Cooktop Comparison – Which Cooktop Is Best?
Whether you’re an avid home cook and struggle cooking toast, one kitchen cooking appliance every kitchen has to have is a cooktop.
Cooktops provide rapid and convenient heating and cooking for all types of food. By simply applying heat to pots and pans, cooktops allow you to boil and steam vegetables, wok fry meat and veggies, fry an egg, pan-fry a steak, and many more delicacies. Cooktops can also allow you to reheat liquids such as soups and stews. If you can cook it, chances are you can cook it on a cooktop. The only thing cooktops don’t do is grill or bake – for this, we turn to our oven.
If you’re in the market for a new cooktop, you may be surprised by the vast range of types and models available. Gone are the days where you walk into an appliance store and choose between two, maybe three, models. Today, you’re likely to see different models and different types.
While Ross’s Discount Home Centre is well known as the go-to place for tiles and tapware, we also stock an extensive range of quality appliances, including cooktops. Today, I’d like to take a look at the various types of cooktops to help you best decide the one that’s right for you.
Gas Cooktops
Gas cooktops feature one or more controllable burners powered by either natural gas or LPG gas. Their quick temperature control, along with their instant heat properties, makes them the preferred choice by chefs. As a result of using an open flame as a heat source, these devices may quickly attain high temperatures, making them more energy-efficient than electric and induction cooktops.
While gas cooktops come in various styles, most have a power burner for swiftly reaching maximum temperatures and a simmer burner for more sensitive, regulated heat. Furthermore, top of the range gas cooktops include commercial-grade components, allowing you to prepare restaurant-quality dishes at home.
Gas cooktops also feature built-in lighters and safety interlocks to prevent dangerous gas leaks.
Gas cooktops are a practical addition to any kitchen; however, they have one minor drawback: as they are knob controlled, it can be hard to obtain the same precise cooking temperature for every cook.
Ross’s Discount Home Centre offers a range of gas cooktops starting at a low $409.00. Some of our most popular models are those below:
Electric Cooktops
When temperature stability is most important to you, an electric cooktop is a good choice.
A gas line is not required to operate these burners, as they are powered by electricity. As such, they are easier to instal than gas cooktops. Newer electric cooktops feature smooth glass or ceramic tops instead of coil burners. Regardless of the burner’s design, it will consistently provide the correct temperature every time, unlike gas cooktops.
Even though many believe electric cooktops to be slightly less responsive than their gas equivalents, many prefer the convenience of an electric cooktop. There are no open flames or gas leaks to worry about with electric cooktops, making them a safer option than gas cooktops. However, they take more time to warm up or cool down, which some people find inconvenient.
Ross’s Discount Home Centre offers a range of electric cooktops starting at a low $449.00. Some of our most popular models are those below:
Inductions Cooktops
An induction cooktop may be ideal for those looking for maximum cooking power, precise temperature control and enhanced safety.
Induction cooktops are a form of electric cooktop; however, they use electromagnetic radiation for cooking food rather than electricity.
Placing cookware with steel, iron, or magnetic stainless steel bottoms on an induction cooktop’s ceramic surface creates a reactive magnetic field beneath the surface. It’s the vibrations created by the reaction that produces the heat.
Because of its unique design, an induction cooktop offers a variety of advantages. Compared to standard electric cooktops, they heat up in a fraction of the time. Moreover, induction cooktops are safer to use since they only heat up when cookware is placed on top of them, even if switched on.
It’s no secret that induction cooktops are the most costly form of cooktop, but they’re also becoming more popular because of their sleek look. Induction cooktops feature the shortest cooking times and are the most energy-efficient of all three types, despite the lack of an open flame. However, to work, your cookware base must be made of a high percentage of ferrous metal, such as cast iron or magnetic stainless steel, or be magnetic induction cookware.
Induction cooktops offer many advantages, but it’s vital to remember that these appliances are often regarded as high-end luxury items. For this reason, induction cooktops may not be the best option for budget-conscious households.
Ross’s Discount Home Centre offers a range of induction cooktops starting at a low $839.00. Some of our most popular models are those below:
Conclusion
A cooktop is one appliance every kitchen has, regardless of your enthusiasm for cooking. However, choosing a cooktop isn’t as easy as it used to be. There are now three main types of cooktops in Australia; gas cooktops, electric cooktops and induction cooktops. Each type offers something different. The difficulty is knowing which type is best for you.
Gas cooktops offer instant heat and good temperature control; however, they don’t provide precise temperature control, and gas is required to run them. On the other hand, electric cooktops offer great temperature control and are very safe and easy to install. But, they take longer to heat and cool than gas cooktops. Lastly is induction cooktops – the grand-daddy of cooktops, proving precise temperature control, quick heating, and a sleek design. However, induction cooktops are by far the most expensive option and cost more than most can afford.
Whether you’re after a gas cooktop, electric cooktop or induction cooktop in Perth, you’ll find a fantastic range at Ross’s Discount Home Centre – and all at rock bottom prices! Shop online for free delivery, or head into our Guildford showroom to see our range on display today.
