Choosing the Best Cooktop

Whether you want to install the unit in your kitchen island or countertop, they fit seamlessly into nearly any environment and offer a number of benefits that will boost your cooking performance.

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Choosing the Right Cooktop

Gas Cooktops

Gas-powered units heat food quickly and include different-sized burners ranging from more than 16,000 BTUs for high-output heat all the way down to under 500 BTUs for a delicate simmer. Standard gas burners average about 9,000 BTUs per hour. Look for upswept cooktops that contain spills and are easy to wipe down for fast cleanup. With most models now featuring pilotless ignition systems, startup is virtually hassle free.

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Electric Cooktops

Electric cooktops allow you to easily generate a wide spectrum of heat levels. With electric units, you can select from a variety of available heating elements in a range of prices. Coil elements are the most economical and heat up quickly for fast cooking right away. Radiant heating elements are placed beneath a smooth glass ceramic surface, providing a stylish cooking area that is easy to care for.

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Features

Electronic Touchpad Controls

Touch-sensitive controls with digital displays make it easy to select precise cooking temperatures and make operation more intuitive.

Simmer/High-Heat Burners

Select a unit with a simmer and/or high-heat burner to expand your cooking repertoire. Simmer burners easily handle more delicate foods like savoury sauces. High-heat burners provide increased heat that can boil water rapidly or quickly cook other items.

Dual Elements and Bridge Elements

Electric cooktops sometimes offer dual elements, which allow you to select between two differently sized elements (6" and 9", for example) to provide the most efficient heat for the size of cookware you're using. Other cooktops have bridge elements that sit between two of the main burners to accommodate oblong or oversized pots and pans or a griddle.

Additional Burners

Most standard cooktops include four burners, but some models include one or two additional burners that allow you to prepare more items at one time for high-volume meal preparation and large gatherings.

Wok/Griddle

Some units accommodate a wok accessory, opening up a whole new range of recipes, from vegetable stir-fry to shrimp lo mein. Other models give you the ability to whip up a batch of buttermilk pancakes by providing space for a griddle.

Grills

Add a grill to your cooktop for increased performance that allows you to cook up juicy burgers, steaks and more right in your kitchen.

Cleaning Tips

To maintain and protect the surface of your ceramic cooktop, use only products that are made specifically for cleaning glass surfaces. Home Depot currently carries the following ceramic cooktop cleaning products in-store only.

For Normal Daily Use Cleaning	Cerama Bryte^® Touchups are convenient pre-moistened wipes that quickly and easily remove fingerprints, grease, water residue, smudges and mineral deposits.
For Burned-On Residue	Cerama Bryte^® Cleaning Pads are compact and made from safe, non woven fibres that will not scratch. Individual use reduces chance of picking up dirt from other uses which could scratch the cooktop.
For Heavy, Burned-On Residue	Cerama Bryte^® Ceramic Cooktop Scraper is a single edge razor blade with handle designed for use on large burnt-on areas resulting from such things as spilt milk.