Don’t let your traditional cooker mess up the cooking chore every single day making your life hell. Choose an electric cooktop for your kitchen and cook happily ever after! Nowadays modern kitchen ideas present an excellent blend of technology and design efficiency in the electric cooktops. Let’s take a look into some basic issues about electric burners.
Pros & Cons of Buying an Electric Cooktop
Benefits of Electric Cooktop:
Electric cooktops have several advantages over gas or conventional burners. Let’s highlight some of them in short.
First, electric burners are quite cheaper than their counterparts from the gas range. When you don’t have a gas supply in your home and the arrangements are too costly, an electric burner would be the best option.
Second, they are easy to install and simple to operate. You don’t need an ignitor to light an Electric Burner. All you need is to plug in your electric burner to the power outlet and switch on. What is more? The standard electric cooktops come with well-organized touch control panels.
Third, electric cooktops, especially ceramic ones take less time to clean. After cooking you can wipe out the glass-top with a piece of cloth and it is done.
Fourth, the electric burners, especially the electric induction cooktops can cook the food evenly. Their efficient heat distribution mechanism can provide even heating to the food items. So, with an electric cooktop, you can get awesome taste, flavor, and color of the food.
Another great advantage of modern electric cooktops is that they generate superb heating power at a very high -level temperature. And, the high-end electric cooktops allow the user to control the temperature precisely. These burners can switch to a higher temperature level on the spur of the moment.
Besides the above-mentioned common features, the standard electric burners can offer some exclusive add-ons, such as a lock button, built-in fan, downdraft mechanism, etc.
Read more: Induction Cookware FAQ: All you need to know about
Drawbacks of Electric Cooktop:
Like any other product, an electric cooktop has some limitations.
An electric cooktop runs on electricity. So, you can’t use this appliance during load-shedding or power cut-off situations unless you own a generator. Electricity is costlier than other power sources, like gas.
Another con is that the glass-top cooktops need careful maintenance. The glass surface may break or get scratched if it gets hit by a heavy object. However, you can opt for the open coil electric burners to evade this issue.
A usual electric cooktop takes a bit longer time to get heated up as well as cool down the cooking surface; unless you choose an electric induction burner.
You got to use flat-based pots and pans for the smooth-top electric cooktops. Especially, if you choose an electric induction cooktop, then you have to use induction-ready cookware otherwise the burner won’t work.
Gas Cooktop Vs Electric Cooktop Vs Electric Range
The cooktop is an essential kitchen appliance without which we can’t survive. But nowadays the time and effort required for cooking are reduced significantly. It is made possible by the technological advancement of cooktops and burners.
Gas vs Electric Cooktop:
Both gas and electric cooktop have their advantages and limitations.
If you are a passionate cook who always needs to ensure even heating to preserve the taste and flavor of the food, then pick an electric glass-top cooktop. This kind of electric smooth-top cooktop is easier to clean, which can save you time and effort.
When you can’t wait for the cooktop to get heated, then a gas cooktop is your right pick, as it provides instant heat. A gas cooker generally features a high boiling temperature. And gas cooking is cheaper in the long term.
If you want the food to be cooked in the least possible time, then go for an electric induction cooktop. And when your home is deprived of a gas supply, then you don’t have any choice except to buy an electric or induction burner. Besides these, induction cooking saves energy waste and minimizes your bills.
Read more: Stainless Steel Cookware Buyer’s Guide
Electric Cooktop vs Electric Range:
Another burning question is do you need an electric cooktop or range. Certainly, both have some similarities and dissimilarities as well.
An electric range is a multitasking appliance that can heat, simmer, bake, broil, and perform self-cleaning. However, the functions of an electric range vary depending on type, fuel usage, design features, etc. And of course, it will cost you a fortune!
To choose between a cooktop and a range, you need to consider several issues, like, what’s your need? Do you need to cook a large volume of food in less time? Do you want your cooking appliance to bake and grill? If yes, then you need an electric range.
Another issue is how much space is available there in your kitchen. You can choose a freestanding range or a slide-in range considering the availability of space in your home kitchen or semi-restaurant kitchen.
On the other hand, an electric cooktop comes with single or multiple burners featuring different sizes and heat generation capacities. If you wanna cook regular family meals and have limited space in the kitchen, or have a limited budget, then an electric cooktop would be the right choice for your kitchen.
Types of Electric Cooktop:
To find the right electric cooktop, you need to know the types of electric cooktop that are currently available on the market. The electric cooktops can be divided into several categories depending on their design and mechanism.
Solid Coil Electric Cooktop:
Solid Coil Electric Cookers are termed coil electric cooktops or Solid electric cooktops. Its solid metal coil heating elements are exposed. When the burner is switched on, the electricity runs through that solid metal coil element in a spiral way and creates an open flame. This solid metal coil is sturdy, resilient, and durable.
An amazing fact about coil electric cooktops is that they are hard to break or damage, so you can use them for many years. What is more? The solid electric coil cooktops can work with all types of cookware.
However, the coil electric cooktop takes a bit longer time to get heated up and the coils are not too easy to clean like their glass top counterparts. But, it is the most affordable kind of electric burner available in 2020.
Read more: Ceramic Cookware Buyer Guide: How to choose safe ceramic-coated pans
Ceramic Electric Cooktop:
Ceramic cooktops feature radiant burners hidden under their glass-built flat surface. Here the surface glass material is capable of withstanding high-level temperatures. And these burners don’t create an open flame.
Recently, Ceramic Cooktops have been on the top list for consumers who emphasize the aesthetics issue. A smooth-top electric cooktop can nicely blend itself with a demanding modern kitchen. Moreover, the silky touch glass tops are effortless to clean up after daily cooking tasks.
Besides these, ceramic glass-top electric burners offer a bunch of innovative features, like precise temperature controls, warm settings, and bridging elements consisting of two or more burners.
However, the electric smooth-top burners might be vulnerable to heavy cookware. The spills can leave stains on the glass-top, if not cleaned up properly. And, you need to use flat-bottomed pans; otherwise, the smooth top might get scratched.
Electric Induction Cooktop:
If you wanna cook in a faster and safer method, then go for an induction cooktop. It is no less than a boon of modern technology. An induction cooktop creates an electric magnetic field to heat the pan directly, while the surface remains cool to touch. It never creates any open flame.
Interestingly, the induction heating mechanism doesn’t heat the cooktop surface. Therefore, it saves heat and prevents energy wastage. Compared with a gas burner counterpart, an induction cooktop can cook food for less than half a time.
And this magnetic cooking technology features even heat distribution through pan-surface. Like the ceramic cooktops, the induction cookers also offer exclusive features, like, a timer, LED display, Lock button, etc. Adding to these, induction cooktops are safe for kids, as they leave almost zero risks of hand burning.
However, before buying an induction cooker you need to consider some facts. The induction cooktops can’t work with all types of pans. You need to use induction-ready cookware, like, cast iron pans, magnetic-based steel pans, clad-based anodized pans, etc.
Read more: Is nonstick cookware safe for health?
How to Choose the Best Electric Stove Top?
In the previous sections, we discussed the related advantages of an electric cooktop over gas cooktops. Then, we focused on the pros and cons of electric cooktops. Now you may have understood how an electric burner can upgrade your cooking experience. And you can compare the loss and gain of investing your money in an electric oven.
Now you may ask how to choose the best electric stove top under budget. Wait! In the following section, we are gonna focus on some basic factors you need to consider before buying an electric cooktop.
What kind of cooktop do you need?
What kind of cooktop are you looking for derives from the question of what kind of cook/chef you are. Do you love trying different cuisines at home-kitchen? If yes, then you can invest some more money to buy an electric range. Or do you need a cooktop to prepare the regular family meals? If so, then an electric cooktop would satisfy your needs.
Nowadays electric cooktops are available in several categories. For a trendy kitchen, you can pick the smooth-top electric cooktop. If you prefer a traditional design, then you can consider buying an electric coil cooktop.
If you are looking for an electric cooktop without burning coils, then go for electric induction cooktops. Apart from these, radiant electric burners are also popular among many people.
What is your preferred cooktop size/ dimensions?
Before buying any kitchen appliance, one should consider the fact of how much space is available in the kitchen to place that gear safely. Dimension is another great factor in finding the best cooktop for your kitchen.
If you have a spacious kitchen and need to cook bulk food for a medium to large-size family, then a 36-inch electric cooktop can be your win-win purchase. And if you have a regular-sized kitchen, then go for a 30-inch electric oven. Simultaneously, you can choose, a 24-inch cooktop, if it suits your needs. In some cases, people love to buy an additional burner, besides their main cooktop. If you belong to this group, then 12-inch electric burners can fulfill your requirements.
How many cooking zones do you need?
The number of cooking zones indicates how many burners are there on a cooktop. A 36-inch electric burner usually contains five to seven cooking zones. And you would find three to five cooking zones in a 30-inch electric burner. Under the economic range, you can pick up double-burner electric cooktops, which are good for small families. If you live in a dormitory or own a small kitchen, then you can go for the single burner electric cooktops.
Do you want touch controls on your cooktop?
In the conventional design, the electric cooktops used to come with analog push-to-turn controls. Still today, many reputed brands produce such cooktops. People, who have young children, prefer these cooktops for safety issues.
On the other hand, you can enjoy the grace of the modern kitchen concept by choosing the modern electric cooktops bearing one-touch controls. These controls are easy to use. Even teenagers and elderly citizens find the touch controls user-friendly.
What special features do you require on your cooktop?
By modern technology, electric cooktops are blessed with a bunch of innovative features. Now the best cooktop brands offer diverse functions, like Timer control, Lock control, LED display, On/OFF control, one-touch controls, etc.
Besides these, the standard cooktops come with a glass-top surface, clear markings, separate controls for each burner, etc. All of these features contribute to making your cooking experience more comfortable. Now you have to look for special features according to your precise needs.
What is your budget range for the cooktop?
Not to mention, the budget range is one of the most significant deciding factors when choosing any product. While buying an electric cooktop you may face the dilemma between budget range versus Price tag issue. You need to ask yourself, is the price tag worth the product? There are several things to consider, such as product quality, parts replacement warranty, brand name, etc.
Read more: Induction Cooktops FAQ: All you need to know about
