Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Cooking With Gas

If you own an electric range, you have doubtlessly experienced the following situations. Agonizingly watching the stove as minutes and minutes pass by while eternally waiting for a pot of water to heat up and boil. Discovering in horror that your “medium heat” has burned your over-medium fried egg to your favorite skillet. An expertly prepared soufflĂ© comes out less than expertly in execution because of uneven cooking by an electric oven. The truth is, electricity has always been sub-par energy when used for cooking. The overwhelming choice of expert and novice chefs alike is definitely natural gas or propane.

Brian Mattingly, executive chef at the California Culinary Academy, when asked about this heated topic, conveyed his thoughts. He stated that in his over 20 years in the restaurant business he had not met one chef that preferred electric cooking over cooking with natural gas or propane. At his culinary institute, the over 2400 students enrolled in the program are all instructed on gas ranges because of their ease of control, their quick heating from cold ability, the simplicity of keeping them clean, and the affordability of use and maintenance.

A September 2004 survey taken among chefs in all types of restaurants nation-wide, showed Mattingly’s colleagues are mostly of the same opinion. Nearly all of the chefs, 96 percent, preferred a gas cooktop and 68 percent also preferred a gas oven over an electric one. 94 percent of chefs polled lauded gas for its overwhelming convenience. Other points praising gas included 72 percent of chefs preferring it for the greater temperature control it affords and 55 percent experienced faster cooking times and immediate heat when using gas ranges. Not only do these chefs prefer to use gas at the workplace, but 66 percent of the professional chefs polled also use natural gas to cook at their homes.

Perhaps a reason customers continue to use their old tired electric stoves is that gas is still not available in all areas. According to most professional chefs, everyone would be cooking more efficiently and deliciously in these rural areas if they would simply switch to propane fueled appliances in their kitchens. Propane is readily available and as clean burning a fuel as natural gas. Natural gas and oil energy companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corp perform the essential duty of extracting the necessary petroleum and natural gas from supplies across the U.S., refining and processing them in order that cooks and amateur chefs across the country have the necessary fuel (propane or natural gas) they need to help their kitchens run smoothly.

About the Author: Robert Jent is the president of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties. For more information, visit http://www.triplediamondenergycorp.blogspot.com.

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