How-To

-Ideas for Great Kitchens, Sunset

For flexibility, specialized cooking, or simply a trim, modern look, separate cooktops make good sense. Their rapidly increasing use in island and peninsula designs is part of this trend.

Before confronting the bewildering array of cooktops on the market, you'll need to make some basic decisions. First, what type of energy do you prefer? Gas units heat and cool quickly, and the flame is visible and easy to control. Electric units provide low, even heat. Unless you buy a downventing model, the cooktop will require an overhead hood.

- Standard gas and electric cooktops are built into counters like self-rimming sinks, with connections below. Most units have four burners, though some have five, six, or even more. The majority of cooktops come in 30- or 36-inch widths; they're all at least 2 to 3 inches shallower than the standard 24-inch cabinet depth. Drop-in cooktops with no venting included run from about 21?2 to 8 inches high; figure about 161?2 inches for downventing models.

- Convertible gas and electric cooktops are similar to conventional models but offer interchangeable and reversible modules that let you replace burners with grills, griddles, and other specialized accessories.

- Commercial or residential/ commercial gas units house up to eight burners; many styles offer hot plates or griddles. Typically, burners are 6 to 7 inches high with short legs for installing on a base of tile, brick, or other noncombustible material.

- Mix-and-match modules or "hobs," typically 12 inches wide, may be grouped together with connecting hardware or embedded separately, if you choose. Modules consist of standard gas, halogen, smoothtop electric, solid-element electric, barbecue, griddle, electric wok, or deep fryer (sometimes also serving as steamer) units. Some of these fit in as little as 2 inches of vertical space, freeing up the cabinet below for drawers or a complementary oven.

Comparing Cooktops

Smoothtop (ceramic glass)
Electric smoothtop cooktops have burners similar to traditional coil designs but with ceramic glass on top, which disperses heat and makes the cooktop much easier to clean. In the past, these tops have received thumbs down for slow heating, but newer designs have coils closer to the surface; some models also include fast-starting coils. Warning lights on some new models stay on until the top is cool enough to touch.

Early smoothtops also scratched or cracked. Newer formulations are more durable. Popular finishes include classic black and flecked patterns (the latter hide abrasions). Look for independent sizing controls for smaller or larger pans. Smoothtop surfaces require flat-bottom pans for best heat dispersal.