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Subee Jun 29, 2006 05:20 PM

Electric Stove and Oven

Hi all,

I moved into a new apartment 6 months ago. Electric. My cooking skills have deteriorated tremendously. I expect its due to not having any prior experience cooking electric. Does anyone understand? Have suggestions? I feel like everything is dry, or overcooked.
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›5 Replies . Latest Jun 29, 2006 by hbgrrl
  1. h
     hbgrrl Jun 29, 2006 10:24 PM

    I had to get new pans for my electric stove.
    I found that my skillets didn't sit on the entire burner evenly, so I wasn't getting even heat.

    Don't despair, you'll get the hang of it. The suggestion of turning your burner off before your food is totally done was a good one.
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    1. g
       gochrisgo Jun 29, 2006 09:56 PM

      Subee, what kind of electric stove do you have? Is it the kind where the elements show or the ceramic-glass top?

      I have a Kenmore Elite range. The electric stove can take some getting used to, but I think the electric oven is great -- since the heat is very even.
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      1. s
         Subee Jun 29, 2006 06:01 PM

        Thanks for those tips!
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        1. d
           Darren72 Jun 29, 2006 05:32 PM

          There are variations from appliance to appliance. Perhaps the heat coming off this unit is hotter than what you are used to (i.e. "medium" on this stove is hotter than "medium" on your last stove). Or, the oven thermometer is off (which is common). Go buy an oven thermometer from Bed, Bath, and Beyond (or wherever -- they are cheap). Rely on this thermometer rather than the one built into your oven.

          My oven is consistently about 25-50 degrees hotter than what I set it to.
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          1. o
             oc climber Jun 29, 2006 05:30 PM

            Electric stove tops are a pain in the arse.

            Here are some tricks I learned when I had electric a few years ago:

            Have two burners going at the same time at different temperatures. One should be cooler and one blazing hot. Use these two burners to accurately cook stove top meals by balancing heat.

            Once something is nearing done, shut the heat off a bit earlier than you normally would (quite a bit on my old stove). This will allow a cool down while still completing the dish.

            Turn your stove top on a few minutes before you want to start actually cooking. This will give it and your pan sufficient time to heat up.

            Good luck! It takes some time but you'll get it down.
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