Thermador SGSX365FS

The 36-inch Thermador SGSX365FS is an excellent gas cooktop, earning high ratings from both professional reviewers and owners. The cooktop has five high-powered burners, ranging in power from 9,100 to 18,000 Btu and topped with continuous cast-iron grates -- a useful feature that makes it easier to move pans from one burner to another. Special features include single-point ignition (only the burner being lit receives a spark) and automatic re-ignition, in case a burner blows out. The surface is made of stainless steel, which users say is stylish but scratches easily and can be difficult to keep clean. This cooktop is pricey, however, so those with limited budgets may prefer the Maytag MGC4436BDW (*Est. $480), which offers good overall performance for about a quarter of the price.

The Thermador SGSX365FS is included in the latest round of cooktop tests at ConsumerReports.org. Each model is tested on a variety of kitchen tasks: boiling water, melting chocolate and holding tomato sauce at a steady simmer. We also found more than a dozen user reviews for this cooktop through Google's shopping search engine, which compiles product reviews from various sites across the web.