Kitchen Range Features from Consumer Reports

Range buying guide

Manufacturers are serving up new names and claims as they prod you to spend a little more on your next cooking appliance. But our tests show that when it comes to good cooking, it often pays to pay less. But our tests continue to show that "pro" isn't necessarily a step up in either performance or reliability.

Electric ranges

Gas ranges

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Sort our Ratings based on features, brands and other factors.

Features

Keep high-tech options in perspective. Some individual features are no guarantee of good overall performance. Here are the range features to consider.

Control lockout

It lets you disable the oven controls. We recommend it for households with children.

Convection

Many higher-priced electric and gas ovens use a fan to circulate the hot air in an oven. Convection reduces cooking time, especially for large roasts.

Digital display

We prefer it to a knob. It allows for more-precise temperature setting.

Electronic touchpads

Be sure they're well placed and visible while you cook. Front-mounted pads are easy to bump and reset by accident.

Elements or burners

On electric and gas ranges, look for at least one high-heat element or burner (at least 2,500 watts or 15,000 Btu), especially if you often cook for a crowd. High heat sears and stir-fries especially well, and it can heat large quantities quickly. On gas ranges, sealed burners keep crumbs from dropping beneath the cooktop.

Hot-surface light

This light warns when an element is still hot and is particularly useful on smoothtops.

Low-power simmer burner

In a gas range, it provides an extra-low setting for delicate sauces. But this feature is not essential--the other burners should be capable of simmering.

Raised edge around the cooktop

It contains spills and makes cleanup much easier.

Self-cleaning cycle

It uses high heat to burn off spills and spatters in the oven. An automatic safety lock on most self-cleaning models prevents the oven door from being opened until the oven has cooled. Some models have a countdown display that shows the time left in the cycle. The self-cleaning cycle helps eliminate the drudgery of cleaning an electric or gas oven by hand.

Six or more oven-rack positions

The more the better. You can adjust for the size of the food and distance to the broiler element or flame.

Smoothtop vs. coils

Only the least-expensive electric models use coils these days. Smoothtops make it easier to clean up spills but require a special cleaner, and dropped pots and sugary liquids can damaged them. Coil tops are tougher and easier to replace, but they require more cleaning time.

Most smoothtops have expandable (dual or triple) elements that allow you to switch between a large, high-power element and a small, low-power element contained within it. Some have an elongated "bridge" element that spans two elements to accommodate elongated cookware. Many have one or more hot-surface warning lights--a key safety feature because the surface of an electric range can remain hot long after the elements are turned off.

Time/delay start

It lets you set a time for the electric or gas oven to start and stop cooking. But this feature is not essential--you shouldn't leave the oven on when it's unattended, and most foods shouldn't stay in a cold oven for long.

Trivection

This microwave feature in some electric ovens speeds cooking. Trivection uses three technologies--thermal heating, convection, and microwaves--to reduce cooking time. It works very well, though it's expensive.