Do Professional Chefs Use Gas or Electric Stoves?

If you’ve watched even just one episode of Iron Chef or any competitive cooking show on TV, you know professional chefs know their stoves inside and out. Of all the appliances in the kitchen, it is the stove where the chefs get the most creative and resourceful.

The stovetop is a professional chef’s tool of the trade, like a carpenter’s hammer or a welder’s stick welder. The way they use the stove is like creating art, from the way they sear shrimp to the way they pan-flip stir-fry veggies.

And the result is pure culinary magic.

Sometimes it feels like the only way to enjoy gourmet dishes that are Food Network approved is by dropping a few Benjamins at your local, fine dining restaurant.

If you’re tired of dressing to the nines and selling off your firstborn each time you want Instagram-worthy food, it’s time to start cooking like a pro.

They Prefer Gas

Professional chefs know what it takes to deliver so take some tips from the experts. To start cooking like a pro, start with their preferred tool - a gas stovetop. Gas stoves offer an incredible experience with every use.

Plus it has a wide amount of benefits over electric stovetops which we explain here to help you decide if you’re ready to take the plunge for gas!

Immediate Responsiveness

Electric cooktops work by using electricity to heat the coils which is then passed on to your pan. The transaction takes some time to initially heat your pan.

Gas, on the other hand, is an open flame that directly heats your pan so it takes very little time to get your pan to the temperature you need, even if it’s a cast iron pan stored in a cool place.

For professional chefs, it’s convenient to save time in the kitchen to quickly heat their pan and start cooking immediately.

Better Control

Another reason the pros prefer gas is the control they have over the heat. Just as electricity takes some time to heat your pan, it also takes some time to adjust in temperatures, whether you need fast heat or need to cool the contents immediately.

Electric stovetops take so much time that most chefs just take the pan off the burner to cool it faster. Gas is practically immediate when it comes to making adjustments since the flame can quickly be diminished or ignited.

A Variety Of Cookware

Electric cooktops involve coil burners and glass stovetops rely on a flat surface heating your cookware, which is great if your cookware is also flat.

But some of your best pans that have seen battle with a fat steak and are used just about every night of the week may no longer be perfectly flat so they may not heat up evenly on a flat surface, or you may have a wok which is designed for open flame.

With a gas stovetop, all you need is the flame itself to heat the pan which is obviously by no means flat. Additionally, the popular induction stoves rely on specific cookware that is high in iron so you are more limited with electricity.

The versatility of cookware allows professional chefs the freedom to cook the way they prefer.

Cooking Freedom

In addition to using whichever cookware they want, the open flame also allows professional chefs to cook a more variety of foods.

With electric or induction cooktops, you can’t quite hit those high temperatures to char or smoke certain ingredients, such as tomatoes and eggplants.

With an open flame, there is more freedom and creativity to achieve all your culinary ambitions.

Let’s Talk About Induction

You may be asking yourself, “What about induction cooktops?” Electric stovetops have come a long way since coiled burners thanks to the introduction and the recent popularity of induction stovetops. Induction burners provide many of the advantages of gas, including responsiveness, immediate heat, and accurate temperature.

It also has the added benefits of safety and energy -efficiency since it only heats the pan, not the surface. However, there’s one thing induction doesn’t have - an open flame.

As mentioned above, the open flame allows for more cooking methods and cookware, the dream of every aspiring chef.