Gas Cooktop (Picture from www.appliancist.com )
- Allow you to instantly turn the heat on or off.
- Give you more precise control over the temperature when you’re searing meat or simmering sauces.
- Some new models can use 30 percent less gas by relying on pilotless ignition instead of continuously burning pilot lights.
- Can release gaseous fumes that, without proper ventilation, can lead to indoor (kitchen) air pollution.
- Require certain gas hook-ups in your kitchen.
Electric Cooktops with Coil Burners
Electrical Cooktop (Picture from www.appliancist.com )
Electric black coils—metallic tubes covered with insulation, create heat through electrical resistance. The heat moves from the coils to the pot or pan through conduction and radiation.
- Don’t cause indoor (kitchen) air pollution.
- Allow you to boil water faster on larger burners than you can on some gas cooktops.
- They’re easy to maintain and repair.
- You may pay less initially but electric can cost more than gas over the long run.
- Don’t make a strong design statement.
- Don’t offer precise control over temperatures.
Electric Cooktops with Glass Ceramic Surfaces
Glass ceramic cooktops often have a touchpad rather than knobs, to maintain the smooth, sleek look. Circular patterns on the surface indicate where to place your pots and pans. Rather than coils, these smooth cooktops have radiant, halogen or induction heating elements. Radiant or ribbon elements heat similarly to standard black electric coils; halogen works like ultra hot lightbulbs; and induction creates magnetic fields that generate heat.
- Their smooth, flat surface makes cleanup easy.
- When not in use, you can use the smooth surface as extra countertop space.
- You get a clean, uncluttered look to the countertop.
- Induction cooktops offer the same kind of precise heat control as gas cooktops, and are more energy efficient.
- Induction cooking only works with steel and cast iron pots and pans.
- Induction cooktops are more expensive than other electric cooktops.
- You have to be careful that you don’t burn yourself by accidentally hitting the touchpad controls or knobs.
- You won’t get the same kind of precise temperature control that you can with gas, unless you choose magnetic induction.
- Hard to tell if the burners are still hot when they’re turned of.