Cooktop & wall oven buying guide

Electric elements tend to heat faster and maintain low heat better than gas burners. But a gas flame makes it easier to see the heat level. Either is capable of fine performance. Induction cooktops use an electromagnetic field that speeds cooktop heating a notch beyond an electric element's while leaving the surface cooler, since most of the heat goes to the pot or pan. But you'll need magnetic cookware for the technology to work.

If you often cook for a crowd, look for at least one high-powered element or burner and a large oven. You'll find more cooktops with the ultrahigh heat once exclusive to professional-style stoves. High-heat burners can be useful for searing, stir-frying, or heating large quantities. Wall ovens that excelled at broiling produced well-seared, evenly cooked burgers in our tests.

Electric smoothtops are relatively easy to clean but require a special cleaner and can be damaged by dropped pots and sugary liquids. Coil tops are tougher, but they require more cleaning time.

Models with special baking modes might not outperform conventional models. While touchpad oven controls are more precise than knobs, front-mounted versions are easy to bump and reset by accident. Be sure that they're well placed and visible while cooking. And while some induction cooktops now cost as little as $1,200, you'll still find smoothtops electric models for hundreds less.

These can be electric smoothtop, electric coil, gas, or induction. Most are made of porcelain-coated steel or glass ceramic, with four elements or burners, though the 36-inch models we've tested generally have five burners, and more have a stainless-steel finish. Electric cooktops are typically 30 inches wide; gas models, 36 inches.

Cooktops allow more design freedom than a range.

You'll probably pay $1,300 or more for a separate cooktop and wall oven, while some top-performing electric and gas ranges sell for less than half that amount.

Most are electric and offer single or double ovens. Width is typically 24, 27, or 30 inches.

Mounted at waist or eye level, a wall oven eliminates bending. Or you can nest it under a countertop to save space.

A separate wall oven and cooktop are expensive compared with a range.

All but the least expensive electric models are smoothtops. Smoothtops are sleeker and offer more features. Most have expandable dual or triple elements that let you switch from a large, high-power element to a small, low-power element contained within it. Some include a low-wattage element for warming plates or keeping just-cooked food at the optimal temperature. And some have an elongated "bridge" element that spans two burners to accommodate rectangular or odd-shaped cookware. Smoothtops make it easy to clean up spills, but they require a special cleaner. And dropped pots and sugary liquids can damage them. Coils are less damage-prone and easier to replace, but they require more cleaning time.

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

This feature lets you select times for the oven to start and stop cooking. But you shouldn't leave an oven on unattended. And most foods shouldn't be left in a cold oven for long.

You'll find it on electric and gas models. It tells cooking temperatures at a glance.

These are common in electric ovens. Setting and monitoring the precise temperature is easier with a digital display than with a knob.

The heat produced by a burner is measured in British thermal units (Btu) per hour for gas models. Most 30-inch gas cooktops have four burners: one or two medium-power units (about 9,000 Btu.), a small unit (about 5,000 Btu, and one or two large ones (12,000 Btu or more). Whichever type of cooktop you buy, look for at least one high-powered element or burner, especially if you often cook for a crowd. High-heat burners excel at searing, stir-frying, and heating large quantities. Sealed burners keep crumbs from falling beneath the cooktop.

On gas cooktops, heavy porcelain-coated cast-iron grates should stand up to abuse. Continuous grates let you slide cookware between burners.

Many smoothtops have at least one. Ideally, each element should have a separate warning light. It's a key safety feature, since the surface can remain hot long after an element has been turned off.

Some higher-priced electric cooktops use magnetic coils below the ceramic-glass surface to generate heat in the pan rather than the cooking surface. Most models still begin at nearly $2,000, and they require special magnetic cookware. Where price is no object, induction cooktops take the cake for quick heating.

These come with or without a decorative grid. A window without a grid gives a clearer view, but it won't hide any pots and pans stored in the oven.

A high-heat cycle burns off spills and spatters in electric and gas wall ovens. 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 eliminates the drudgery of cleaning the oven by hand.

Many higher-priced gas and electric wall ovens have a convection fan that circulates the hot air. And a few electric ovens have a low-power microwave feature that supplements the bake and broil elements. Some use a halogen heating bulb as well as microwaves. Trivection, an excellent but expensive feature, uses three technologies: thermal heating, convection, and microwaves. Those features can reduce cooking time with some foods, though they tend to be pricey.

Most electric ovens have it. It offers adjustable settings for foods that need slower or faster cooking.

This high-end brand offers a full selection of German-engineered kitchen appliances. Bosch gas, electric, and induction cooktops are priced from $800 to $3,300. Bosch is sold at Lowes, Sears, Best Buy, and independent appliance retailers.

This midpriced-to-high-end brand offers electric wall ovens priced from $1,500. Electrolux ovens promise premium features and a design-led look and feel. The high-end Electrolux Icon line includes gas, electric, and induction cooktops. Electrolux is sold through independent appliance retailers.

This midlevel, mass-market brand sells appliances priced between $500 and $1,500. The Frigidaire line includes gas and electric cooktops and wall ovens with energy-saving features. The appliances are sold through, Sears, home centers, and independent appliance retailers.

This midlevel, mass-market brand sells a variety of appliances. The line includes gas and electric cooktops priced between $500 and $1,500 and wall ovens priced from $1,000. The appliances are sold through Sears, home centers, and independent appliance retailers.
 

GE Profile. This midlevel, mass-market line includes gas, electric, and induction cooktops priced from $700 to $2,000 and wall ovens priced from $1,000.

GE Monogram. This higher-end line offers pro-style gas, electric, and induction cooktops that cost $1,400 and electric wall ovens priced from $1,500. Monogram appliances are usually sold through independent appliance retailers.

The cooking line from this high-end brand includes gas and electric cooktops priced from $820 and electric wall ovens starting at $1,500. Jenn-Air was the first to introduce self-ventilated cooktops. The appliances are sold through Sears, home centers, and independent appliance retailers.

This midlevel, mass-market brand includes gas, electric, and induction cooktops priced from $580 and electric wall ovens that cost $1,000 and up. The appliances are sold through Sears stores.

Kenmore Elite. This line offers more features than the Kenmore line and includes gas, electric, and induction cooktops priced from $1,000 and wall ovens that cost $2,000.

This high-end brand sells electric wall ovens priced from $1,500 and gas, electric, and induction cooktops that cost $800 to $2,100. KitchenAid appliances are sold through Sears, home centers, and independent appliance retailers.

This midlevel, mass-market brand makes gas and electric cooktops priced between $570 and $720 and electric wall ovens that cost $1,000 and up. Maytag appliances are sold through Sears, home centers, and independent appliance retailers.

This high-end maker sells electric wall ovens priced from $1,500 and gas and electric cooktops that cost $1,450. The appliances are sold through independent appliance retailers.

This high-end brand sells electric wall ovens priced from $1,500 and pro-style gas, electric, and induction cooktops that cost $1,725. The appliances are sold through independent appliance retailers.

This high-end brand sells electric wall ovens priced from $1,500 and gas, electric, and induction cooktops that cost $2,200. Viking is considered the original pro-style brand. The company adds premium features to its ovens and cooktops and offers the Professional and the Designer series, both sold through independent appliance retailers.

This midlevel, mass-market brand sells gas and electric cooktops priced between $630 and $1,000 and wall ovens that cost $1,000 to $1,500. The appliances are sold through Sears, home centers, and independent appliance retailers.

This high-end brand sells gas, electric, and induction cooktops that cost as much as $5,200 and electric wall ovens priced from $2,000. Wolf targets consumers who want a pro-appliance look and high performance. These appliances are sold through independent appliance retailers.