I am a keen cook and I’ve used both gas and electric cookers for years. Throughout this time, I’ve often wondered which is best? Gas or electric?

It’s easy to see advantages and disadvantages with both options. But today, I learned new information and my thoughts have moved on.

I was priviliged to witness a discussion between two, double Michelin-starred chefs. Both have restaurants, and their kitchens have tried out gas and electric in full-blown, commercial environments. The question they discussed was exactly this - which was best; gas or electric? I have to say, it changed my opinion on the subject.

I have always thought that gas wins hands-down because of its controllability and responsiveness. You can see the flame and it reacts immediately to more or less gas. Indeed, the celebrity chefs thought the same. Gas is great for control.

Also, if you need to char-grill a piece of meat, or quickly blister the surface of a vegetable like red pepper, then gas is king. A quick flash, direct in the flame and it’s done!

However, what was very surprising was how good they thought modern electric cookers had become. The key here, is the word modern.

A recent innovation is the induction electric ring. Induction electric cookers produce heat directly in the pan and the food inside. Energy is delivered to exactly where it’s needed and nowhere else. They do not heat the cooker or the kitchen. They are something of a revelation for those of us, who still imagine that all electric cookers are like those old, red, glowing, uncontrollable and unresponsive things from the past.

By concentrating their heat onto the food where it’s needed, induction cookers reduce wasted energy. This is a great benefit in the commercial kitchen. It means that the working environment for the staff is cooler and much more pleasant.

The saying, “the heat of the kitchen”, could perhaps become an expression from the past. Although one head chef did remark that the sweat of the juniors, was part of their training process! So perhaps, gas cooking will stay popular for a while yet…

Nick Radford is an experienced cook and writer. He has been published in print, as well as on the net. He is now writing for ePublish.co.uk, http://www.epublish.co.uk and eBusinessHub.co.uk, http://www.ebusinesshub.co.uk

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