Gas can be expensive if used continually for cooking in The House. I have observed that to optimise cooking expenses one should use gas for quick dishes and when one is in a hurry or when you have visitors and you don't want to keep them waiting for food. You can use cheaper alternatives like the charcoal stove when cooking food that requires more time to be fully cooked.
We do use charcoal stove to cook soup and grilled dishes. For cooking rice, we use a rice cooker for 30 minutes before plugging it out of the socket. For dishes that are already half-cooked when bought from the grocery, we simply heat them by way of an oven toaster or a microwave. For regular home-cooked meals, my parents always prefer to use gas. I'd rather use the toaster though because it's fast. The advantage of using gas, however, is that you have more leeway to mix the ingredients and stir the pan to achieve your desired taste or flavor.
