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Your stove often serves as both the backbone and the focal point of the kitchen. When considering a new one, the decision between gas, electric or induction largely hinges on your home's setup. Gas stoves necessitate natural gas or propane access, whereas electric or induction models operate smoothly with a 240-volt electric line.
Whichever style you need or prefer, the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab has you covered. We’ve been testing stoves and other kitchen appliances, including refrigerators and dishwashers, for over a century. In the last two decades alone, we've extensively tested 100 stoves and ranges in our Lab, including electric stoves, induction stoves and gas stoves (plus dual fuel ranges), to help you find the best option for your home.
In our stove tests, the best models of any type deliver solid performance across the board — from boiling water and maintaining even heat distribution to baking cakes and broiling steaks. Our top picks perform well in almost every category of testing, but our value picks are worth considering too. “Some more affordable stoves might not boil water as quickly, but I don't think that's a deal breaker,” says Eva Bleyer, the reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances Lab and lead tester of ranges, stoves and cooktops. “You can learn to build that time into your cooking. Plus, almost any stove, no matter its fuel source, has its strong suit and its feature that needs finessing.”
Read on for a breakdown of the three types of stoves — and rest assured that you can reach your culinary aspirations with any choice. “Our reviews aim to empower readers to understand how to get the best results with their appliance,” says Bleyer. “Maybe it's manually rotating their baking sheet, boiling water for longer or broiling steak for less time. There are a variety of models on the market that can perform well in the home kitchen.”
Gas vs. electric stoves
Gas and electric stoves offer distinct advantages and considerations. “In general, gas cooktops offer speedy results, like boiling water quickly, but gas ovens may not have even heat distribution; they often brown foods in the center of the oven more darkly than those near the walls of the oven,” says Bleyer. “Conversely, traditional electric cooktops tend to be slower than gas cooktops, especially when it comes to bringing water to a boil, but they tend to have excellent heat distribution in the oven.”
If you’re a well-rounded cook who uses the stove and oven frequently, induction offers both a speedy cooktop and even oven heat distribution. Or consider a dual-fuel range, which combines a gas cooktop with an electric oven. “I personally like dual-fuel options, but they are newer to the market and tend to be the more expensive models right now,” says Bleyer. “In general, dual-fuel stoves perform well because the gas cooktop is speedy while the electric oven bakes evenly.”
LG Smart Slide-In Gas Range
Maytag Freestanding Gas Range
Frigidaire Gallery Electric Range
GE Electric Convection Range
LG Smart Induction Range with AirFry
ZLINE Autograph Edition 36-in Dual-Fuel Range
What to look for when shopping for a stove
Ultimately, the choice depends on your individual preferences, cooking habits and the specific requirements of your kitchen space. Here are key considerations:
✔ Energy and heat source:
- Gas stoves generate heat through an open flame produced by burning natural gas or propane as fuel. This flame provides instant and precise heat control, allowing for quick adjustments in temperature.
- Traditional electric stoves, on the other hand, utilize electric coils or smooth ceramic glass surfaces to produce heat. They typically take longer to heat up compared with gas stoves and may have slightly less precise temperature control.
- Induction stoves use the same hookup as a traditional electric model, but they employ an electromagnetic field to directly heat magnetic cookware rather than heating an element or creating a flame, offering quick response and control, plus a cooler kitchen.
- Dual-fuel ranges require both a gas hookup and a high-volt electric hook-up.
✔ Cooking performance: The type of heat produced by gas and electric stoves can influence cooking performance and results. Gas stoves are favored by many cooking enthusiasts for their ability to deliver intense, immediate heat. The open flame allows for more direct heat transfer to cookware, making it suitable for tasks that require rapid temperature changes, such as searing or stir-frying.
Electric stoves, while slower to heat up initially, offer more uniform heating across the cooking surface. Smooth ceramic glass cooktops provide consistent heat distribution, reducing the likelihood of hot spots and offering better simmering capabilities. Induction is the only type of electric stove that excels at heating up quickly.
✔ Safety considerations: In addition to gas stove health concerns, gas ranges also pose a potential risk of gas leaks, which can lead to fire or explosion if not properly maintained or installed. Some electric stoves come with their own safety considerations: While easier to clean and maintain, ceramic glass cooktops can be damaged by impact or thermal shock, potentially causing electrical hazards.
✔ Installation: Installing a gas stove may require access to a gas line, which may not be available in all homes or may necessitate professional installation. Electric stoves, on the other hand, can be plugged into a 240-volt electric line in your kitchen. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to hire a certified electrician to install one.
✔ Price: Electric stoves tend to be more affordable than some gas stoves. Induction tends to be more expensive than its electric and gas counterparts and may require a new cookware set if your current set isn't induction-compatible. As an incentive to make the switch from gas to electric, Americans can receive a $840 rebate.
✔ Bells and whistles: Modern features are available on both gas and electric models these days, with electric models offering slightly more options. “Air fry settings are available in many lower-end models,” says Bleyer, “but this function tends to not perform well in Lab tests.” We’re mostly seeing high-tech functionality, such as steam ovens, self-guided cooking, smart connectivity and recipes in the induction ranges from luxury kitchen brands, like Miele and Fisher and Paykel, and dual-fuel ranges by Dacor.
So, is a gas or an electric stove better?
Bottom line: Induction and electric seem to be the way of the future, but gas stoves still have benefits. Based on Lab tests, all stoves perform generally equally with different strengths and weaknesses for each type. “We perform many tests to review all aspects, and there does not seem to be one perfect-for-everyone range,” says Bleyer. It's up to you to make the most educated decision based on your home environment and how you like to cook.
Still can't decide? If your budget has wiggle room, opt for a stove that combines both gas and electric options, like this Dacor 36-Inch Smart Dual Fuel Range. These types of dual-fuel models allow you to cook with gas on the stovetop while the oven utilizes electricity. During Lab testing, Bleyer said this six-burner range excelled at our heat distribution tests for ovens, in which we toast white bread on different settings to see how evenly golden it gets. The range also has a steam function, which made tender salmon with a crispy skin.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Perry Santanachote is a longtime product tester, reviewer, writer and editor, covering everything in the kitchen from cookware to appliances. She personally made the switch to induction cooking in 2021 and hasn’t looked back.
For this article, she reviewed the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab’s extensive testing data, and she consulted with Reviews Analyst Eva Bleyer, who leads the testing for stoves.
Perry Santanachote (she/her) has more than 15 years of experience in service journalism, specializing in food and consumer goods. She tests and reports on kitchen appliances and cooking tools. She also evaluates food products and cleaning supplies. She’s an experienced writer, product tester and recipe developer who has worked in labs, test kitchens and media organizations, including Thrillist and Consumer Reports.
Eva (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she tests kitchen gear, home appliances and culinary innovations. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor of science in food studies, nutrition and public health and is a trained chef through the Natural Gourmet Institute. Eva has more than 10 years of experience in the food industry, working as a food stylist, personal chef and marketing manager.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
