Credit:
Thermador
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Credit:
Thermador
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This five-burner cooktop delivers high temperatures, even cooking, and a stylish look for your kitchen. You may find it a little tough to clean. Read More
This restaurant-style rangetop lets you heat things gradually and maintain low temperatures. The downside is that it struggles to reach higher temps. Read More
This Miele cooktop excels most when it comes to high-temp cooking. If you want a luxury aesthetic to match the price range, it might not be for you. Read More
This GE Profile cooktop offers sleek construction, continuous steel grating, and some nice features that make it ideal for daily use. Read More
This high-end KitchenAid cooktop has a dedicated fan-control knob, an electric-light system, and a 17,000 BTU professional burner for quick searing. Read More
While most kitchens have a range—that is, a cooktop and an oven built into one unit—it is possible to buy and install a cooktop and an oven separately. Typically, it’s more expensive than just buying a range, but it may make sense if you have a kitchen island where your cooktop can live, or if you prefer to mount your oven (or ovens) at waist height.
When it comes to cooktops, some people prefer electric or induction cooktops, but there are definitely those who prefer gas cooktops because of the ability to control the flame and the fact that the heat turns on quickly.
Models from upscale brands like Thermador, Wolf, and Miele promise neat features, better temperature control, and a sturdier build quality than their more affordable counterparts. Our tests show that high-end cooktops actually do perform better—which can’t be said for many other luxury appliances. Our favorite high-end, 36-inch gas cooktop is the Thermador SGSX365TS (available at Abt for $2,399.00) because of its fast water boiling, max heat, and wide-open arrangement.
Editor's Note: Appliances purchases are a large investment of both money and time. We’ve not only compiled lists of the best cooktops to shop, but also the best places to buy in-stock appliances right now and the best times of year to buy appliances to take advantage of sales and new releases.
This Wolf rangetop will elevate your kitchen with a professional restaurant feel.
This Miele cooktop excels at reaching high temperatures for searing.
18,000 BTU power-boil burner
Dishwasher-safe steel grates
Integrated griddle option
So-so knob design
17,000 BTU professional burner
3-speed knob for fan control
Cast-iron grates
Noisy exhaust fan
15,000 BTU power boiler
Dishwasher-safe steel grates
Integrated griddle option
So-so knob design
17,000 BTU central burner
Heavy-duty cast-iron grates
Easy to clean
None that we could find
While induction ranges get all the accolades for being easy to clean—just wipe down the flat surface with a damp paper towel or sponge—that doesn’t mean gas cooktops are particularly difficult to clean.
All of the grates are removable and washed individually. If you have any burned-on stains, you can scrub them down with a wire brush and a water and baking soda paste. While that's more labor intensive than a quick wipe-down, it’s not any more difficult than cleaning a traditional electric range with coiled heating elements.
Both gas and electric ranges have pros and cons that may make them more or less suited to your needs.
Gas stoves are generally more expensive than their electric counterparts, but can sometimes cost less than induction, depending on what features are involved.
Keep in mind that this initial expense will be offset by a decrease in your electric bill—gas is much cheaper than electricity. If you need to install gas hookups to make the switch, however, the utility bill savings might not entirely cover the cost. Depending on where you live and your home’s design, installing a gas hookup can range from expensive or impossible: We recommend getting a quote before committing to a gas cooktop.
How much time you spend in the kitchen could influence the number of burners you need. When it comes to the cooktop, anything above the standard four-burner setup is a bonus. Some ranges can have five, or even six burners; however, the more burners a range has, the more difficult it becomes to fit large pieces of cookware, such as a spaghetti pot and a frying pan, on their respective burners at the same time.
Sometimes, those extra burners are specialty burners are designed to accommodate special cookware such as a griddle or a wok; other burners are bridge burners that are meant to keep food warm without continuing to cook it.
Another possibility is to have a dual-ring burner, or a burner that includes a stronger heat source wrapped around a weaker heat source. That way, on a single burner, you can choose to use just the smaller heat source for lower temperatures, but you can add the stronger heat source if you need higher temperatures.
As we mentioned earlier, most freestanding ranges have back-mounted controls, but some slide-in ranges do as well.
Both arrangements have pros and cons; on the one hand, having back-mounted controls means you may have to reach over hot food to adjust the oven temperature, the controls are also far enough away that you would have difficulty hitting something on the control panel by accident.
On the other hand, front-mounted controls are easier to reach, but that convenience can turn against you if you brush up against a knob accidentally. Consider the ergonomics of using the range when it comes to picking a front- or back-mounted control panel.
Over the years, we’ve performed extensive scientific testing with gas cooktops in our Cambridge laboratory. But we also make recommendations based on extensive product research to keep our guides updated with the latest products from our favorite manufacturers.
For cooktops we haven’t had hands-on time with yet, we look at factors like user reviews, specifications, price point, and a given product’s feature set.
When we have an opportunity to test out cooktops here in our labs, we conduct a handful of repeatable tests: First, we check the minimum and maximum temperature of each burner. Then we time how fast a cooktop’s burners can bring a pot of water to a full boil. We take overall safety into account, along with the usefulness of each cooktop’s various quality-of-life features. But performance is paramount.
Julia is the Senior Scientist at Reviewed, which means that she oversees (and continually updates) the testing of products in Reviewed's core categories such as televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and more. She also determines the testing methods and standards for Reviewed's "The Best Right Now" articles.
Alex Kane is a senior editor at USA Today’s Reviewed and the author of the Boss Fight Books volume on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He has written for Fangoria, PC Gamer, Polygon, Rolling Stone, StarWars.com, and Variety. He lives in west-central Illinois.
Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.
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