So, it is Saturday midday and you want to boil your potatoes on the stove and roast some chicken in the oven before leaving on time for an important weekend meeting with friends. I
n that situation, you’d be tempted to let your potatoes simmer on the stove as you prepare your chicken for the oven.
Lots of people are increasingly finding themselves in such a situation in today’s busy lives. Sometimes kitchen multitasking is absolutely necessary to prepare enough food for a large family in the shortest time possible.
But, Can You Use The Oven And Stove At The Same Time?
In a word, “yes”! But there will be a few hardships along the way. It is also going to depend on an array of factors, such as whether the two share the same duct of gas. In most cases, however, these two normally work together in harmony. Having said that, you must determine whether your specific living unit comes with enough power (if your oven and stove are electric, that is) wired to each in such a way that both equipment can be used at the same time. If any of these two cookers are deprived of enough power supply, it will show these signs: If your cooker has a fuse, it will certainly blow up if it is turned on. And if your unit is equipped with a circuit breaker, then it will trip.
Two Reasons To Not Use The Oven And Stove Simultaneously
Meanwhile, you might already have noticed that you cannot use both the stove and oven simultaneously because all or much of the gas tends to go into either unit, causing an imbalance.
In such a situation, the problem may be:
1. Problems with gas pressure
The gas pressure may be too low to service the two appliances, so the best thing to do would be to boost the pressure a bit. Once you’ve increased it, you’ll be good to use both devices at the same time.
2. Clock problems
Check the clock on either device and confirm if it has not been accidentally switched to Auto.
If that’s not the case, there’s a strong chance someone may have interrupted the supply of power to either unit.
Related: Should You Leave the Oven ON When You’re Not Home?
How To Go About Cooking Using Both Simultaneously
1. Divide the temperatures carefully
And, yes, you still can use the oven and the stove at the same, but you need to do something about the temperatures.
The temperature needs to be inside 100°F of each other or else there will be power surges and you will not be able to cook anything.
But that’s only if you are using an electric oven and electric stove; if they are non-electrical, don’t worry about temperature difference. This means either the oven or the stove should be hotter than the other.
2. Mind the wattage of both the oven and the stove
Whether to use both the stove and the oven at the same time or not may depend on the wattage of each of them.
If the wattage of each is too high, trying to run them simultaneously would trip your circuit breakers and that means you’d never be in a position to use them at the same time.
Let us end the whole suspense with a few basic cost estimates. A lot of electric ovens draw about 2000 – 5000 watts, while the average wattage of an electric stove is in the region of 3000 watts.
Now, much energy will the electric stove consume per hour?
Let’s assume your company’s electricity rate is 12 cts. KWh (per kilowatt-hour), a 3000-W oven will cost about 36 cts. per hour at a higher heat.
Conversely, an electric stovetop, especially a bigger one, draws more electricity compared to an oven.
Many cooktops come with wattage in the region of 1200-W for the smallest burners or about 3000-W for the larger options, which might cost roughly 14 cts. and 36 cts. per hour, respectively.
You actually can have two distinct temperatures on the oven and the stove. However, there’s a limit to how far wide you can go between the two temperatures. The range varies widely based on temperatures.
For example, if your oven is set on a convection bake at, say, 450, the stove should be set to heat between 350 and 480.
Each of these equipment will come with charts in their user manuals that give directions regarding the permitted temperature ranges for several settings.
However, even if you really know the specific wattages of the oven and the burner, this breakdown is nothing but a simplification.
That is because the real wattages you are drawing depends on the total amount of heat you are generating.
There is a huge difference in energy intake between making light beef jerky at just 170 degrees and completing a thorough self-cleaning of the oven at about 800 degrees or baking for hours.
Also, be mindful of how you use the two: you rapidly turn the dials to low, moderate, or high heat level, but the specific place where the dials stop changes slightly each time.
This can make it difficult to track your energy consumption accurately.
Fortunately, given the cost estimates shown above, these differences will not amount to over a few double-digit dollars every month for average multitasking cooking.
Unless you leave the two running all the whole day, every day, it is not going to bloat your energy bills to the point of breaking a bank.
Here is the wisdom though: if the wattage of each of the devices is high, it would be actually advantageous to run them simultaneously than run them separately although the energy saved in the process won’t be that huge. Still, it gives you a good reason to use both at the same time.
3. You are using different fuel
Another situation where it would be okay to use the oven and the stove at the same time is if the two are fueled by two different sources.
For example, the stove may be gas-powered while the oven is electricity-powered.
There is no good reason why you would even think twice to multitask between the two in such a situation.
Such a setup would be largely trouble-free and almost zero chances of taking a toll on your energy bill.
Three Reasons To Never Run the Stove and Oven at The Same Time
We started by highlighting why it is perfectly OK to boil a broth on the stove and bake something in the oven concurrently.
But there are situations you’d rather finish with one meal first before processing to the next instead of trying to cook at the same time. Here is when not run your oven and stove at the same time:
1. Shaky gas supply
If both devices are powered by gas – same gas line, actually – and that gas line is prone to malfunctions or it’s shaky at times, it would be in your best interest not to connect the oven and stove at the same time.
It is just obvious that you should’ve called the technician to examine the malfunctions by that time.
If you haven’t, it just makes sense you don’t try to operate the two on the same gas supply as they might cause a surge and blow up parts of your kitchen.
2. You don’t want bloated bills
Running both the electric oven and the electric stove simultaneously can actually ruin you and save you a few dollars on your energy bills but depends on your approach.
Unless you are very good at multitasking, switching your attention between these two equipment can be a daunting task.
If you are not overcooking food on one equipment, then the other equipment is probably running idle because you forgot everything about it or you are taking way too long to chop the tomatoes.
Every minute either of them sits idle with power on bloats your energy bill by a few cents in a given time.
If you are bad at organizing things and such incidences become a regular thing, you will certainly end up with a costly energy bill – why?
You just tried to use two devices at the same time but you couldn’t multitask well enough, so you spent energy on a probably empty or overcooking pans.
3. You’ve noticed strange behaviors
If you try using the oven and the stove at the same time for the first time ever and you start hearing popping sounds or any other strange behavior, it is advisable you stop there and then. It can be too risky to push on from that point.
Related: Is It Better To Have A Double Oven Or Two Single Ovens?
Conclusion
If these two equipment are linked to the same gas line, you should probably not use them at the same time.
The same applies if both are electric. If you must use them together then ensure the temperature range between them is reasonable and does not cause instability.
If you notice strange behavior such as uneven burning or popping sounds, it would be great to disconnect the two and go with one at a time.
Multitasking between the two cookers can be bad for your sanity if you are not used to cooking with them at the same time and can prove wasteful if you can’t multitask well.