I hate my kitchen space in the house I just bought. It has electric appliances when I am used to gas for 35 years. Much grief over mealtimes. Any a

This was my situation too when my family moved from New York to Canada. Our house has an electric stove and we have no gas hook up. I just did a lot of experimenting and playing around with my electric stove, and now I am very comfortable using it every day. While I would still love to have a gas range someday, I think that my number one wish list item now is to replace my small sink with a much larger one and get a dishwasher!

The electric stove advice here is good. Personally, I find it easiest to take pots off burners for a few minutes, if the heat is too high rather than keeping a second burner on low. The other tips I would offer: Be sure to build in time to preheat your pans for a few minutes before cooking. Electric burners take a lot longer than gas burners to get hot. And after you are finished cooking, don't just turn the burner off but also be sure to take your pan off the heat. Even if the burner is off, it still stays hot for a few minutes and your food will keep cooking. I have overcooked many a dish by forgetting this simple rule!

The only thing that I have found that I cannot do on an electric stove is roast peppers. So now they go into the broiler.

Do you have coils or a glass cooktop? I have a glass cooktop and the great thing about it is that it can sub for extra counter space when the stove or oven are turned off. Good luck experimenting -- and hope that you start to enjoy cooking again!

Like everyone else I feel your pain... I use klrcon's trick of two burners sometimes. Also if you're using heavy pans, you can simply move something on and off the heat as needed; the pan will hold a lot of heat. It does take some getting used to but I predict in a few months you'll have adjusted and will be back to loving cooking.

It's definitely a learning curve to get used to electric but it can be done, not that I won't always prefer gas, to be honest. The biggest trick I can suggest is to use two burners at lower and higher temperatures and switch between them when cooking because electric takes a while to increase/decrease temperature. Another way to do that is to anticipate when you need to lower/raise the heat and just do it in advance of when you would on gas - that may sound odd but you do get used to it. Don't get discouraged - you'll adapt and it will be fine but it will take a little trial and error to figure out how to make it all work for you. Good luck.

A friend in a similar situation got an inexpensive portable induction burner and says it reduces the pain substantially. It doesn't do everything gas does, of course, but it helps in situations when you want high heat fast like boiling a pot of water or stir-frying. And if you're short on counter space you can tuck it away in a closet or pantry when it's not in use.

If you have a little outdoor space, get a portable gas stove . I got something similar to this camp stove, http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Weekender-Camping-Stove/4248070/product.html

and I love it. Bought it because I hate frying in the house. Best $150 I ever spent.

Oh, I feel your pain! I moved from LA, where natural gas stoves are de rigueur, to PEI, where there is no natural gas, and electric stoves abound. While we are saving to renovate our farmhouse kitchen, which is cottage style (aka as minimal and tiny as possible) and hasn't be renovated since the '30s or '40s, I've come to embrace my electric range. It has taken some time to adjust, I'm not going to lie. But, I'm back to loving cooking and baking. The things that really helped are time logged at the stove gaining experience with electric actively manipulating the heat level and doing everything possible to level both the appliance at the feet, as well as the individual elements. The tendency for the elements to go cockeyed on you is the worst! The elements also burn out unevenly, so replace them often to improve both weaknesses. I use primarily nice heavy pots (Le Creuset), or cast iron or copper bottomed skillets to help get the most even heating surface possible. Now my 18" x 18" single sink? That I'm not sure I'll ever get used to. Good luck! Think of it as a fresh new challenge in your development as a cook, while you design and save for your absolute perfect kitchen. Oh! It also helps to google the home kitchens of famous chefs. Turns out loads of them cook in tiny, very humble home kitchens. We're in great company!

I've had electric forever. When I visit my Mom, I use her Wolf commercial stove. To be honest, I don't see a huge difference except the immediate on/off thing. It's probably because I've had electric for so long that I have simply adapted. I do enjoy her huge convection oven a lot. It's heaven. What problems are you having exactly?

Is there outdoor space? you could grill more?