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Over the Top

Not quite at home on the range? No need to boast the most roast? For boiling, frying, searing, and simmering, the drop-in cooktop is king.

Wurstmeister and pork expert Bruce Aidells pigs out over the latest cooktops.
cooktops expert aidells bruce

Centuries ago, when our ancestors slaved over simmering cauldrons on open flames, cooking was as much about chopping wood as it was about chopping vegetables. Ongoing culinary and technological advancements have made the modern-day kitchen a relative paradise of convenience and bastion of sanitation. However, the simple smell of onions sautéing remains as seductive as ever. We cook not only to sit down and enjoy a delicious meal, but because the process can be as gratifying as the digestive act itself.

Nowhere is this sensual appeal of cooking more evident than on the cooktop, where sauces simmer, meats sear, and wafting aromas originate. There’s something formulaic about cooking in an oven—just set it and forget it. Working on the burners, however, requires constant attention, and allows the chef to interact directly with his food—testing for flavor and continually refining his meal until it hits the plate. Just how exciting would Iron Chef be if Hiroyuki Sakai stood around peering into his oven?

While the range—a combination of oven and cooktop—is still by far the most common kitchen appliance, in today’s world, where kitchens can be as sleek as sports cars, the drop-in cooktop offers greater flexibility (and means that you can install the oven ergonomically, so you won’t break your back getting a turkey in and out). If you’re in the market for a cooktop, you’re faced with three choices: gas, radiant electric, and induction. We took a look at all three, inviting sausage-maker and pork expert Bruce Aidells to offer his opinions. We headed down to CG Appliance in Daly City, California, with pork chops in tow, to put five 36-inch cooktops to the test.

  • cooktops jade rjdg3610a

    Jade RJDG3610

    Expert Opinion: Dynasty [now known as Jade] has been making commercial products for a long time—I really love their range. With this, however, the placement of knobs and burners is a big problem. Let’s say I have a 14-inch frying pan on there: It’s gonna get damn close to that knob. That’s a no-no—that metal knob could get hot. If it was plastic, it would melt.

    What We Think: We appreciate the heavy-duty professional look and feel of Jade’s cast-iron burner grates and the selection of firepower beneath, but we have to agree that the knobs, while solid and responsive, are awkwardly placed.

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  • cooktops bosch ngp945uc

    Bosch NGP945UC

    Expert Opinion: At least the knobs here are set away from the highest-powered burner. My biggest problem is that for a guy like me, who’s building a house out in the country and operating on liquefied petroleum gas, one loses about 20 percent of one’s power immediately. A 15,000-BTU maximum just isn’t enough firepower for me.

    What We Think: City dwellers that we are, 15,000 BTUs would more than cover our pasta pot–boiling and pork chop–searing needs. We like the spartan feel of the design, but to be truly nit-picky, the slight curvature might look as dated as a 1996 Ford Taurus in a couple years. Though they are plastic, the knobs are indeed well placed.

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  • cooktops viking vccu165 6b

    Viking VCCU165-6BSS

    Expert Opinion: The cookware [for induction] can be expensive unless you use cast iron because it requires special pots. It basically works by vibrating the metal, so you need a lot of metal there to vibrate. It’s great for apartment people, or neat freaks worried about flames.

    What We Think: Induction technology heats the pot with magnetic energy rather than firing up a cooking surface. It is impressive, but we’re not entirely sure it’s worth the cost. That said, a report from the U.S. Department of Energy Codes and Standards lists a 15 percent reduction in electricity usage, so the argument could be made that they pay for themselves over time. Viking's easy-to-read knob settings come in handy when there’s no flame to look at.

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  • cooktops miele master chef

    Miele Master Chef Cooktop KM342GSS

    Expert Opinion: What’s nice about this, with its second row of flames, is you don’t have to sacrifice the high-power burner for a bunch of simmering burners, which are useless. There’s a knob placement issue, but I think you could use your 14-inch pot on this. It would overlap a little, but at least it would fit.

    What We Think: Knobs continue to be the big issue with cooktops. Miele’s six-burner model offers the preferable control panel on the side—but who really needs six burners? We like that Miele offers a host of design options—from finishes to burner-grate styles (round or linear) to knob color—and the automatic reignition and shut-off ensures safety.

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  • cooktops thermador cep365z

    Thermador CEP365ZB

    Expert Opinion: I actually cook on an electric cooktop on the weekends, but this one is neater. Electric ranges used to be pretty wimpy in the old days, but they are pretty powerful now. My major problem with electric is that if you put it on full heat to get it nice and hot, you basically have to take your pan off for a minute or two to cool it down. You don’t have that quick response.

    What We Think: No knobs to contend with here, but the elaborate electronic interface might prove challenging while dealing with an boiling-over pot. The Zonesmart technology, which senses the size of the pot you’ve placed on the burner, seems nifty—and might shave some cents off your power bill. All told, this isn’t for technophobes.

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