Ranges

You don't have to spend top dollar for impressive performance with high-end cooking features and stainless steel styling.

If you're in the market for a range, you're faced with several choices. You can buy a freestanding range that combines a cooktop and oven, or you can buy a separate cooktop and wall oven. The oven can be equipped with a convection feature. If you have access to a gas hookup, you need to decide whether you want gas, electricity, or a combination of the two.

All of these choices bring innovations and upgrades as competition among manufacturers heats up. Smoothtop electric ranges where the heating elements are below a ceramic glass surface now outnumber traditional coiltop models. Both offer quick heating and the ability to maintain low heat levels. Gas ranges use burners, which typically don't heat as quickly as electric elements, despite increasingly higher power-measured in British thermal units per hour (Btu/hr.). Even the highest-powered burners tend to heat more slowly than the fastest electric coil elements, sometimes because the heavy cast-iron grates that typically come with them slow the process by absorbing some of that heat. But you can see how high or low you are adjusting the flame. Several electric and gas ranges offer the flexiblility of two ovens - either one regular-sized oven plus a smaller one or one regular oven and a microwave oven drawer.

You'll also see more high-end or "professional-style" gas ranges with beefy knobs; heavy cast-iron grates; thick, stainless-steel construction; and four or more high-powered burners. These high-heat behemoths can easily cost $2,000 or more and typically require a special range hood and blower system, along with special shielding and a reinforced floor in some applications. But because the look is so popular, you'll find a growing number of stoves that include stainless trim and other pro-style perks for far less.

Shared characteristics between electric and gas ranges are also a growing trend. Some gas models have electric warming zones. Convection features are available on both gas and electric ranges. More and more manufacturers are offering dual-fuel gas ranges, which pair a gas cooktop with an electric oven. These cost about $1,400 and up.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

GE, Kenmore, Frigidaire, Maytag, and Whirlpool are the leading makers of ranges, cooktops, and wall ovens. Other major brands include Amana, Bosch, Electrolux, Hotpoint, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, and LG. Mainstream brands have established high-end offshoots, such as Kenmore Elite, GE Profile, and Whirlpool Gold. High-end, pro-style brands include Dacor, GE Monogram, KitchenAid Pro-Line, Thermador, Viking, and Wolf.

Freestanding range. These ranges can fit in the middle of a kitchen counter or at the end. Widths are usually 24 to 48 inches, although most are 30 inches wide. They typically have oven controls on the backsplash. Slide-in models eliminate the backsplash and side panels to blend into the countertop, while drop-ins rest atop toe-kick-level cabinetry and typically lack a storage drawer. Nearly all mainstream ranges now include a self-cleaning feature and-for gas models-sealed burners, which keep crumbs from falling beneath the cooktop. On the higher end of the scale, electric models have one or more expandable electric elements, gas models have two or more high-powered burners, a convection oven, and warming drawers. Price range: $400 to $1,600.

Pro-style range. Bulkier than freestanding ranges, these gas models can be anywhere from 30 to 60 inches wide. Larger ones include six or eight burners, a grill or griddle, and a double oven. Many have a convection feature, and some have an infrared gas broiler. While you usually don't get a storage drawer, more pro-style stoves now include a self-cleaning oven and sealed burners. Price range: $2,000 to $5,000.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Think about your cooking. If you often cook for a crowd, look for at least one high-powered element or burner and a large oven. Indeed, you'll find more midpriced gas ranges with the ultrahigh heat once exclusive to pro-style stoves. High-heat burners can be useful for searing, stir-frying, or heating large quantities. Ranges with convection can speed roasting a little. Models that excelled in broiling produced burgers seared on the outside and cooked quickly and evenly.

Think hard before buying a pro-style range. For most consumers, pro-style ranges aren't the best choice. In our tests, they did no better than conventional ranges. Some pro-style models lack common features, and some brands have had higher repair rates.

Consider the fuel. Electric surface elements tend to heat faster and maintain low heat better. But a gas flame makes it easier to see the heat level. Either type is capable of very good performance. A dual-fuel range combines an electric oven and gas cooktop. But our tests don't support the claim that an electric oven cooks more evenly than a gas one. On average, dual-fuel ranges scored lower than top-performing gas or electric models and cost more.

Balance convenience and durability. Electric smoothtops are pretty easy to clean, but they require a special cleaner. They can be damaged by a dropped pot or sugary liquids. Coil tops aren't as susceptible to such harm, but they require more cleaning time.

Keep high-tech in perspective. Ranges with special baking modes may not outperform conventional models. Touchpad oven controls are more precise than knobs. But front-mounted touchpads can be bumped and reset by accident, so see if the controls are logically placed and visible while you're cooking.

___ stove is ___ appliance used to produce heat by ___ combustion of fossil fuels. Stoves are ___ improvement on open fires for several reasons; they are easier to control, more efficient and create less pollution.

Stoves are used for cooking and heating, along with industrial uses.
Open fire has three major disadvantages that prompted inventors even in ___ 16th century to devise improvements: it is dangerous, it produces much smoke, and ___ heat efficiency is poor. Attempts were made to enclose ___ fire to make better use of ___ heat that it generated and thus reduce ___ wood consumption. ___ first step was ___ fire chamber: ___ fire was enclosed on three sides by brick-and-mortar walls and covered by ___ iron plate. Only in 1735 did ___ first design that completely enclosed ___ fire appear: ___ Castrol stove of ___ French architect François Cuvilliés was ___ masonry construction with several fireholes covered by perforated iron plates. It is also known as ___ stew stove. Near ___ end of ___ 18th century, ___ design was refined by hanging ___ pots in holes through ___ top iron plate, thus improving heat efficiency even more.

In order to prevent air, and therefore smoke, from spilling back into ___ room ___ large updraft pulling air (and therefore heat) out of ___ chimney is needed. This both pulls heat away and pulls air from ___ rest of ___ house into ___ fire and then up ___ chimney. ___ fireplace consumes 200 to 600 cubic feet of air per minute, more for ___ very large fire. Even ___ mostly closed-off fireplace, for example ___ modern fireplace with glass doors closed, will use 50-150 cubic feet per minute. High airflow creates ___ draft which pulls heated air out of ___ house to be replaced with cold air leaking in from ___ outside. Second, in ___ open fire some of ___ combustible gas coming off ___ wood escapes and thus does not ignite and is lost. By controlling ___ inflow of air to allow only what ___ fire needs to burn, modern stoves can reduce ___ consumption of air to as little as 15-30 cubic feet per minute, though consumption varies.

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As everyone has noted, if you have the option of a gas range, go for it.
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Gas or Electric: You will probably replace an electric range with another electric,
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