IntroductionShopping for appliances can be a daunting task. With so many models to choose from, what makes one more preferable than another? Hopefully, this article can help address those aspects when it comes to cooktops.
Budget, size, fuel and finish.The primary aspects to consider before anything else are your budget, the largest size (width) cooktop/stove top your kitchen can accommodate, the fuel type, and the finish. The budget goes without saying. Determining what size means you need to have your entire kitchen laid out first. The fuel type, gas or electric, is usually dictated by what’s available in the kitchen in the first place. The finish, whether white, black, bisque, stainless, or another color, is personal preference. From that, you can narrow your selection down.
[BREAK=Form and function, layout and design.]
Your habits dictate which models you should focus on. Having more burners doesn’t automatically make a cooktop better if you don’t have the need to use them in the first place. Yes, you can get five burners in a 30" or narrower cooktop, but they will be so tightly spaced that any sizable pan will block the other burners. Bridge burners, and built-in griddles and grills are only useful if you truly have a need for them.
While it’s almost absurd to think that a 36" wide cooktop with five burners would only have one truly usable burner, there are instances in which the manufacturer makes that possible. The reason is spacing, as for the sake of form, some have them laid out at an angle. Such a design seriously reduces the space between one burner to the next.
Should you want to use a larger pan on the highest-output burner, located in the center, you will find the other burners are covered to the extent that one cannot even get a small saucepan properly centered over another burner! Even using the second highest-output burner in the corner means other burners are blocked, as fully visible in this model from another high-end manufacturer. It has five burners alright, but with a big pan, all you really have is the second highest and the two simmer burners to use, not the five you paid for.
[BREAK=Burner spacing.]
Instead of burner count and marketing, focus on burner spacing, which is the distance between the center of one burner to the next. The greater the distance, the greater the usability, as it can accommodate larger pots and pans without obstructing the other burners.
As an example, if your cooktop has 9” of burner spacing, and you have an 11” pot or pan, it means that the most the adjacent burner can accommodate is a 7” pot or pan. Now if that were a 13” pot or pan, now you’re left with only being able to use a 5” pot or pan; in other words, that adjacent burner is practically unusable now with the larger pan. If the cooktop has 12” of burner spacing, you can accommodate that same 13” and still be able to use an 11” next to it; that is a big difference in usability.
Beyond burner-to-burner spacing, the burner-to-knob spacing is important too, as that can equally limit the size of your pots and pans.
It is not just five-burner cooktops that can have such issues. One can equally find illogical layouts on four-burner and smaller cooktops too. Simply put, these issues are a matter of design.
The key aspect is that one must consider their usage. Bringing your pots and pans to the showroom is a good way to try before you buy. Not everyone needs to cook for eight all the time, or have that occasion that entails using a 14”, an 11”, a 10”, an 8”, and a 7” all at the same time; however, having a cooktop that allows you to do that is better than one that only allows you to cook for two because of the limitations with the layout.
[BREAK=Safety]
Some cooktops tout active safety features like automatic re-ignition of the burners if the flame goes out and auto-shutoff valves. However, passive safety is just as important, and one that rarely gets mentioned since it’s often a matter of design. Essentially, that means the knobs should easy to reach and easy to grasp and turn, something that shiny knobs can fail at if your hands are slippery. The position should be logical and indicators clear.
Above all, the knobs should not be located so close to the burners and grates that one risks getting burned every time one reaches for it. Some are spaced so close to the burners that there are cases in which folks have complained about the plastic knobs melting when turned on high.
[BREAK=Service and conclusion]
Behind every cooktop is the manufacturer, or so one hopes. While the mainstream brands are here to stay, some smaller manufacturers have since ceased operations, even though their products are still out in the marketplace. Equally bad are design and durability issues that the manufacturer still has not corrected over the years. Manual knobs aren’t as sleek as touchpad controls, but should an issue arise, knob controls are a lot more serviceable. One should research, prior to any purchase really, to avoid potential headaches in the future.
With so many choices out there, one should not limit themselves to any brand, but rather, to what your true needs are. A good cooktop will accommodate to your needs, not force you to accommodate to it.
