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When I built my house (5 years ago) I could have had whatever I wanted.
I chose gas. I like the way it cooks. I have had both and it just cooks, simmers, browns and bakes better. Just my opinion. I also like a good range. We chose a Wolf. I am still very pleased with it and the right on the mark simmer. I keep looking online at the new Wolf ranges and Mr Tomato keeps saying no no no.
If you want to ask a lot of questions about gas versus electric or Viking versus Wolf go to gardenweb to the home forums.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/kitchbath/
I enjoyed talking to others who were also doing new kitchens.
Good luck!

I took gas stovetops for granted for the first 39 years of my life - then moved to a place where natural gas was not an option in the home. OMG. I hate electric cooktops, new or old. (I know induction is the newest uber gadget to have and someday if I have a burner to spare, I might consider it.)

* You can roast peppers on the stove top on a gas stove.
* You can do household chores requiring a flame - i.e. heat a skewer then poke a new hole in a belt. (Sounds ridiculous - until you need to do it.)
* When a gas stove is off, IT'S OFF. When you turn off an electric stove with the glowing coils, you need to take the pan off the burner or the burner will continue to heat it.

I like cooking over fire. Guess it's just the cavewoman in me.

I'd go gas as well..... I used electric cook tops for years and then got natural gas when I moved into this house. The difference is amazing. Also, it is nice when the power is out not to have to cook outside - especially in -25 degree January weather. I had to deal with the famous 1998 ice storm here in Ontario - 9 days with no electricity in January - cooking on a camp stove and I was green with envy of my neighbours who had propane cooktops in their kitchens.

hahahaha.... all you guys have gas!

I would go gas, I use it working in a restaurant and then go home to electric, big difference. And if you ever loose power, it's always there. Induction heat is well worth the money so don't rule that out. Electrolux has nice appliances.

GAS!! And don't look back! You'll be glad you did...I've used both and returned to gas in a heartbeat-- To install a gas range will be money well spent :o)

We just moved into our new house about 6 months ago. We went with a brand new smooth top electric range for many reasons and I was sure I would hate it after having finally had a gas range in our previous rental for a couple of years. Honestly, it doesn't make nearly the difference I thought it would. The heating elements are far more responsive than older electric ranges. Pans pre-heat in more or less the same time as they did with my gas range. They do, obviously, take longer to cool down when you drop the heat but that probably took about a week to learn how to anticipate that and adjust when I hit the knob accordingly. The only thing I think one would want to make sure of is to have enough space next to the range to have a large trivet so that if you want to take a pot or pan off the heat entirely (and you have pots on the other burners) you can move it to the trivet.

Gas ranges (generally speaking, clearly some folks will have their own experiences that don't fit this) will make things in your kitchen a bit stickier. The burning of the gas gives off water vapor that will mingle with the fats from whatever you're cooking and that combination will carry higher and further in your kitchen than the fats alone would from an electric range. That ends up sticking to the vertical surfaces of cabinets and such and attracting dust. Not a deal killer for me, but maybe something to keep in mind.

Another significant issue with gas ranges is that they can pose some indoor air quality concerns. Finding one that has a pilotless ignition helps because you won't have constant combustion from the pilot light. Making sure you have a sufficient and well functioning hood ducted to the outside is also really important.

I second ccbweb - I have the same type of smooth top electric range as she does - I find it works well and takes hardly any time to adust to this method - I had a gas range and I loved it - but - and this was the deal breaker for me - my kitchen is small and cooking with gas made it SO bloody hot - the semantics of my tiny kitchen was that when I opened a window to get some relief, the slightest breeze would set the burners blazing harder - here in southern Ontario the summer heat and humidity is bad and I just couldn't tolerate the extra degrees of heat generated my the gas burners - I was real disappointed to have to switch to an electric, but honestly, it really makes no difference, so don't believe all the hype - I am just cooking for my family, not a restaurant full of people.

I'm still giggling at Pavlov's comment.

I have gas and I'm proud of it!

Seriously, though, I love having instant heat (or lack thereof) and being able to control the heat so much better than with electric.

A vote for gas.

I've had both. Prefer gas, but have no problem adjusting and being happy with electric.

Back at home we always had a gas range to cook on. When I moved out for college and was forced to cook on an electric stove, that's when I realized just WHAT a huge difference in food quality the stove can make.

Go with gas!

Gas, for all the reasons previously stated and you can cook if the power goes out as long as you have a match.

Gas. Electric is BS and everyone knows it.

I fell in love with the flat electric range in the house we bought in 2001 - then we moved here and even though my propane cooktop is teeny-tiny in comparison (yes, there are 4 burners, but you can only use all 4 if you're cooking for dolls...) I'm going to rip out the electric and replace it with a nice gas one as soon as we get home. My only regret is that we had granite countertops installed a year before we moved, so changing the stove width is not an option without some major modification - I would love a five burner like my best friend has.

Yep. Sailordave is right. But you might think twice after you see what your home owners insurance rate looks like when you list on your application that you've got a propane tank on your property.

Just a thought. All the best to you!

I would think that the gas stove would be a selling point despit the rest of the house being electric. Let's not forget the fact that due to the economy, celebrity chef culture, food network, ecological concerns, and a host of other reasons, people are cooking real food at home much more often than in years past, making a gas stove that much more attractive.

@machineman: I sure do wish you had a natural gas utility line running to your property. Your decision would be easy, no? Think about Lorenzo's comment carefully. Resale value matters and not all buyers center their attention on the stove's heat source. Insurance rates matter and it's quite risky to store such a large amount of combustible stuff on your property. And how are you going to hide that bulky eyesore of tank? Aesthetics matter.

Whatever you decide, I hope you are happy and excited about building your new home.

@Susquehana - I've had propane before, both times, doesn't change the insurance premium one dime. And the tank is buried.

@machineman: That's good! And somewhat surprising, even if that huge propane tank is buried.

Again, I'll recommend Schott's CERAN glass top electric range if, for some reason, you don't go with propane. It's crystal clear that you're going with propane. I get it.

I find the comment about resale value odd. I actually passed on purchasing a home a couple weeks ago in part because it had an electric range. The home is in an area with no natural gas, so I could run a LPG line to it easily enough, but for other, additional reasons, I decided to build instead. I will definitely be having an PG tank and line installed so I can have a gas range - I could never go back to electric. I plan to have a small wall built around it on 2 sides so it won't be visible from the street, and I'll plant flowering shrubs around that.

I don't understand why propane would be considered any riskier than NG. It is a much more stable fuel, and there is a limited amount of it on your property, whereas NG is piped in and once it ignites, there's an almost infinite supply to keep burning.