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Anyone cook on a propane stove?

C

CarlK

TUG Member
Joined
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Location
In the banana belt of Southwestern Ontario
We are doing a complete kitchen renovation and will be replacing our appliances. We have been thinking of switching from an electric stove to a propane stove (natural gas is not available where we are). We are hearing good things about propane stoves, but I wonder if there are any negatives. Opinions?
Thanks!

Carl
 
CarlK said:
We are doing a complete kitchen renovation and will be replacing our appliances. We have been thinking of switching from an electric stove to a propane stove (natural gas is not available where we are). We are hearing good things about propane stoves, but I wonder if there are any negatives. Opinions?
Thanks!

Carl
Click to expand...

My parents have a trailer at the bay and we use propane for the stove. It cooks the same as a gas stove does. You wouldn't even know that it uses propane.
 
We've used propane for cooking for 13 years. No complaints. We used propane for heating, clothes drying, water heater and cooking. We've since implemented geothermal heating/cooling and our water heater was switched to electric as part of the geothermal implementation.
 
The only negative I can think of is running out. I cooked on it in my younger days. iirc, a 20lb tank lasted 2-3 months for just cooking. We use it in our RV now and it works fine. I believe you can convert virtually any gas stove to propane. Call your propane dealer to verify that.

I do recall from my early experience that as the tank got low, you could smell the 'garlicky' gas odorizer just a little. When I smelled that, I knew I had a day or 2 to change or refill the tanks.

Jim Ricks
 
The main thing I miss when traveling is my gas stove (it's actually propane). I have never been able to properly regulate temperature when I can't see the flame.

There is absolutely no difference between gas and propane. A couple changes to a gas grill easily converts it into a propane grill.
 
CarlK said:
We are doing a complete kitchen renovation and will be replacing our appliances. We have been thinking of switching from an electric stove to a propane stove (natural gas is not available where we are). We are hearing good things about propane stoves, but I wonder if there are any negatives. Opinions?
Thanks!

Carl
Click to expand...

Not sure about prices of propane in your area, but we have a propane stove (heating kind) and we have a 100lb tank. The cost has gone up to nearly $6/gallon! It's a good thing we don't rely on it for all of our heating needs. We have the stove in our finished basement where there isn't any other heat ducts.
 
SunSandGirl said:
Not sure about prices of propane in your area, but we have a propane stove (heating kind) and we have a 100lb tank. The cost has gone up to nearly $6/gallon! It's a good thing we don't rely on it for all of our heating needs. We have the stove in our finished basement where there isn't any other heat ducts.
Click to expand...

That is a crazy price for propane! Methane is running $2.49 per gallon.

elaine
 
we had to use propane at our Wisc Dells house til last fall. it added 200 tot he cost of the stove to change from natural gaas to propane. It was hard to keep a low flame, but otherwise it is the same.
 
I just filled my RV's tank today. 40# (7.3 gal) @ $3.50/gal. $27 and change. That will have me good for all cooking, space heating and hot water all season. Jim
 
automatic plan

I've been using propane for cooking and for the clothes dryer. I grew up using gas and when we moved we were just out of reach of the main gas line (the gas company wanted me to pay to install the extension! $$$$$!!!) so we opted to use propane.

We have two 50# tanks so if one runs out we'll switch to the other (doesn't happen very often) The propane company comes every quarter to fill my tanks so if you do decide to go with propane ask the company about automatic fill - every quarter works for me but I'm sure they can adjust based on your usage. Not sure how much we're paying but I think it's gone up to around $4

I think if propane is used in your area then it's really easy to get a stove and the converter kit for it.

So, I've been using propane for about 20 years and haven't had any problems - really happy with it! There is an odor (not garlicky in my case) when the tank starts to run low. You can ask your propane company to explain/describe the smell better.
 
We have a Wolfe dual-fuel, meaning the stovetop is propane and the oven is electric.

The only issue with propane is the tank is kind of ugly (outside the house between two windows) so we may need to plant some bushes or set up a trellis (except that's pretty ugly too).

For performance, the instant-on and instant-off, and ability to adjust the flame exactly, makes it better than electric. I think electric is hotter when it finally gets going though - - boiling a large pot of water seems to take longer. We considered magnetic induction but it seemed gimicky to me and I didn't want to think about what pots and pans would and wouldn't work with it.
 
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When we had the house built a few years ago we went with propane for the stove, dryer, water heater, and pool heater. Gas - natural or propane - is so much nicer to cook on IMHO.

We are also in prime hurricane territory and being able to cook when the power is off (and without dragging out the generator) is really nice. In fact, we live rural and our electic is more sporadic than you'd believe - we lose it on clear days sometimes for HOURS.

We had the tank buried in the side yard so no unsightly tank. I had set up auto re-fill but switched over to calling when I need gas/want to shell out the $$ to re-fill the tank. I just note a reminder on my calendar to go check it every few months.

If you go with a propane tank, make sure you understand (and have the paperwork!) if you are buying or renting the actual physical tank. I thought I bought our tank (and had the cost figures clearly shown) but didn't get the ownership papers at the time (I was still in the naive honeymoon period with the builder). Later on they claimed I never bought it and it was a rental tank I paid for. Now I am stuck paying a yearly rental fee on the tank. Argh. OTOH, friends up north have an oil tank they own and it's now leaking and they are haivng a nightmare time with it. I do not know how a bad propane tank would compare to a bad oil tank (environmetal effects), but not owning the tank if it goes bad might not be a bad thing after all.
 
jlwquilter said:
Now I am stuck paying a yearly rental fee on the tank. Argh.
Click to expand...

We rented ours I believe its $60 a year. To purchase the same tank would have been about $500. However if purchased it needs to be recertified every 10 years at our cost... which I am sure that costs at least $100! So for us Its cheaper to rent it, plus if it leaks or I want to upgrade to larger etc its there problem.

We love the propane. Had gas at previous house but not much diffence nice to be able to cook without power. But be aware some stoves have electonic start/ignition that will not allow the propane to flow if there isnt any power.
Lastly if you buy a convertable gas to propane stove make sure they give you the conversion kit with purchase.
 
Sprang For $15 Conversion Kit I Didn't Need. (What A Doofus -- Me, Not You.)

Got a near-new Sears Kenmore gas stove for installation out at my brother's place, which was hooked up to a humongous LP gas propane tank outdoors (no natural gas service in his neighborhood at the time).

Thinking I'd convert the newish (i.e., used) gas stove for use with propane, I ordered from Sears the appropriate kit for the conversion. (As it stood, the stove was good to go with natural gas only.)

The conversion kit -- $15 + shipping -- consisted of 4 new surface burner orifices & as I recall possibly also some hardware for the broiler & oven burners. Instructions also said to open an air baffle in back to a wider position for propane than for use with natural gas. The project looked pretty much straightforward, so I went ahead.

When I got into the job, I discovered that a little envelope containing LP gas orifices for the burners, plus an instruction sheet about the air baffle, was already tucked away in a hidden spot under the top of the range -- i.e., I already had a perfectly good conversion kit that came with the stove el freebo, so ordering the $15 new conversion kit before investigating was a complete waste.

What a doofus. (Me, not you.)

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
Our stove (a Maytag) has the electron lighting thingy but teh gas flows if the knob is turned on so all I have to do is light the flowing gas with a match. Easy enough to do.

Our rental is about $125 a year now (has gone up but not too much every time - so far) and I did pay about $500 'for the tank'. So I am 'buying it' every 5 years. So pissed at myself for not getting the papers right away. Lesson learned.

Still love the propane though.
 
We are in the process of installing a dual fuel range - propane stovetop with electric oven. Will let you know how it works out...
 
Fletcher921 said:
We are in the process of installing a dual fuel range - propane stovetop with electric oven. Will let you know how it works out...
Click to expand...

We have a Viking dual fuel range. Though natural gas on top in stead of propane. DW is a baker and likes the electric convention oven and I like the high BTU top. After experiencing both propane and natural gas, I don't think there's enough difference to even think about. It's all about what's available where you live.

Jim
 
Thanks for the great feedback! We will likely get a stove with a propane cooktop and electric convection oven. I will also watch out for the tank rental versus buy options. Hopefully this is the last kitchen reno I will ever have to do!

Carl
 
My opinion...

CarlK said:
We are doing a complete kitchen renovation and will be replacing our appliances. We have been thinking of switching from an electric stove to a propane stove (natural gas is not available where we are). We are hearing good things about propane stoves, but I wonder if there are any negatives. Opinions?
Thanks!

Carl
Click to expand...

I had propane added to my home only in order to be able to have a propane stove.
I also had the propane line branched off to accomodate a gas clothes dryer as well.

For a serious chef / cook, an electric stove top is not even worthy of a single moment of conversation, at least in my personal (admittedly severely biased) opinion. Ovens are another matter, where the differences and benefits of electric vs. gas are considearbly less profound. In short, by all means do it!

P.S. Most gas stoves come equipped for natural gas (i.e., not propane) installation. The "conversion kit", which merey changes the size of the incoming gas orifice, costs less than $20 (if not aready provided for free right along with the stove). A larcenous or greedy installer might try to make make a big deal out of this "conversion", but the "conversion" actually consists of a handful of simple, inexpensive parts and about 45 seconds to a minute or so of "labor".
 
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theo said:
I had propane added to my home only in order to be able to have a propane stove.
P.S. Most gas stoves come equipped for natural gas (i.e., not propane) installation. The "conversion kit", which merey changes the size of the incoming gas orifice, costs less than $20 (if not aready provided for free right along with the stove). A larcenous or greedy installer might try to make make a big deal out of this "conversion", but the "conversion" actually consists of a handful of simple, inexpensive parts and about 45 seconds to a minute or so of "labor".
Click to expand...

And, for this one minute conversion the stove retailer is charging $50.00! But, he knows how to do the conversion, and I don't, so I'm stuck.:shrug:
 
Could be worse...

CarlK said:
And, for this one minute conversion the stove retailer is charging $50.00! But, he knows how to do the conversion, and I don't, so I'm stuck.:shrug:
Click to expand...

A poster above indicated having paid $200 for the simple "conversion", so I guess it's all relative...;)
 
when we purchased the gas range, we did have to pay an extra 200 for gas conversion then when the gas company extended out here, we paid them $695 to do the inside conversion; the water heater (one year old and we had paid extra for propane), the stove, and the furnace also one year old but which had the kit with it.
 
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