Cooktop Review

Separate cooktops (as opposed to the combined cooktop and oven you'll find in a freestanding range) are an option in new and remodeled kitchens. Although most cooktops are more expensive than a range, they give you terrific installation flexibility. Cooktops can be installed pretty much anywhere you choose, including on a kitchen island.

Induction cooktops are getting a lot of play just now in both advertisements and reviews. This technology is actually not new, but it's recently been seeing a revival. Australia's Choice magazine and Consumer Reports both test induction cooktops, along with their reviews of gas and electric cooktops.

Consumer Reports is the best source for cooktop reviews. In their most recent report, editors test more than three dozen cooktops (including 11 induction cooktops) by putting them through exhaustive trials. Each is rated on its ability to melt, simmer and boil. Cooktops are tested on their ability to boil quickly, but are also assessed on how well they melt chocolate without scorching and how well they can maintain a slow simmer with tomato sauce. Choice, Australia's equivalent to Consumer Reports, also does comprehensive testing of gas and induction cooktops. In addition, we found some limited reviews in Kiplinger's magazine, along with owner-written reviews at Epinions, Sears.com and AJMadison.com. J.D. Power and Associates, a company better known for its automotive customer satisfaction surveys, has also surveyed owners about their large appliances, including cooktops, wall ovens and ranges. We were disappointed to find that Good Housekeeping magazine offers no coverage of cooktops, induction or otherwise.

In our research, we noticed a substantial performance difference between electric cooktops and gas cooktops. Electric smoothtop cooktops perform better overall in testing. Gas cooktops, which usually have heavy cast-iron burner grates, generally weren't as consistent with heat control, particularly at low temperatures needed for simmering. The GE JGP975WEJ (*Est. $1,200), a gas cooktop with five burners and continuous grates, along with the budget GE JFP637WEJ (*Est. $900), also with five burners but not continuous grates, both perform better at simmering than the Whirlpool Gold GLT3657RQ (*Est. $900) gas cooktop , which doesn't do nearly as well at lower temperatures. Testers just couldn't maintain a slow simmer with this cooktop.