Electric Skillet vs Stove Top- What’s the Difference and Which One is Right for You
Wondering whether to buy an electric skillet or a stovetop? Worry no more because you are in the right place. Below, we have prepared the difference between the electric skillet and a stovetop keeping you well equipped with all the information that you need to help you make a concrete decision.
Additionally, the information below will help you have an idea of the features that you should be looking for when purchasing any of the items mentioned above and avoiding falling into traps of buying poor quality ones. Kindly read on to help you make wiser purchasing decisions.
Why an electric skillet or a stovetop?
More often than not, it is assumed that personal skills in the kitchen determine the quality and taste of food. However, personal skills are one of the factors that determine how good or bad food is.
The cooker used to prepare the food also determines the overall quality of the food delivered. For this reason, when planning to upgrade your kitchen and prepare better meals for your family, you not only need to get a good recipe book but also get a good cooker.
An electric skillet and a stovetop are some of the ideal cookers that you will come across in the market today. While each these cookers can help prepare good food, picking the best among them is easier said than done. This is especially if you are lack adequate knowledge about the different kitchen appliances found in the market today.
Additionally, with the many comments that you will find on the internet and other social media platforms, making the right decision becomes even harder. By understanding the features and qualities of each of them, however, it is possible for you to pick the ideal cooker without falling into the traps set by good marketing and advertisements.
What is an electric skillet?
In a gist, an electric skillet is a kind of pan which instead of being placed on a stove to heat, it is plugged into an electric socket.
An electric skillet has many features that make it an ideal method to use to prepare food for your family. For instance, it has a nonstick surface which is coated to ensure precise heating of food and prevent burning of the cooking food.
On the other hand, an electric skillet has a temperature control feature that helps you adjust and set the recommended temperature depending on the food that you are preparing. In some electric skillets, you will find a keep warm feature that is found below the heating area that can be used to warm food. The keep-warm area can also be used to keep the food from becoming cold for a while.
What is a stovetop?
A stovetop, on the other hand, is a heating element which, unlike the electric skillet, heats by being placed on top of a kitchen appliance. It involves the direct application of heat through the stovetop for cooking.
In some stovetops, you will find an oven underneath that will be useful for baking purposes. The stoves where the stovetops are placed used various sources of heat such as electricity, gas, coal, and wood, among others. These stoves come on different sizes but are no often than not large.
For this reason, they cannot be considered as space savers as they will take up considerable space in your kitchen. Stovetops have a temperature controller and a timer which you use to regulate temperature and set the cooking time. However, the temperature feature can only be applied when you are baking. The timer feature, however, can be applied when you are either cooking or baking.
Basics of an Electric Skillet
When you are own one of the best electric skillets on the market today, you are a lucky owner of a gadget that can help you prepare a wide range of meals quickly and easily. This is a kitchen appliance that can be used to prepare many dishes such as sauces, baked eggs, hamburgers, and chips, among others. You can see a range of some meals you can prepare on an electric skillet here.
It is also manufactured using high-quality construction materials and will, therefore, serve you for a long time without having to replace or repair it. As its name suggests, the electric skillets are plugged into an electric outlet to produce heat. The skillet is also a handy device and can, therefore, help you free up space in the kitchen, unlike the case of an oven or a stovetop.
The electric skillet has a feature of temperature control, which is better as compared to that of an oven or a stove. It is a quality and reliable equipment that you can use in your kitchen when you need a break from your usual pan or oven.
How to Cook Using an Electric Skillet
As mentioned above, an electric skillet is a device capable of cooking and preparing several meals. Additionally, most electric skillets available on the market today can withstand various cooking methods. Some of the cooking methods that you can comfortably try using your electric skillet are such as:
Stir-frying
This is a process of cooking using little oil and stirring the food regularly
Pan boiling
This is a method of browning the ingredients using little oil or fat or boiling them with fat.
Sautéing
This is a method where you use a small amount of grease and oil under fast and medium heat.
Braising
This is a method involving dry and wet heat. It involves searing food under high temperature. Later, you cover the food with a lid and leave it to cook under low temperature.
Advantages of an electric skillet
- It can be used to cook, fry, or for sautéing. They are also ideal for grilling or searing meat before it is cooked.
- Most are made of aluminum and have a nonstick feature on the inside. This way, food does not burn when cooking.
- They are large and deeper than normal pans, thus allowing you to cook a lot of food at once
- It is easy and fast to clean the appliance
- They are readily available in many areas in the market including the online market
- Has a good temperature control that helps you adjust to the temperature that you find ideal
- Has an even heat distribution which helps heat food evenly
Disadvantages of an electric skillet
- It is dependent on electricity. Therefore, in the absence of electricity, it becomes useless
- Like other electric gadgets, can be dangerous if not used carefully.
- For the nonstick models, the coating can break down after some time. Though the effect is not dangerous, it can be unpleasant and undesirable.
Basics of a stovetop
Ideally, a stovetop is a kind of pressure cooker that used high temperatures and heat to boil water and traps the steam inside to increase the pressure. This may seem like a slow process; it is possible to reduce the cooking time when the pressure is high. These kinds of cookers have few customizability since a few select knobs and buttons are enough to control the whole process. Additionally, the stovetops do not pose many threats other than the treat of creating a lot of pressure as this will end up causing more harm than good.
Stovetops are cheap to purchase and do not use a lot of energy. However, you will expect to have a raise in your gas bills after you start using the stovetop. Due to the direct application of heat when using a stovetop, it is possible to have it cook faster as compared to other cookers.
Advantages of a stovetop
- Involves direct application of heat thus can cook faster
- They are not limited to one source of heat or energy
- Some contain an underneath that can be used for baking purposes
- Large enough for use for commercial purposes
- They have a timer and temperature control that helps you control what is cooking
- There are no damages caused in case of food spills
Disadvantages
- It does not offer an even distribution of heat to the cooking dish thus resulting in hot spots
- It is big thus takes up a lot of space in the kitchen
- Does not have a nonstick coating which may cause burning of food
- Does not come along with heating pans
Can you Compare an Electric Skillet with a Stove Top?
According to the features, advantages, and disadvantages of both the electric skillet and stovetop as stated above, an electric skillet is indeed a better investment to make. The electric skillet does not take time to heat, unlike the case of a stovetop and has many other advantages.
After one is familiar with the cooking methods applicable on the electric skillet, it is possible to operate it without any hassle and without causing any havoc. Additionally, unlike in the case of stovetops, there are a variety of cooking methods that you can use on an electric skillet. In a stovetop, there are no nonstick coating, which is a feature available in the electric skillet. You can, therefore, comfortably prepare your food in an electric skillet without fear of it burning.
Conclusion
Typically, making a decision on whether to purchase an electric skillet or a stovetop is not a piece of cake. However, for you to make the most informed decision, you will need to have the features and basic functioning of each of them. Additionally, when you have the features of each of them, you will be in a position to select the cooker that you feel is the best for you without making a decision that could lead you to future regrets. Use the information above to understand the features and differences of an electric skillet and a stovetop and pick the gadget that will give you a new and enjoyable kitchen experience.
