A 

gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by combustible gas such

as syngas, natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or
other flammable gas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied
on solid fuels such as coal or wood. The first gas stoves were
developed in the 1820s and a gas stove factory was established in
England in 1836. This new cooking technology had the advantage of
being easily adjustable and could be turned off when not in use. The
gas stove, however, did not become a commercial success until the
1880s, by which time supplies of piped gas were available in cities
and large towns in Britain. The stoves became widespread on
the European Continent and in the United States in the early 20th
century.
Gas stoves became more common when the oven was integrated into
the base and the size was reduced to better fit in with the rest of the
kitchen furniture. By the 1910s, producers started to enamel their gas
stoves for easier cleaning. Ignition of the gas was originally by match
and this was followed by the more convenient pilot light. This had the
disadvantage of continually consuming gas. The oven still needed to
be lit by match and accidentally turning on the gas without igniting it
could lead to an explosion. To prevent these types of accidents, oven
manufacturers developed and installed a safety valve called a flame
failure device for gas hobs (cooktops) and ovens. Most modern gas
stoves have electronic ignition, automatic timers for the oven
and extractor hoods to remove fumes.
History[edit]

Early gas stoves produced by Windsor. From Mrs Beeton's Book of

Household Management, 1904.
The first gas stove was developed on 8 March 1802 by Zachäus
Winzler (de), but this along with other attempts remained isolated
experiments.[3] James Sharp patented a gas stove in Northampton,
England in 1826 and opened a gas stove factory in 1836. His
invention was marketed by the firm Smith & Philips from 1828. An
important figure in the early acceptance of this new technology,
was Alexis Soyer, the renowned chef at the Reform Club in London.
From 1841, he converted his kitchen to consume piped gas, arguing
that gas was cheaper overall because the supply could be turned off
when the stove was not in use.[4]
A gas stove was shown at the World Fair in London in 1851, but it
was only in the 1880s that the technology became a commercial
success in England. By that stage a large and reliable network for
gas pipeline transport had spread over much of the country, making
gas relatively cheap and efficient for domestic use. Gas stoves only
became widespread on the European Continent and in the United
States in the early 20th century.
Early gas stoves were rather unwieldy, but soon the oven was
integrated into the base and the size was reduced to fit in better with
the rest of the kitchen furniture. In the 1910s, producers started to
enamel their gas stoves for easier cleaning.[citation needed]
Ignition[edit]
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Electric ignition spark
Gas stoves today use two basic types of ignition sources, standing
pilot and electric.[5] A stove with a standing pilot has a small,
continuously burning gas flame (called a pilot light) under
the cooktop.[5] The flame is between the front and back burners. When
the stove is turned on, this flame lights the gas flowing out of the
burners. The advantage of the standing pilot system is that it is simple
and completely independent of any outside power source. A minor
drawback is that the flames continuously consume fuel even when the
stove is not in use.[5] Early gas ovens did not have a pilot. One had to
light these manually with a match. If one accidentally left the gas on,
gas would fill the oven and eventually the room. A small spark, such
as an arc from a light switch being turned on, could ignite the gas,
triggering a violent explosion. To prevent these types of accidents,
oven manufacturers developed and installed a safety valve called
a flame failure device for gas hobs (cooktops) and ovens. The safety
valve depends on a thermocouple that sends a signal to the valve to
stay open. Although most modern gas stoves have electronic ignition,
many households have gas cooking ranges and ovens that need to be
lit with a flame. Electric ignition stoves use electric sparks to ignite
the surface burners.[5] This is the "clicking sound" audible just before
the burner actually lights. The sparks are initiated by turning the gas
burner knob to a position typically labeled "LITE" or by pressing the
'ignition' button. Once the burner lights, the knob is turned further to
modulate the flame size. Auto reignition is an elegant refinement: the
user need not know or understand the wait-then-turn sequence. They
simply turn the burner knob to the desired flame size and the sparking
is turned off automatically when the flame lights. Auto reignition also
provides a safety feature: the flame will be automatically reignited if
the flame goes out while the gas is still on—for example by a gust of
wind. If the power fails, surface burners must be manually match-lit.
Electric ignition for ovens uses a "hot surface" or "glow bar" ignitor.
[5]
 Basically it is a heating element that heats up to gas's ignition
temperature. A sensor detects when the glow bar is hot enough and
opens the gas valve.
Also stoves with electric ignition must be connected with gas
protection mechanisms such as gas control breaker. Because of this
many manufacturers supply stoves without electricity plug.
Features[edit]
Burner heat[edit]
One of the important properties of a gas stove is the heat emitted by
the burners. Usually, burner heat is specified in terms of BTUs
(British Thermal Units), and represent the heat produced in one hour.
Often, a gas stove will have burners with different heat output ratings.
For example, a gas cooktop may have a high output burner, often in
the range 10,000 to 20,000 BTU, and a mixture of medium output
burners, 5,000 to 10,000 BTU, and low output burners, 3,000 BTU or
less. The high output burner is suitable for boiling a large pot of water
quickly, sautéing and searing, while the low output burners are good
for simmering.
Some high-end cooktop models provide higher range of heat and
heavy-duty burners that can go up to 20,000 BTU or even more.
Depending on the type of cooking you do, the higher heat capability
burners can be either beneficial or complete waste of money.