Choosing A New Cooktop Or Range
(HIT) - "As lifestyles change, cooking needs change as well. Before you begin shopping for new or replacement appliances for your kitchen, give some thought to how your cooking needs have evolved. You may find that a direct replacement for an old style kitchen appliance makes less sense than many of the newer cooktop and range options on the market.
"We see two types of needs evolving," says Kathy Goodwin, cooking buyer for Sears. "One is for the cook who wants to make a meal in a hurry. This consumer wants quick heating elements, quick oven pre-heats and features that will assist in getting the meal prepared quickly. The second type of cook wants to enjoy the cooking process and views it as a form of entertainment. This person wants appliance features that will fit the family’s lifestyle. These include grill tops, special modular components, convection ovens and warm and ready drawers. Such items help get the meal to the table with a flare, and keep it warm over longer periods of time."
Electric Ranges Still Hot
According to the experts at Sears, freestanding gas or electric ranges are still popular today—with each making up about 50 percent of the freestanding range business. Fuel availability, price and personal preference all play a part in the decision to choose electricity or gas. Other considerations include size, venting requirements and ease of cleaning.
If an oven is important to you, freestanding ranges are typically a less expensive option than buying a cooktop and an oven separately.
Cooktops Are Gaining In Popularity
For those looking for a cooktop, but not a complete free-standing range, there are numerous new options from which to choose. Cooktops and burners, which usually fit right in to the kitchen’s countertop, can be divided into three main categories: gas burners, electric elements and modular designs.
Gas cooktops typically come with either conventional burners, where the heat comes from a flame under an open grate, or sealed burners, which affixes the burners to the cooktop for easier cleaning. There are several different options with modular and electric cooktops, with some of the more common listed below:
- Electric Coil Cooktops: Electric coil cooktops feature electric resistance wiring encased in an insulated tube that transfers heat from hot coil to cookware. This is what we typically think of when we discuss a coil burner of an electric range.
- Solid Element Cooktops: Solid element cooktops use cast iron discs that contain electric resistance wires embedded in ceramic insulation to transfer heat.
- Ceramic-Glass Radiant Element Cooktops: These cooktops use high-speed radiant elements positioned beneath a smoothtop surface, transfering heat to cookware by both conduction and radiation.
- Ceramic-Glass Halogen Element Cooktops: Quartz halogen lamp tubes encircled by electric resistance coils are fitted underneath a smoothtop cooking surface and transfer heat to the cookware. Elements in this type of cooktop glow immediately when turned on.
- Ceramic-Glass Induction Element Cooktops: These cooktops use induction coil wires connected to solid-state controls positioned under the smoothtop surface. Electric current to the coils is converted into a high-frequency alternating current that flows through the coil and creates a magnetic field. This magnetic field generates heat in cookware made of magnetic materials. This type of cooktop typically carries a higher price, and consumers must buy pans made of magnetic material.
Radiant cooktop models have become particularly popular. "We’ve seen a steady increase in the popularity of radiant cooktops," says Goodwin. "New designs and innovative changes make this one of the fastest growing segments in electric cooking." This move to radiant cooktops will likely continue as consumers seek out appliances that are energy efficient, space efficient, and appealing to the eye.
The smoothtop design of radiant cooktops gives a sleek look to a kitchen. Radiant cooktops are also easy to clean, because they eliminate cracks and crevices where spilled food and liquids can hide. Finally, radiant ranges give excellent performance.
Downdraft Modular Cooktops
A variation of the basic cooktop, but with interchangeable modules, downdraft modular cooktops provide flexibility not found in other cooktop designs. Modular cooktops typically include a grill with room for adding additional burners or cooking accessories such as a griddle, wok or deep fryer.
More Electronic Displays
Another popular, eye-appealing feature in modern cooktops and ranges is an electronic digital display. Digital displays are typically built flush into a cooktop or are installed in the backguard of a range, adding a high-tech look and feel to the kitchen. Computer-assisted cooking models, like the new convection ranges that convert traditional cooking times for recipes to convection time, are also grabbing consumer attention.
Through consumer research, years of experience and partnerships with leading appliance manufacturers, Sears keeps a steady watch on what consumers are buying, and what they might want to buy in the future. For more information about cooktops, ranges and other modern cooking appliances, visit a Sears store near you, or visit Sears online at www.sears.com.
Courtesy: Home Improvement News and Information Center
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