The cooktop is central to a functional kitchen, so choosing the right type is important. This mammoth task can be tricky when there are so many options on the market. Which is the best choice for you? To help you decide, check out these five tips for choosing the right cooktop for your kitchen:
1.Consider How Much Space You Have
Cooktops come in different sizes, ranging from around 12 inches to 40 inches. A small induction cooktop with induction pots and pans could work well if you have a compact kitchen because induction cooktops heat food quicker than alternative cooktop types. This means you can whip up a meal quickly without having to use lots of counter space.
Whichever size and style of cooktop you go with, remember to balance your wants and needs with the physical space at hand.
2.What’s Your Energy Budget?
Sadly the energy crisis continues to push fuel bills up worldwide, which means that your fuel and energy budget could well be a factor in which cooktop you choose. There is no escaping the fact that gas and electric prices are very high, which means that although an induction cooktop costs more upfront overall, the huge level of energy efficiency it provides is likely going to pay for itself over the coming months and years.
3.Can You Manage The Maintenance?
If you are one of the 41% of Americans who absolutely hates cleaning the oven, you probably aren’t too fond of cleaning your cooktop either.
All cooktops require maintenance, but some are easier to maintain than others. Overall stainless steel and enamel cooktops are the most durable and easy to maintain. Ceramic cooktops require a little more care and maintenance overall.
4.What’s Your Cooking Style?
Perhaps you are one of the 9.7 million vegans in America, or maybe you just have a vegan living in your home. Either way, you may need to keep meat cooking separate from veggie cooking, in which case you’ll need multiple burners. If you use various cooking styles – like simmering, boiling, and griddling – you’ll also need variation in your cooktop.
In both cases, the following points will help you make a decision:
- Gas cookers use combinations of low to high burners for maximum flexibility.
- Electric cookers can have a wide range of temperatures for cooking different meals, but they generally take a while to heat up and cool down.
- Induction cookers heat up almost immediately, which is helpful if you’re a speedy cook. They also often have a “bridge function,” allowing you to create a larger cooking space to support large pans and griddles.
5.Be Aware Of Safety
Induction cooktops are known to be very safe because the heat used only moves into the pots and not into the cooking surface. Gas cookers are also quite safe because the burners have to be on to be a risk to anybody. Gas leaks can be worrying, but as long as you know how to prevent, identify, and handle them, they shouldn’t be an issue.
The riskiest option is electric…
