Choose between gas or electric.

Burner Configurations

• Gas burners heat up and cool off more quickly than electric elements, and it's easy to see the flame and adjust it to the cooking task.
• Electric-coil elements avoid the open flame and fumes of gas burners.

Consider energy-saving options when
selecting your range.

• Sealed-gas burners simplify cleanup by extending the cooktop surface around the burner element so spills stay on the surface. Most sealed-gas burners incorporate an energy-saving electronic-ignition system.

Solid cooktops provide a smooth
surface that's easy to clean.

• Ceramic-glass cooktops feature a solid, smooth surface that's both attractive and easy to clean. Underneath, electric coils or halogen elements (or a combination of the two) provide the heat; halogen burners heat faster than electric units but are more expensive to operate.
• Magnetic-induction cooktops are as smooth and easy to clean as ceramic-glass units but stay cool to the touch. An electromagnetic field generates heat so the pan -- not the surface -- cooks the food.
• Solid-disk cooktops cook with electricity but are easier to clean than traditional electric-coil units. The solid cast-iron cooktop surface incorporates the burner elements, which are slower to heat and cool than electric coils.