The Best Gas Stoves and Ranges (Review) in 2020

What to Look for in a Gas Range

• Dimensions

Before buying your gas oven, you’ll need to ensure that your new appliance will fit into the space you are able to dedicate to it, in your kitchen. Traditional range cookers are larger than standard cookers but have recently been down-sized to fit standard spaces- usually around 30 inches.

You should also check the depth and height to make sure that you won’t be dealing with uneven surfaces in your kitchen, which are less aesthetically pleasing and more of a pain to transfer pots to and from, when cooking.

• Power

Naturally the higher power of a gas stove means that your food can be cooked can be cooked quickly and more evenly- but you will want to ensure that you truly require the strongest options, as these are usually more expensive. The power of gas cookers is measured in BTU (British Thermal Unit)- we’ll discuss what this means and how it affects your cooking in more detail, below.

• Style

The color and material of your gas oven range will no doubt stand out to your own personal preference, as well as the current décor of the kitchen. However, the main thing to consider is the overall design of the stove oven.

Will you be cooking for larger groups, regularly, with more plates to master or are you happy with a simple single-oven design for shoving in your dinner when you come home from work? Answering this simple question will already give you an idea of the design of your oven.

• Features

- Safety features

While you’ll always need to use your oven with a level of basic understanding of the dangers they can pose, there are some gas oven ranges that come with some handy built-in features. These can include everything from a timer that will turn your oven off once the minutes have elapsed, through to a child lock to stop little hands from getting burnt or accidently leaving the gas on.

- Convenience features

Perhaps more commonly found in most modern gas ovens, convenience features are a great way to distinguish between the good ovens and the best gas stoves on the market. Even something as simple as having a dual oven can make your life so much easier- especially if you have a big family or cook large meals that often require different times and levels of heat for each dish.

One of the most common options you’ll come across in our top picks is the option of buying a self-cleaning oven. These lift the dirt away from your stove oven so that you can simple wipe off the grease when it comes to cleaning your oven- a task that we can all agree is long and painful.

• Reviews

More often than not, gas range reviews will allow you to take in the quality of the appliance you’re buying. Since you wouldn’t usually be able to see any issues until you took your item home, plumbed it in and then used it, these ratings from verified buyers can easily put your mind at ease when buying a new gas stove.

They can warn you of any problems that are common across the appliance, plus let you know how well your new cooker does its job- they will often even tell you if replacement parts are hard to come by or are expensive.

Gas Range vs Electric Range

If you aren’t sure that having a gas range cooker is the best choice for your or your family, it’s worth taking a look at the range of differences between the two and deciding on which one best matches with your needs. After all, there aren’t really any winners when it comes to gas ovens or electric ovens- just a choice of which one works best with your household.

Take the pros of the gas range to begin; the biggest positive to gas cookers is the way in which they heat the food. Since they use an open flame, these can spread across pans to make your food cook more evenly than they would with an electric stove, whereby the heat is usually transferred to the spot directly on top of the heat source.

Add to this the ability to quickly and effectively control the level of heat you produce and you may notice that you feel much more comfortable with the level of power you have over your cooking when compared to electric ovens, which are more suited to chefs who prefer to turn on their stove and go about their business while their food cooks.

Unfortunately, gas cookers are usually more expensive to purchase and require fitting by a professional, which bumps up the cost even further. This is especially true when compared to electric ovens, which are usually much simpler to install and cheaper to buy.

Tips for Using Your Gas Oven

Getting the feel for a gas cooker can take a little time, depending on how quickly you get a feel for the power of your oven and what kind of foods you like to cook. If you’ve decided which gas range stove you’re going to buy but haven’t used a gas cooker before, it might be work taking some of these tips on board, until you’re used to your new appliance.

1. Gas ovens often have hot spots, so you might decide to counter these by rotating your trays during cooking
2. You can further control the heat around your food by using different areas of the oven- the top shelf of the oven will be the hottest area, while the bottom shelf is the coolest.
3. You can create more even, browned tops by placing another baking sheet on the shelf above your food. This will bounce heat back to speed up the cooking time.

Best Gas Stoves and Ranges FAQ:

Q: What is a gas stove/range and how does it work?

A: A gas oven works by lighting a steady stream of gas to create a constant burn. This gas is fed through plumbing from the main gas line and can be released when a valve is opened on your gas oven. Once this has been released, the gas from the main line is combined with oxygen- turning it into a combustible.

This is then fed through the stove top or oven in order to accurately direct the gas- and therefore the fire- toward the right area. In order to create the actual fire that you use for your gas stove, you’ll need to light the gas by creating a spark, which is done by the oven itself.

Being able to change temperature almost instantly means that gas ovens are still one of the most popular options on the market, despite newer, more efficient ways of cooking being presented through induction stove tops and electric ovens. They give you greater control over your cooking and are incredibly simple to use, although they do come with higher risks and are the most expensive option to run.

Q: What are BTUs and how many does your stove need?

A: British Thermal Units, also known as BTU’s, are a measure of power provided by your gas stove and are usually found in measurements of thousands. Essentially, one BTU can raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree in Fahrenheit.

When looking at the description of your chosen appliance, you might notice that they frequently come in 15,000-25,000 BTU, with 15,000 being the lowest power in this example and 25,000 BTU being the most powerful option. This is a measurement of the output provided per hour, so don’t worry about your water evaporating within seconds of turning your new oven on.

While having a higher output of BTU can mean that your pans will be heated more quickly and therefore your food cooked faster, they do come with their own downsides, too. For starters, they are more expensive to buy and naturally raise your bills, as you’ll be (literally) burning through your gas more quickly.

You’re also unlikely to need the highest options, unless you’re taking your cooking to the next level and are prepared to work with high volumes of food that need to get out, fast. Thus, the good news if that you most likely won’t need to spoil yourself with the most expensive option.

Most new ovens also have the benefit of having more effective burners, as well as more powerful burners. These are usually built to hit the pan more directly, with upward-facing burners that create more efficient heat-transference. These cut down on time, cost and energy and should be the main priority, along with the power itself, when looking to buy a new gas range oven.

Q: How much do they cost?

A: There was a time when buying a gas oven range could easily set you back a few thousand dollars, making them the purchase of those who have plenty of disposable income to hand. These days, however, the benefit of a larger market combined with cheaper materials means that a gas stove is much more affordable.

You can now find plenty of range ovens to suit every budget, and we’ve given our top picks of these affordable, high-quality range cookers above. These all come with an excellent cost vs. yield, which work perfectly, producing beautiful meals and perfectly baked goods, while still being reasonably priced.

That said, you can expect a good quality stove oven to cost at least $2000- plus, you should always be ready to factor in safe installation by a gas engineer, as well as any accessories you might need. These can put up prices by another $100 or more, depending on who you use or what special circumstances may need to be accommodated.

Our Top Pick

The HRG3080U from Thor Kitchen is one of the best-rated options online with gas oven reviews noting that this powerful appliance cooks evenly and thoroughly. As well as being beautiful to look at, with a pop of color on the internal lining, this is also incredibly easy to clean.

The bright color makes it more obvious when a wipe-down is needed which is a great indicator that can help cut down on grease in the long term- but it’s the clean lines and removable grates on the stovetop that make this so simple to use and care for. Add to this the warranty, which includes parts and labor, and you can sure of a great purchase at an affordable price.

Sources:

1. 5 Features to Look for When You're Buying an Oven – How Stuff Works
2. The Science of Cooktops – Fine Cooking