Cook Tops

[Wild Mountain Girl]

I am in the process of buying a new home. Since I am purchasing new construction, I will get to choose some of my options. I love cooking with gas but unfortunately that is not an option in this development. I would like some advice on electric cook tops.

[nsxtasy]

You'll probably find better advice in the Kitchen Consumer forum, such as the topic titled Choosing Cooktop & Oven for a New Kitchen.

You can also find great advice in Consumer Reports. If you don't subscribe, you can find it at your local public library. The August 2007 issue featured kitchen remodeling and has many relevant articles, including one on cooktops.

Edited December 5, 2007 by nsxtasy (log)

[Alex]

Greetings, WMG, and welcome to eGullet.

Yes, nsxtasy is right -- one of the powers-that-be probably will relocate this thread before too long.

The eBay seller "applianceco" often has very good deals and is a reliable seller. He also has a brick-and-mortar store in Virginia. I bought a KitchenAid Pro Line island range hood from him earlier this year.

He currently is listing a nice-looking 36" KitchenAid cooktop for a $399 starting bid, with free shipping. Just do a search for #KECC567.

If money is of little object, these are very cool.

[Beanie]

Caldera, a small company in Vermont, makes electric and gas cooktops that have won design awards and received excellent reviews on the gardenweb home forum. The electric version is based on a technology called microcyling that enables precise control, much like a gas cooktop. I've never used one, but plan to purchase the gas version when I redo my kitchen.

Edited to add: OOPS! I see that Alex mentioned this first.

Edited December 5, 2007 by Beanie (log)

[dougal]

Induction is the closest electricity can come to giving you the rapid control and stability of gas.

Not cheap though.

But very easy to keep clean.

Downside: doesn't suit copper and aluminium (and some stainless) pans. (Though as pointed out in one eGullet induction thread, you could buy a cast iron griddle-thing and cook with copper on that, on the induction. Not really ideal though, IMHO.)

Check pan bases with a (fridge) magnet. If it sticks, induction will heat it.

[carlux]

I have induction in France, and I love it. We don't have access to natural gas, and I didn't find bottles of gas very practical, so I went with induction. It heats the pan where it touches the surface, and nowhere else. Since you don't have a hot top, if things spill, they're easy to wipe up. Although, since they are usually black glass, it does mean regular swipes with a cloth and glass cleaner or else you see all the smears and spots.

Heat is instant, on and off, like gas, but with much more control than gas, with digital commands.

Because the process is magnetic, you need to test your pots - they must be magnetic, and FLAT. Even something that is the right material, if it has been used on a gas cooktop may be warped. Since induction heats only where the surface of the pot touches the surface of the cooktop, any warped surface mean you get no heat in that part of the pan.

So I bought some new pots, found mu old cast iron ones worked fine, and have never regretted the choice.

[Wild Mountain Girl]

Thanks for the advice. I was worried because I've used the coil electric ranges and they just didn't cut it after getting used to gas. I did go with induction and I can't wait until my house is done so I can really cook again. I've been renting for four years and most apartments have kitchens the size of closet with no counter space. I opted for granite counters and roll out shelves for the lower cabinets. My previous homes (purchased) had nice kitchens with good counter space and storage but still not what I wanted completely. This is going to be very special. Thanks again for the advice. It really helped.

[WiscoNole]

I wouldn't buy a house/apartment if I couldn't have a gas range, but that's just me.