Cohousing-L Mailing List: Electric smooth top stove in common house?

[Susan Coberly (susandgeorge]

In response to question from Iowa City Cohousing,

I have a smooth top electric stove in my home. I chose smooth top electric
- although I wanted to get a dual fuel range (gas cooktop, electric oven) -
due to cost.

I do a lot of cooking.  So far (about 8 years) the smooth top has not
cracked - nor has it stained "irretrievably"-  but I would caution against
using it in a common house kitchen, in favor of gas.

These are my reasons.

I am preternaturally obsessed with it getting cracked or stained, and I am
usually the only cook and cleaner. If there were other cooks I likely would
drive them crazy with over-protectiveness. Over-protectiveness is not
something one wants in the common house, with diverse personalities....

With gas / iron burner covers, one can slide pots back and forth to cook a
stir fry, cook stove-top popcorn, slide off a burner when the food is done.
You cannot do that with a smooth top.  Pans have to be lifted up and set
down carefully every time, including heavy pots of boiling water. Pans and
pots have to be smooth-bottomed in addition to being the right metal (pots
and pans in the common house will tend to get a bit beat - up, if
experience serves).

Susan Coberly,
La Querencia, aka Fresno Cohousing, California