Cooking with gas
One must seriously question why it is, that the bulk of top cooks around the world, cook with gas, yet Australians choose electric cookers.
In countries like Italy where there is an absolute passion for great food the bulk of cooking is done on a gas cooker and in a gas oven.
And if you ask any of the big-name chefs they will tell you that gas delivers “better control” when it comes to that perfect sauce or the optimum way to cook a steak.
Gas is a moist heat. Roasting using gas makes a big difference, reducing shrinkage and maximising moisture left in the meat after cooking. Roasts are more succulent and flavoursome, and pastries tend to stay fresher longer.
If you talk to the gas experts at Emilia or Glem Gas whose products are sold in Australian retail stores, they will tell you that a gas cooker provides instant heat, and more precise control over the heat level.
There is also a lesser chance of burning what you are cooking. When you’re done with cooking, you can just turn it off and not worry about overcooking/burning it when you leave the food on top of the cooker.
Gas cookers and ovens are also cheaper to operate, a key factor when electricity costs continue to rise.
Emilia has a full range of gas cookers available all with fully featured fan assisted gas ovens in various sizes 53cm, 60cm, 70cm, 80cm, 90cm.
All Emilia ovens are made in Italy with Aussie kitchens in mind.
The 80cm (DI865MVI4) all gas stainless steel cooker, shown above, is a five-burner cooktop with a 116 litre oven, exclusive to The Good Guys.
The burners are spread far enough so even the biggest pots can fit without touching. The cooker has a long centre burner, which suits a breakfast griddle plate that can be added as an accessory.
For added safety, there are flame failure safety devices fitted to every burner so when the flame goes out, the gas stops flowing.
The 80cm model is priced at $1899.
The 90cm model (DI965MVI4), shown left, is the biggest model in the gas stainless steel cooker range.
This model comes with a high-power centre triple ring wok burner with burners all the way down to a small simmer burner catering to all cooking tasks from a boiled egg to an Asian stir fry.
If you’re always worried about oven space, this model has one of the biggest oven cavities in the range making it ideal for multi-level cooking and multi-batch cooking.
The enamel inside the oven is easy clean titanium, with a big wide grill tray, side chrome racks for easy shelf sliding and an oven light to keep an eye on the cooking.
This model is also equipped with flame failure safety devices. It is priced at $2199.
The Emilia 60cm fan assisted gas oven (EMF61MVI) shown right, gives cooks even heat distribution through fan assistance, eliminating cold spots and allowing baking on more than one shelf at a time.
The oven has the ability to operate with classic bake, fan bake, fan grill and static combining electrical and gas capabilities.
For those more energy conscious, roasting in this oven uses so little electricity that it can be run on solar power and has an LPG conversion kit if a household doesn’t have natural gas.
The oven door is triple glass fitted with an automatic cooling fan and 60-minute timer.
Included in the gas oven are 2 wire racks, 2 side racks, a grill tray and rack. It costs $949.