[SunnyD]

I'm told electric is 4 times as expensive as gas at the moment. I'm having to be a new cooker with hob and high level grill soon, it looks like its going to be a gas oven with a gas hob and grill, is this true of cookers etc generally?

[BenClackson]

The Price Cap on Electricity per unit of energy (kwh) is indeed 4 times that of gas until the end of September. But electric cookers use less energy than gas cookers. A Which report updated on 8 March 2022 said "our tests have found that you will pay on average just £17 a year for a gas cooker and around the £40 mark for an electric, electric induction or dual-fuel cooker". When the Price Caps for both fuels this winter are known, I hope EON will advise us how the running costs of electric and gas cookers are likely to compare this winter. but they may not be able to advise us about the relative likelihood of physical shortages: i.e. load-shedding on the electricity network vs lower gas pressure.

[wizzo227]

I prefer the gas hob for frying.

The lowest cost cooker in the house is a flimsy cheapo mini-oven rated at 0.6kW which is minimum sufficient to crisp the outside of a microwaved jacket potato, or (barely adeqately) do half a pizza, or bake a two-eggs sponge cake in a 4 inch by 8 inch loaf tin. I'll sometimes cook for free like that inside surplus solar electricity from the roof.

If weather is too cloudy to get 0.6kW of free solar then I'll use the 2.7kW ordinary oven, which is hotter and much bigger.

[Beki]

@wizzo227 It's interesting that you've brought this subject up. I have seen so much hype about air fryers at the moment and the benefits of cooking in them, in terms of energy usage. Have you tried one of these?

[wizzo227]

@Beki_EONNext
I looked at different "things which cook" and a new air fryer looks expensive by comparison to what I did. I won't say never but I still use a frying pan on a gas hob for most things fried, and if necessary mop up with some extra mushrooms or a slice of fried bread so that I never throw away oil. My "flimsy" mini-oven was 30 pounds brand new. I also rescued from junk a two ring electric hob which in summer will do one ring with free electricity at times from the solar panels. I'll boil rice on that but I don't like frying without the option to lift the pan and tilt it about.

If anybody wants to lend an air fryer to me for energy efficiency test, I could do that in the summer when I've got more free electricity. A three pin plug in energy monitor (for less than fifteen pounds) is how I'd test energy put in to each of these cooking appliances.

[Han_EONNext]

Hey @wizzo227 & @SunnyD sorry for the delayed reply! I hope you are both well 😊

Jumping on the back of @Beki 's airfyer comments here 😜 . The airfryer 'trend' certainly took the world by storm in 2023 🌍 (me included 🤣) from my own personal experiences - my airfyer is more more efficent than my electric hobs. Things cook quicker and I can make more by using the same amount of energy. I know @retrotecchie has jumped head first by using something similar (think it's like an microwave cooker thing) what are your opinions tecchie?

[meldrewreborn]

@Han_EONNext

Just to throw something else into the mix - how long do appliances last - or alternatively cost to maintain? My gas oven and hob (separate units) have only required one part - a spark generator for the oven /grill in 36 years. My experience of things electric in others homes tells me electric items need replacing /attention more often.

[wizzo227]

Well that 30 pounds new mini oven is so badly made that a coiled rod spring worth pennies to keep the front door closed was too light in weight for its normal use and one year on, the front door does not spring closed adequately. For pennies they could have found a heat resistant clippy thing to keep the door closed and they did not bother. My workaround is a wooden stick with a nail in it, balanced on top, which keeps the front door of the mini oven closed while in use. I'm fairly sure that there must be a food hygeine regulation somewhere against using any old 1 by 1.5inch wood out of a skip as an essential semi-permanent oven door closer, so that mini oven is officially beyond end of life in a year. I last used it on Saturday to do cheese in toasted pannini snack, as usual for free, because 0.6kW was inside available solar power off the roof.

[Han_EONNext]

That is so true @meldrewreborn - recently I bought a free standing lamp from Facebook marketplace 🕯for £5. The lamp itself didn't work so It cost me £15 for new wiring, a bulb and plug, (although it was secondhand they said nothing about it not working... why would I have bought it 🤣) so I actually lost money having to replace/repurpose an electric item!

[Han_EONNext]

Originally Posted by wizzo227

Well that 30 pounds new mini oven is so badly made that a coiled rod spring worth pennies to keep the front door closed was too light in weight for its normal use and one year on, the front door does not spring closed adequately. For pennies they could have found a heat resistant clippy thing to keep the door closed and they did not bother. My workaround is a wooden stick with a nail in it, balanced on top, which keeps the front door of the mini oven closed while in use. I'm fairly sure that there must be a food hygeine regulation somewhere against using any old 1 by 1.5inch wood out of a skip as an essential semi-permanent oven door closer, so that mini oven is officially beyond end of life in a year. I last used it on Saturday to do cheese in toasted pannini snack, as usual for free, because 0.6kW was inside available solar power off the roof.

@wizzo227 I bet that the wooden stick didn't come along with the mini oven when you bought it 🤣 . How long did you have it? Is there a guarantee?