Hi guys, my wife and I are building a new house in Tas and we are going to use an LPG oven and cooktop. Are there any ones to avoid or particular features to look for please. Gas cooking is new to us and we don't want to buy on looks or seems ok.
SB
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Hi guys, my wife and I are building a new house in Tas and we are going to use an LPG oven and cooktop. Are there any ones to avoid or particular features to look for please. Gas cooking is new to us and we don't want to buy on looks or seems ok.
SB
I think the cook tops are straight forward but I don't know about the oven. Is there a specific reason for having a gas oven? I do know that if you have a blocked jet or two in the oven and don't notice it this leads to uneven cooking. My wife works in a commercial kitchen and they recently found this out the hard way. Conversely we had a Blanco fan forced electric and it was a disaster because of poor heat distribution.
We have had 3 different gas stoves and ovens, the last pair were St George which is supposed to be a good brand but we didn't like any of them. The stovetop burners were too slow at heating and had poor heat control and a real pain to keep clean, and, and the oven was all over the place with its temperature setting so SWMBO stopped baking till we got something more reliable.
Recently we purchased a German Electrolux induction cooktop and an Aussie made Electrolux true pyrolytic self cleaning electric oven, which are a world away from our previous experiences with gas. Stuff cannot burn onto the stove top so cleaning is a breeze. It can boil 2L of water about 3 times quicker than our previous gas stove and all the stovetop elements have timers so they can run as set and forget. About the only thing that I don't like is that if the rapid heating is used it can burn stuff onto a saucepan quite easily but getting it off is done the same way so it's not too bad. The oven controls are similar to a microwave but with some extra programability - I now do most of the cooking so SWMBO is chuffed about that. :rolleyes:
We had to replace a relatively new (five year old) LPG Gas Cooktop/Oven combination unit last year. The five year old one was one that had a well known Australian brand name on it, but it turns out that the Aussie company (probably foreign owned these days) have been importing and sticking their brand name on the units for some years now.
The result was that almost no parts were available. We could get a new igniters for the oven or cooktop burners, but that was about all. Our old unit developed a leak in the main gas pipe plumbing that runs between the gas taps on the front of the stove. The local Gas Fitter had a look and said he couldn't fix the leak because the plumbing inside the machine was aluminium alloy of some sort - if it had been copper or brass he could have braised or silver soldered a repair.
So we had to replace the whole stove.......
The Gas Fitter gave us a few pointers when it came to buying a new LPG stove:
- Buy from a retailer who has the units hooked up to a gas supply for demonstration purposes, and make sure that the demo unit is running LPG and not Natural Gas. Seeing the unit demo'ed allows you to check how well the igniters work, and how well the gas control knobs regulate the flame. If they can't demo in their store, ask what other demo arrangements they have. If they can't demo, get it in writing that they will take the stove back if it doesn't perform as per your stated requirements (i.e. good burner control from simmer to cremate), good igniters, etc. Usually when you start asking for that guarantee in writing, they will either find a unit that they can demo, or they will push you toward a better unit that they are more confident will exceed your requirements - go with the better unit.
- Some manufacturers simply change the jets only to convert a stove from Natural Gas to LPG. This apparently sometimes results in poor flame regulation on some stoves as a result of using Natural Gas control valves for LPG. Other manufacturers make stoves specifically for LPG only (usually Asian countries where LPG is the only gas available in rural areas) and these stoves often have much better flame control and are capable of producing a much hotter flame, and will also hold a much lower simmer flame. These units are also often able to be repaired easily in remote rural areas of Asia, so should also be able to be repaired easily by a Gas Fitter Australia.
- And, confirm what parts are available, and whether they will continue to be available for a reasonable period of time. Apparently some brands work on a warranty by replacement method, and only hold just enough spare parts (e.g. igniters and knobs) to satisfy the consumer law. If the brand you desire is warranty by replacement, then push for a five year warranty.
Hope that info helps.
Roy
Thank you for your replies to date some useful info, the main reason for gas is we will be off grid so gas (LPG) is the option.
SB
We have a laGERMANIA LPG Stove as well as an Esse combustion stove, we use the gas stove during summer and the Esse during winter(it has a water jacket for heating our water),it helps to keep the house warm along with our Thermalux wood heater. We're also off grid, we have solar panels and a mini hydro system(48 volt, 7.5 kva).
The LPG stove probably bakes a better loaf of bread.
Cheers
Yes that's what we are after but about 10kva and hydro from a creek that runs through our block. OK I'll also look at a combustion stove in the mix.Quote:
Originally Posted by HUON
SB
http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/backgroundbriefing/coal-seam-gas-exports-drive-up-energy-bills/5638226
you might also want to consider the future price of gas - it may not be the cheapest in the long term. Our new house will be all electric with solar panels to offset the daytime use, solar hot water and wood heating to supplement the winter heating
We use lpg during summer mostly, it can be convenient also when the combustion stove goes out overnight (sometimes)during winter.Also we have a lpg fridge for emergencies such as during a drought coupled with smoky skies, our solar panels don't cope at all well when there is no sun and the hydro wont produce power without water. We've been caught out a couple of times, usually at night, when the lights go out (out come the candles),out comes the battery charger and generator.
ps I don't check the readouts as often as I should.
Not sure if it was just the gas (cng not lpg) oven we had, but I found it didn't brown the food like an electric oven. I think it was the moisture in the gas when it burns.
I'm with BobL. I've got a pyrolysis oven and I would never get anything else.
Trav