no way I was turning my oven on). I dragged everything over to my sister's home and used her electric oven--I found my cakes to bake uneven. Now, it could have been her oven. I just prefer a gas oven.
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post #5 of 11
10/3/12 at 6:47am
It honestly depends on how much you're willing to spend. Honestly, I have always thought that electric ovens were much better for baking (<-former appliance salesperson here). Most of the fans now should be pulling the air out of the oven cavity, and the air is forced back into it around the side for your convection heating. So there shouldn't be any air blowing directly on your cake to dry it out. if you are concerned about a convection fan doing this, you can always add a cake pan with water to make steam to help with moisture.

Gas ovens are typically harder to keep at a steady temp, even in the newer models. Most pros I worked with through my company preferred the higher end convection ovens. Keep in mind convection isn't something you need to use every single time.

Heating elements will help you determine if you will have any hot spots. Most salesmen should be albe to tell you if it's a 4 pass, 6 pass, 12 pass, etc. The more passes, the area the elements cover. Also, the hidden elements tend to heat more evenly than the exposed because it heats the oven floor and spreads the heat across the base before rising, as opposed to an exposed element where heat rises straight up.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what you want!
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post #6 of 11
10/3/12 at 7:31am
I'm glad i'm reading this. I bought a gas oven over a year ago. I've noticed that the temp varies sometimes over 25 degrees. At first, I thought it was the thermometer that was off so i threw it away. I bought another thermometer and it did the same thing. This whole time I thought it was the oven that was busted. Anybody know how to compensate for the dramatic degree shift?
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post #7 of 11
10/3/12 at 7:59am
@Bakencake, does it fluctuate more at higher temps? Could be a thermostat issue if so. Is a new oven, or did you buy used? It could also be the regulator. If gas flow isn't steady, you can get temp spikes and drops. Honestly even for a less expensive electric, 25 degrees isn't too bad, but it can be aggravating for baking.
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post #8 of 11
10/3/12 at 8:06am
I bake with both gas and electric.

Proper thermostat and NO FAN is what makes good cakes. NOT the source of the heat.
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post #9 of 11
10/3/12 at 10:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BakingIrene

Proper thermostat and NO FAN is what makes good cakes. NOT the source of the heat.



I think that's a bit close minded. There's a huge difference in convection fans in a $450 oven, a $1200 oven, and a $3600 oven. I have a Bosch electric range with convection, and I use my fan all the time if I have several cakes at once, and they turn out equally as well as when I bake 1 or 2 layers with no fan. I think it's a matter of learning and understanding how to use your personal oven.

Thermostat and heat distribution are really the two biggest things to me.
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post #10 of 11
10/3/12 at 1:43pm
I have a dual fuel range. It gives you the best of both worlds - a stable electric oven and gas cook top. I love it. I could have gone gas all around but I was more comfortable with the dual fuel. There are lots of facts and figures out there so do your research on the models you can afford. I think alot comes down to personal experience on the gas vs. electric debate.
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post #11 of 11
1/30/13 at 2:40am

Hi!

Please go for electric ovens.

With the advancement of technology, better electric oven are available that even do not heat up the electricity bills. As the baking speed would be very fast and quantity of the food that will be prepared will be greater. These ovens have special fans to rotate the heat throughout the oven.

Best Quality Commercial Oven

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Best Quality Commercial Oven

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