Cooktops for any Kitchen Design
Select the cooktop just right for you and your home by following these easy steps:
When it comes to cooktops there’s not a lot of information to retain. Cooktops are used to clear up space in the kitchen, and give it a less cluttered look. Cooktops can be placed
anywhere in the kitchen and are great for island applications.
Cooktops generally come in two sizes, 30-inches wide, and 36-inches wide. Their depths are all the same at about 22-inches deep (Installed, that's the bottom to the top). Cooktops also come in three different surfaces; porcelain-enamel, ceramic-glass or sealed tops that keep spills from going under the cooktop.
First step to choosing the cooktop for your home is to decide whether you want gas or electric.
Electric
Electric cooktops, depending on what part of the country you’re in these days, can save you significantly on utility bills. Unless of course you live where I live and energy prices have tripled, than gas would DEFINITELY be the way to go.
Electric cooktops come in two versions, your traditional coiled eyes, and your smooth glass/ceramic top. Now, the glass/ceramic top tends to be more popular because of how easy it is to clean. It requires a cleaner called, “Cerama Bryte” which can be found here 20928-2 Cerama Bryte Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner , so this is by far the cheapest Cerama Bryte I have found anywhere! Some places sell this stuff for over $20! Although this is the least expensive cleaner, expect that extra expense with this type of cooktop. Another thing to remember with the glass/ceramic tops is that they can crack if something heavy such as a cast iron pot hits it.
Most importantly, these types of tops take longer to heat up, and longer to cool down as opposed to gas, or even the coiled eyes. This could possibly pose a danger, depending on the quality of cooktop you purchase because when cooling down, there may be no indication that the burner is still hot, possibly causing you or a loved one to be burned. This also would make the cooking area warmer.
Finally, these types of tops don’t provide the even heat distribution throughout the pot or pan as gas does. This trait goes for the coiled eyes as well. Modern pots and pans are grooved on the bottom so full distribution of heat wouldn't be possible with anything electric.
Coiled eyes, can produce a slightly better performance than the glass/ceramic tops believe it or not. Depending on the quality of the coils (the more coils in an eye the better!) they're able to provide faster cooking and faster cool down time. With coiled tops, the coils are your heating element, with glass tops, the coiled heating element is beneath the glass surface which causes the delay in cook times. Coiled eyes can just be a pain to keep clean, so depending on how often you cook, glass surface may be your best bet.
Gas
If you were to visit a chef’s kitchen, you would find in there a gas cooktop. The reason for this is for it’s capability to cook evenly with all pots and pans. Like I said before, most pots and pans today aren’t flat on the bottom, so electric cooktops wouldn’t be your ideal choice to get that even cook.
Chef’s also prefer gas because of their on/off capability. When you turn it on, it’s hot and ready to go, allowing you to cook faster than cooking with an electric cooktop; and when it's turned off, it cools a lot faster than electric, reducing the heat in the kitchen.
If you are choosing a gas cooktop, make sure you choose one with a good BTU rating. The higher the BTU (British Thermal Unit) the more heat is distributed to that burner. A good cooktop will have a burner capable of 15,000 BTU’s. BTU ratings on cooktops differ on each burner, so make sure you check the specifications of each individual burner.
Induction
Like gas and electric, induction is a different energy used for cooking. Now for supreme cooking efficiency, energy efficiency, and time efficiency, induction is the way to go. Lets explain in a non-scientific manner what this technology is. Well, simply put, instead of using electricity or gas it uses magnetic energy to product heat. The interesting thing about induction is that the cooking surface never gets hot! you can take a boiling pot of water off of the burner and immediately put your hand on it, and it will be cool to the touch. So how does this work? Again, magnetic energy! The ceramic surface reacts to the iron-based pan, which produces the heat. This technology cooks twice as efficient than electric or gas.
Now for the cons, (you knew it had to be some somewhere!) yes, these are a lot more expensive than electric and gas, not only that, you have to purchase new cookware. You need special pots and pans to be able to react to it's surface to create the heat. So converting over to such a thing can be very costly. Is it worth it? Well depends on if your name is Chef Boyardee. If it is, than Yes! It would be worth it! Or if you have some extremely curious children (like I was) who seem to ignore, "The stove is hot!" (like I did) and just may burn themselves from playing around the stove so much, (like I did) than yes, I think any amount of money is worth my family's safety.
However if you wanted to test the waters with this technology, there are single burners available such as this one, Sunpentown Induction Cooktop FREE SHIPPING - SR-1851  it's a little over $100 and although it's a lower, perhaps the lowest end model, it's something good to have on the side to test and see if that is something you would like to go with entirely. Whatever you do, don't forget the cookware! It's also not expensive like how you may think. $40 for a pot or nice sized pan. Very reasonable. When choosing induction, get the highest wattage that you can afford. The higher the wattage the longer it will last, and the more efficiently it can cook.
Ventilation
Ventilation is very important when installing a cooktop. You must decide where you want to place the ventilation, over the cooktop; in which a range hood would be used; or a downdraft ventilation. With a downdraft, fumes are pulled from the cooktop down, and led out of the house. You will know if a cooktop has a downdraft because it will have a long vent, usually in the middle of the cooktop. It may also have a pop-up downdraft that is located across the top of the cooktop which pops-up out of the cooktop to pull fumes down.
One advantage of using a range hood rather than a downdraft for your ventilation is that you do not have to have ducting leading out of your home. Range hoods have carbon filters inside of them which purifies the air and re-circulates it back into the kitchen.
Features
Some features to look for in a cooktop are its burners. Depending on the size of the cooktop you can have anywhere from 4-6 burners. It may also have a grate for grilling, or it may have interchangeable grates (which are sold separately). If you purchase an electric cooktop, you may have adjustable burners that compensate for the size of the pot or pan, for example, there’s a switch to adjust for 6”, 9”, or 12” cookware. It may even have a bridging option where you can combine two burners to make one large rectangular burner. There are many options to choose from so shop around!
Also, take notice that most cooktops do not have 5 burners. Generally the center, smaller burner, is a “warming zone” which is just used for simmering. So don't get fooled by this burner. It’s great to have for simmering but you can't cook on that burner.
Check for cleaning capabilities as well, does it lift up to clean under the cooktop? Does it have removable grates to clean under the grate? Does it have knobs? Some come with digital, electronic buttons with no turning dials.
Last but not least, if you are getting knobs, make sure they are durable. This normally only applies to stainless steel models, some cooktops appear to have stainless steel knobs but they are really plastic. Make sure they are stainless steel, you’ll know this because they will be heavy. If you can’t see the cooktop personally, call the manufacturer and ask. That would be the fastest and easiest way to find out.
Energy Efficiency
Like ranges, cooktops are not considered to be energy efficient appliances. So don't waste your valuable time comparing energy consumption. If any brand name claims to have ENERGY STAR cooktops, double check with EnergyStar.gov this is a government site that will inform you of every energy compliant appliance made in the U.S.
Where to Shop
Here is a list of great places to find any cooktop that will suit the feel or ambiance of your home; low-end to high-end:
 Sears offers a wide range of cooktops from several manufacturers. Sears will deliver and professionally install the cooktop of your choice. Often times you can take advantage of free delivery promotions, or 12 months same as cash. Sears will also haul away your old appliance for $25.Sear's Cooktops
  Best Buy also carries a wide range of cooktops. They carry some of the same products as Sears, but some do differ so it's good to shop around. They offer the same services such as delivery, professional installation, and haul away. However, Best Buy's delivery AND haul away service is $49 for purchases $498 and under; and you get free delivery and haul away if the purchase is over $499. When dealing with appliances, $499 won't be too hard to achieve! So Best Buy would be a good consideration.  Best Buy's Cooktops
If you need help with installation, this link will find local contractors to install items for you, if the place of purchase doesn't.
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