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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens

I remember reading somewhere that gas ovens have more of a 'moist
heat' since there is certain amount of moisture in natural gas, where
an electric oven is a 'dry heat.' This article also hinted that
baking in a gas oven is better than baking in an electric oven due to
the added humidity of the gas heat. Any thoughts on this topic?

--
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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens

Zilbandy wrote:
>
> I remember reading somewhere that gas ovens have more of a 'moist
> heat' since there is certain amount of moisture in natural gas, where
> an electric oven is a 'dry heat.' This article also hinted that
> baking in a gas oven is better than baking in an electric oven due to
> the added humidity of the gas heat. Any thoughts on this topic?


It's true that perfect burning results in
carbon dioxide and water vapor. However
in my gas oven, the lower burner is below the
metal chamber in which the food is baked.
The burner heats the box, and the exhaust
from the flame goes up the flue, never
touching the food.

The upper burner is within the metal box,
but it would only be used for broiling,
not baking bread or a cake.
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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens


Gas must be vented , so you can't control moisture .
Electric is for cooks who understand what really happening
in their food .

An oven can bake or broil . If there is even air temp , then you
can bake , if youre broil is not by a thick rod on top of oven
then you can broil so perfect , making toast is easy ( toast is
a test ) ...
Thick rods dont heat fast as your toaster does .
If air temp is not even in your oven , then you compromise and
put a thick insulator under the food and it works .
In an oven that has even air temp by a fan , you dont IR from
the lower burner , and the fan evens out the temp for perfect
baking . Notice you must put a cookie sheet over the lower
heating element to accomplish this "even" heat . It blocks
direct IR from element . Then the fan brings that heat up to
the top .

1) insulate your lower heat element from IR by a tin
cover .
2) top heat element must be thin ni-chrome wire
to heat fast like your toaster does .
Now its so good , you could use a computer to
"repeat" cooking exactly , same each time ...
---------------------------------------
Electric skillets need thin stainless steel sheet to insulate
all the lower portion , twice . The top needs insulation ,
but less .
Now you get even heat ! Not just where the heating element circles
about .







Zilbandy wrote:
> I remember reading somewhere that gas ovens have more of a 'moist
> heat' since there is certain amount of moisture in natural gas, where
> an electric oven is a 'dry heat.' This article also hinted that
> baking in a gas oven is better than baking in an electric oven due to
> the added humidity of the gas heat. Any thoughts on this topic?
>
> --
> Zilbandy - Tucson, Arizona USA >
> Dead Suburban's Home Page: http://zilbandy.com/suburb/
> PGP Public Key: http://zilbandy.com/pgpkey.htm
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~


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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens


Zilbandy wrote:
> I remember reading somewhere that gas ovens have more of a 'moist
> heat' since there is certain amount of moisture in natural gas, where
> an electric oven is a 'dry heat.' This article also hinted that
> baking in a gas oven is better than baking in an electric oven due to
> the added humidity of the gas heat. Any thoughts on this topic?


Humidity, at 375ºF?!?!?

Old wives tale. At baking temperatures there is no more or less
humidity present in either oven. Both gas and electric ovens will
often display some condensation when first turned on. But this has to
do with ambient climatic conditions. Both types of ovens are equally
vented. As oven temperatures rise moisture rapidly dissipates. Far
more moisture is generated by that which is baking than from any other
source... and even that has no effect... obviously you've never tried
to add moisture to a hot oven, either type of oven, not easy.

Sheldon

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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens


Steve Wertz wrote:


<gotta keep clear, it may be catching>


> Sheldon wrote:
> > Zilbandy wrote:
> >> I remember reading somewhere that gas ovens have more of a 'moist
> >> heat' since there is certain amount of moisture in natural gas, where
> >> an electric oven is a 'dry heat.' This article also hinted that
> >> baking in a gas oven is better than baking in an electric oven due to
> >> the added humidity of the gas heat. Any thoughts on this topic?

> >
> > Humidity, at 375ºF?!?!?

>
> It's called steam. It has a maximum temperature of about 212F at
> normal pressure. It doesn't just disappear.


There's no steam in an UNpressurized chamber, MORON!

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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens


Steve Wertz wrote:
> On 1 Oct 2006 19:36:05 -0700, Sheldon wrote:
>
> >> It's called steam. It has a maximum temperature of about 212F at
> >> normal pressure. It doesn't just disappear.

> >
> > There's no steam in an UNpressurized chamber, MORON!

>
> Huh? Then how does food dry out, MORON? It may get quickly get
> vented, but for sure there *IS* steam in the oven anytime you
> cook something wet.
>
> -sw


It's gas (not steam) at that temperature. It'll only turn back to steam
if it cools below it's boiling point (ie, if you open the door).

As far as real-world experience goes, I've had to cook with an electric
fan oven for the past three years or so. Things which are meant to come
out crispy (anything with pastry, etc) seem to come out perfectly, but
things like roasts/joints seem to come out very dry (especially
chicken, which doesn't brown nicely but comes out pale and dry). It
doesn't seem to matter how much I baste something beforehand, or even
during cooking, it just seems to dry out very quickly. I don't know
exactly whether this is to do with a "dry heat" or whether this is to
do with the way the fan blows the air over the food. From personal
experience, I would say there *does* feel like there is more moisture
in the air when you open the door to a gas oven.

DSt.

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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens

Oh pshaw, on Mon 02 Oct 2006 05:09:22a, Michael "Dog3" Lonergan meant to
say...

> Peter A > news:MPG.1f8a2575e80131989898a2@news-
> server.nc.rr.com:
>
>> Natural gas does not contain moisture, but water vapor is a byproduct
>> when the gas burns so a gas oven is likely to be more humid. But I fail
>> to see why this would be an advantage except is a few specialized
>> situations, and you can always put a pan of water in an electric oven
>> if you need to.

>
> All I know is by my own experience. I have both a gas wall oven and an
> electric stove/oven. The only difference I can really see is the
> electric oven burns hotter. I have to adjust recipes times when using
> the electric. It's pretty new though. The wall oven is ancient and I
> use it more just because I'm used to it.
>
> Michael


It may be a matter of adjustment, Michael. I've generally found that the
opposite is true.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Cats don't correct your stories.

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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens

In article >,
says...

> Then why are instruments available/sold for measuring moisture in natural
> gas?



Natural gas *can* contain moisture but does not always.


--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths pages at
www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm


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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens


Steve Wertz wrote:
> On 1 Oct 2006 19:36:05 -0700, Sheldon wrote:
>
> >> It's called steam. It has a maximum temperature of about 212F at
> >> normal pressure. It doesn't just disappear.

> >
> > There's no steam in an UNpressurized chamber, MORON!

>
> Huh? Then how does food dry out, MORON? It may get quickly get
> vented, but for sure there *IS* steam in the oven anytime you
> cook something wet.
>
> -sw


You're both wrong. There is moisture even in air above the boiling
point of water (which is not always 212 degrees, contrary to what a lot
of people who post here understand. At one atmosphere of pressure water
boils at 212 degrees F. When the atmospheric pressure varies, so does
the BP. I live it Denver, a mile high, lower atmospheric pressure, and
water boils at about 202 degrees F here). Regardless of BP, air can
contain moisture at higher temps, so there is moisture in a 375 degree
oven, but not very much.

Steam, on the other hand, is supersaturated air. Air with more moisture
in it than it can contain as vapor, so it comes out of the air as tiny
water droplets. If there is more moisture in the oven that the air at
that temp can contain as vapor, there will be steam. This is not
usually the case, but it you put a big pan of water in the bottom of
the oven and somehow restrict the amout of air that can escape, you'll
have steam in your oven.

So, there will always be a certain amount of moisture in either oven,
but rarely will there be steam.

Oh, the poster that said there's water in Natural Gas as delivered to
your home was way off base. When NG is collected and transported and
burned, moisture is the enemy of all those processes. Practically all
the moisture is removed from the very beginning by various tecniques
because it's expensive to transmit and degrades the combustion
qualities of the NG.

There is, however, water created when NG is burned, which would add the
the amount of moisture in the oven as opposed to an electric oven. I
don't really know how much this would be, I'd have to look up and do
some calculations I haven't done in years, and am not really much
interested in these days.

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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens


salgud wrote:
> Steve Wertz wrote:
> >
> >
> > >> It's called steam. It has a maximum temperature of about 212F at
> > >> normal pressure. It doesn't just disappear.
> > >
> > > There's no steam in an UNpressurized chamber, MORON!

> >
> > Huh? Then how does food dry out, MORON? It may get quickly get
> > vented, but for sure there *IS* steam in the oven anytime you
> > cook something wet.
> >
> > -sw

>
> You're both wrong. There is moisture even in air above the boiling
> point of water (which is not always 212 degrees, contrary to what a lot
> of people who post here understand. At one atmosphere of pressure water
> boils at 212 degrees F. When the atmospheric pressure varies, so does
> the BP. I live it Denver, a mile high, lower atmospheric pressure, and
> water boils at about 202 degrees F here). Regardless of BP, air can
> contain moisture at higher temps, so there is moisture in a 375 degree
> oven, but not very much.
>
> Steam, on the other hand, is supersaturated air. Air with more moisture
> in it than it can contain as vapor, so it comes out of the air as tiny
> water droplets. If there is more moisture in the oven that the air at
> that temp can contain as vapor, there will be steam. This is not
> usually the case, but it you put a big pan of water in the bottom of
> the oven and somehow restrict the amout of air that can escape, you'll
> have steam in your oven.
>
> So, there will always be a certain amount of moisture in either oven,
> but rarely will there be steam.
>
> Oh, the poster that said there's water in Natural Gas as delivered to
> your home was way off base. When NG is collected and transported and
> burned, moisture is the enemy of all those processes. Practically all
> the moisture is removed from the very beginning by various tecniques
> because it's expensive to transmit and degrades the combustion
> qualities of the NG.
>
> There is, however, water created when NG is burned, which would add the
> the amount of moisture in the oven as opposed to an electric oven. I
> don't really know how much this would be, I'd have to look up and do
> some calculations I haven't done in years, and am not really much
> interested in these days.


You're incorrect, all of it. Steam and water vapor are not the same.
Steam is a gas, water vapor is not a gas. Steam can only exist at
certain conditions above atmospheric pressure. When water is heated to
nucleation in an unpressurized vessel very low pressure steam is
created inside the bubbles; as the bubbles burst a very small quantity
of very low pressure steam will very momentarilly exist just up to
about 1/16" above the water surface, of so insignificant a quantity,
and pressure, and time, that dissipates so instantaneously that it's
of no use for cooking... when people speak of steaming vegetables they
are not steaming, they are cooking with hot water vapor. There is no
steam inside an ordinary oven... even commercial injection bread baking
ovens contain no actual steam, steam is injected because it is inside
the tubing under pressure but instantly upon release into the
unpressurized oven it forms hot water vapor. When bread baking
recipes say to add water to an oven to create steam, no stesm exists
insde that oven other than that very insignificant amount above the
water's surface from nucleation... what the recipe should actually say
is "create water vapor".... those steam ovens are not steam ovens, they
are water vapor ovens... you want a steam oven, get an autoclave.
There is no steam inside an ordinary gas cooking oven, only a very
miniscule quantity of water vapor is possible from the burning gas,
most of which never enters the oven, as most of it condenses before it
can enter... far, far, far less water vapor from burning gas than is
created from that which is being cooked... food is composed of
significant water which is evaporated relatively rapidly when heated
during cooking, but that moisture forms water vapor, not steam.... and
the water vapor created from that which is being cooked inside a hot
oven has no effect on the cooking whatsoever, in fact it's the other
way around, the cooking food creates the water vapor... that water
vapor goes right out the vent with the heated air. All things being
relative, think of steam as compared to water vapor in exhaled air...
you (and those others) exhale an awful lot of hot air but none of it
contains steam, all yours is just a lot of hot air with a small
quantity of tepid water vapor, no actual steam whatsoever... not unless
somebody puts a cork in your ass. <G>

Ahahahahahahahahahaha. . . .

Sheldon



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Default Differences between gas and electric ovens

wrote on 02 Oct 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> On 2 Oct 2006 02:45:03 -0700, wrote:
>
> > (especially
> >chicken, which doesn't brown nicely but comes out pale and dry). It
> >doesn't seem to matter how much I baste something beforehand, or even
> >during cooking, it just seems to dry out very quickly. I don't know
> >exactly whether this is to do with a "dry heat" or whether this is to
> >do with the way the fan blows the air over the food. From personal
> >experience, I would say there *does* feel like there is more moisture
> >in the air when you open the door to a gas oven.

>
> Oh, my goodness... you have to be over cooking your chicken on too low
> heat. Dry chicken is never an issue for me. I just throw my chicken
> into a hot oven (400+) on a vertical roaster. I don't even bother to
> baste it with anything. I cook it until the skin is brown and crispy.
> The meat (including white meat) is *always* juicy.
>


I find my electric stove's convection oven cooks meats, especially
chicken, very juicy and makes for a golden crisper skin. More juicy than
my regular electric oven ever used too. I mostly cook spatchcocked or
butterflied chickens, as they cook quicker that way. I cook mine on
convection roundabout 400F. I too believe your oven is cooking too slow,
so check out the oven's temperature settings or crank up the dial.

I've never owned a gas stove, but I am quite famillar with other gas
applliances and my father used to work at the gas works. If there was
enough moisture to effect the humidity coming out of your oven; your food
wouldn't be palatible due to the odorant that makes gas smell. That
odorant would make the foodstuffs smell and taste very bad indeed. This
odorant, as you know if you've ever smelled gas, is quite strong in smell
and very dissolvible in water. In fact your whole house would smell
badly due to this chemical escaping thru the ovens heat vent and
permiating the air.

My father's coats had to be kept in the garage, as just walking past the
building where ordorant was added, gave his coats quite a pong. This bad
smell has to be added to gas by law, as under normal conditions natural
gas has no ordour.

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