How to Use a Cook Stove

Whatever type of cook stove you have, the rules for using it are the same. Whether you use a gas or electric range, you will be able to prepare gourmet meals according to your skill set. If you are interested in saving energy, you might look into getting a wood cook stove.

Instructions

Cooking With Wood

1. Enjoy the lost art of cooking on a wood cook stove. Like cooking outside, a wood stove brings flavors to foods that you don't get with gas or electric cook stoves.

2. Inspect the wood cook stove inside and outside if you buy a used one. The consumer protection regulations we now have were not around during the first life of some of these stoves.

3. Realize that you are going to use this stove. Do not buy it if there are cracks or rust spots in the wood grate. The vents need to be able to maneuver open and closed as you cook the food.

4. Consider a new cook stove. A wood cook stove takes a while to warm up and sometimes simply to use. If you enjoy the ambiance of a wood fire, this could be for you. After all, nostalgia is in. Just remember to use heavy pots and pans when you cook on a wood stove. The heat is higher, and your foods could scorch if the pots are thin.

Cooking With Gas

1. Call it a range, and you move into another area of cooking. One of the most popular styles of cook stoves has always been the gas model. Great brands include Hotpoint and even General Electric.

2. Light the burner with a match or pilot light ignition. Just put your pot of food onto one of the burners and light a medium flame. Increase as needed. Evoke some nostalgia when you see foods simmering away on the stove with a flame beneath them.

3. Turn on the oven and set the temperature on the knob if you have automatic pilot lights so you don't have that dangerous few seconds until you get the oven lit. At this point, you can just walk away and finish preparing the dish you are cooking. Otherwise, use the pilot light or light the oven burner with a match.

4. Think about the options that you can get with newer stoves. These include continuous grates for ease of moving utensils and a convection oven included in the range. For coordination, new gas cook stoves come in stainless steel, white, black and bisque.

Cooking With Electricity

1. Cook easily with an electric cook stove. Place the saucepan on the electric burner and start the heat at medium. Increase the heat as needed with the burner control knob.

2. Preheat the oven for 15 to 20 minutes before putting your baking dish inside. The oven will take a little longer than gas to warm up, but not as long as a wood oven.

3. Decide which version of the electric range you want. There are traditional electric burner models with drip pans underneath and those with smooth ceramic cook tops for a sleek look. You can even get a self-cleaning oven.

Tips & Warnings

• Read your stove's owner's manual thoroughly. Every cook stove has a few little details that make it unique.

• "Mother Earth News" and "Countryside" magazines have advertisements of wood cook stove dealers.

• If you want to be sure you are using the right temperature in any oven, use a thermometer specially made for cook stoves.

• You can purchase any type of cook stove as a used appliance. However, remember that you won't have a warranty or documentation with a used stove.

• When buying an older cook stove, remember that repair prices will often compare to a new stove.

• Using the right size pan with gas or electric stoves will help to avoid messy boil overs.

Resources

• University of California at Berkeley shows unusual cook stove styles in other parts of the world.
• Consumer Research compares gas and electric cook stoves.