Cooking appliances have come along way, baby! From the early days of grandma’s larger-than-life range unit to today’s sleek and modern cooktops, these beauties continue to give us continuous cooking prowess.
There are three main types of cooktops on the market today, which gives home chefs more choices to suit their favorite style of cooking. From gas to electric and induction cooktops, there is so much versatility in each of these types that it might be hard to select just one.
What’s the difference?
American Home Shield offers a great overview of the differences between your range, cooktop, and range top. A cooktop ditches the oven portion of the range and takes up only counter space. This means the burner’s knobs and buttons are on top of the counter, rather than on the front. Of course, if an oven is needed, that means opting for a wall-mounted oven in addition to the cooktop.
A range is both of these units in one. This means it is a freestanding appliance that has the burners on top and the oven down below. The knobs and buttons on the range are typically on the front as to not impede the pots and pans while cooking.
The range top is essentially a cooktop with knobs and buttons placed on the front. It typically takes up a little more room than a standard, flat cooktop.
Let’s go under the hood!
- There are some significant advantages for a cooktop including:
- Cooktops require a much smaller cutout in your counter space and are surrounded on all four sides, leaving ample room for cabinet space below.
- Because there is not an oven below it, you don’t have to stand the extra heat (which usually radiates from the oven) if you use both appliances at the same time.
- Purchasing an oven separately gives the option for you to select a single or double-wall-mounted unit.
- Cooktops are better for people with knee or back problems because their accompanying ovens are more at arm height.
- Glass or smooth cooktops also make for much easier cleaning since things like burners don’t need to be removed.
- A cooktop is best for multiple-cook scenarios because of separate cooking and baking zones.
- Cooktops offer more flexibility in burner style, size, and options like induction burners.
A 2021 article from The Science of Cooktops outlines the various cooktop technologies that consumers love for their ability to take home cooking to the next level.
Gas Burners:
Gas burners can change temperature instantly, moving from high to low heat with the turn of a knob. Gas is also the only technology that provides an easily controllable open flame for roasting peppers, browning tortillas, or stir-frying in a traditional rounded-bottom wok.
Electric Burners:
In a smooth top electric cooktop, the coils are placed under a single sheet of a heat-tempered glass-ceramic material that covers the cooktop. The electric coils heat in the same way, radiating heat into the glass, which radiates it into pots and pans. Electric burners are flat, so the heat from the burner -whether coil-style or smooth top — comes in contact with the bottom of the pan. Therefore, it conducts most of its energy (about 75%) directly into the pan.
Induction Cooktops:
With induction technology, heat is generated in the pan itself, not the heating element. Induction cooktops are powered by electricity, but the “element” that rests beneath the ceramic or glass surface functions like a powerful magnet, which generates a magnetic field. These types of cooktops offer instantaneous and precise heat control, even at very low temps. And unlike gas, induction is extremely heat efficient.
At Garner Appliance and Mattress, we are here to help you take that next step in your search for the perfect cooktop. Our team has the expertise to get you started on the home chef you were meant to be! We look forward to working together with you and as always, thank you for your support.