Saturday, March 14, 2015

I am a Gas Girl!

     I am a gas girl. No, I don't mean I pass gas. Well, everyone does, but that's not the point. What I mean is that I will take a gas stove over an electric stove any day. I did not always feel that way, however. It took my husband's super chef talents to convert  me to the bright side.

     When we met, I admit I scoffed at the idea of gas being better than electric. I'd cooked on electric my entire life, and eaten my mom's scrumptious meals - all cooked on electric. So what was the big deal, I asked? Over time, I figured this one out.

     Control.

     Cooking with gas gives the chef minute control. The flame can be adjusted precisely with just a slight rotation of the knob. It's all in the feel and the look as well. You can't FEEL 3.8 vs 4.0. But with gas you can see the flame burn just a little bit brighter, a little bit higher. And it makes all the difference.

     I began to have an inkling my husband - then boyfriend - had a  point when he cooked me dinner. Filet mignon medium rare with a mustard, white wine and mushroom sauce served over mashed red potatoes along with al dente julienned carrots and zucchini. It was mouth watering. It was to die for!

     So he might have a point, I thought. I began experimenting myself when I was over at his place. I soon saw the difference. It was easier to gauge the doneness of my pancakes. And for all you chocolate lovers who use a double boiler to melt your chocolate, it just seems like gas does a better job. Don't ask me why as I have no explanation for that one. After all, the double boiler is over steaming water, so logic implies it would not make a difference. I could even make better popcorn. Hmmm...I was well on my way to becoming converted to gas.

     The kick over to the bright side came one day at my parents. I was using the stove to make French toast. I turned the electric up just for a bit, to hurry the process and forgot. I burned it.

     "Darn, darn, darn, darn, darn," I thought. (You can insert a stronger word in here if you would like.) "If I had a gas stove I could have seen the flame, and this never would have happened."

     So when, during our engagement my fiancee came home with a five burner gas stove, ecstatic over the deal he'd gotten, I smiled. It would go nicely in our house we'd just bought.

    Our gas stove has helped us make many a meal and many a memory.  I clean, I scrub, I wipe and I rub, my five burner strong gas stove. It's not easy to keep clean, but after 20 years it still produces results.



3 comments:

  1. I love cooking with gas, too! I have an electric stove at home, but am visiting my mother who has a gas stove and I find that I enjoy cooking even on my time off because it cooks so well!

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  2. Oh, my gosh, gas or bust! I love how you shift time in this - I thought this was a brand new development for you, but you surprised me at the end. Congrats on your conversion!

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  3. Coleen, we share this love of gas. I've always loved cooking on gas cooktops! New kitchen, almost finished has five burners. Cooked scrambled eggs on it for the inaugural meal tonight.

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