you know what? I bought a smooth top over a year ago. It looks brand new. Granted I don't use it everyday. BUT, as long as you keep your promise to CLEAN it all off EVERY time you use it, every splatter, totally clean it will be okay.
BUT, lol, I wish I had a coil stove. Maybe it's just this brand, but it heats up really fast then turns off once it's up to temp, then it cools down, then it's up high and red again. My old coil top, well, I swear it was more temperature moderating... lol whatever!

I wish I had a gas top! But I don't want to spend the $$$ to run the gas all the way to the kitchen.

I don't think having coil burners would downgrade your kitchen, many people still use them.

When I bought my new stove last May I was hesitant about buying a smooth top range because I was used to coil burners but now I love it and can't imagine going back to coil. My stove top is just as pristine as when I bought it, you just have to clean up as you go along, scrub any food spills after using. What I also like in the oven, you do not see the element and the clean up is easy - I have a self cleaning oven but have yet to use that feature, I just wipe the panels down with my dishcloth.

My Kenmore range was $900.00 Cad. I also love the fifth burner which is a warming burner.

Anne

I agree with kat_wa about the heat on her smooth top. Mine does the same thing. Another thing to consider is you have to use flat-bottomed pots and pans on them. Mine has a very large burner in front so I bought a Cuisanart grill/griddle to use for pancakes or grilling inside. Well, I can't use it because it's raised on the sides to keep grease from spilling over. Can't pop corn in a pot on the stovetop either--no shaking pans on the smooth top. But I still like it better than the coils as far as cleaning it goes. I'd love to have gas, too. (Uh--for the stove that is!) ;-)

I've had white smoothtops since we remoeled the kitchen in our old house -- around 1980? That one and my present one (11 years old) look the same today as they did new. (I still use the Corning flat-bottom pots that came with the first cooktop.) We have a black smoothtop on a slide-in range on Maui -- now that one doesn't look as good, but it's a vacation rental.

If I were a *real* cook, I'd want gas. I had this house piped for gas as well as the electric hookup. No way would I buy coils an clean around them. I use a damp paper towel and Bon Ami on my smoothtops. Easy-peasy.

Try Google for the jenn air I have seen some much better prices. I personally hate with a passion this smooth top range I am stuck with here and it is new, a Kenmore, very nice but I detest cooking on it. I would love gas but we have to run a line we have gas in the house just not at the range.

The jenn air I liked best was the one with the solid cast iron burners they are round sealed, solid, so super easy to clean and they cooked beautifully. I had the coils also they are just like any other coils. The clean up of the Jenn air can be a real pain, I hated that part.

I bought a new cooktop last December to replace the d**n JennAire with downdraft (hated that thing). I got a Whirlpool Gold ceramic cooktop (not induction, which requires special cookware), and I love it. It takes two minutes to clean, rather than the two hours with the old coiled monster. It has no knobs, so it's a completely smooth surface. I did buy the recommended cleaner, which was not expensive, and it keeps the cooktop looking new.

After much searching, I found a range hood that is flush with the front of the upper cabinets, so it is out of the way and not noticeable.

I cook every day, and would love to have a gas cooktop, but we live in a rural area, with no natural gas (and I don't like propane).

You mentioned unsightly cooktops of relatives--how old are they? From what I was told, in the past, they used tempered glass (and you were not supposed to use cast iron), but newer cooktops are ceramic, which wears better and you can use cast iron.

Good luck! I know how difficult it is to make the decision--it took me a very long time to make up my mind.

If you've got it in your budget....go with a commercial look gas top. Can you have gas? Then buy a name..."Viking" or "Wolf"....you only live once and you look at it every day...and cooking is a pleasure when it's quality.

We would have to do a complete install of underground tank, run lines, hook-ups, the whole deal for gas. I would love to have gas, it's just not gonna happen.

My sister finally, finally got her new kitchen, took 27 years, it is THE most beautiful kitchen I've ever seen. She deserves every bit of it. dark beautiful cabinets, small ones at the top that are lighted. A huge zub-zero frig, viking 6 burner gas stove, granite countertops, hammered copper double sink....sigh.....I'm jealous but only in a good way, it's stunning and I'm so so happy for her.

None of that is in our budget. We don't even have a budget, just winging along buying a piece here and there.

My gut has been going with the coil all along, til DH piped up today when we were in Lowes and Home Depot, now I'm questioning myself big time. I could maybe get a french door refrigerator if I went with a more inexpensive cooktop.

We live in a 1959 rancher so I'm thinking maybe don't go too fancy to make everything else in the house look old.

Thank God I don't have to make life or death decisions....lol

Thanks everyone for opinions and input.

Nicole, "Are" Wolf and Viking quality?? I've read several consumers reports etc, and they are way down the list in customer satisfaction.

I have dreamed of having one too, it would be a blast cooking on a honking stove like that. But not if it was going to break down and frustrate me.

I remember, a few years ago, we showed pics of our kitchens and someone had a Wolf. I "think" it was RosemaryT but I can't be sure. I hope whoever it is, or was will chirp in with their thoughts and experience with it.

You know what? You should get the cook top that fits your style of cooking. If you love to cook and will really use the features put your money into the cook top and cut elsewhere.

Too many people have stunning kitchens for looks. It's insane. If a coil cook top will do the job then go with it. Don't buy into the trendiness or looks. Kitchens should be functional for those that use them and for HOW they use them.

There is one kitchen over at the kitchen forum that everyone oohs and aahs at. The person who had it built admits she doesn't cook at all. What I find hilarious is all the compliments she has gotten from those who claim to cook. The kitchen beautiful as a room. Functionally it's crap. There is a gigantic island in the middle of the whole plan. You would have to be on roller skates to work in that kitchen. There is ZERO flexibility in storage options. It is complete failure for anyone who really cooks.

So I admire the kitchen that is used. I don't care if it's a hot plate and a crock pot.

don't know about a huge fridge, anymore..ours is half empty most of the time..the older we get the less we seem to buy...i have an amana with bottom freezer...love it...(about 12 yr old)

one thing i can say, if you watch your sales and only buy when the appliances fade, you can save it from costing a bundle...my next huge expense are going to be counters...mine are shot...i'm going quartz...my formica has seen it's day...

Wildchild put it well. Nothing wrong with coils. People get hung up on names thinking an expensive stove makes them a better cook. What a crock! They're the same ones who think expensive clothes make you successful or a Mercedes gets your groceries home any better than a Ford. Same with the gas vs. electric argument. I have gas at the lake and electric at home. I replaced the stove at home and thought about running a gas line, getting a "professional" stove and all that and I said to myself, "Self" I says, "You've cooked on expensive units and cheap units. You've cooked on good units and bad units. Get something good. Price doesn't make it good." And I had to admit in the end, I was right. So I bought a $400 coil top range/oven in black. I'm very happy with it.

A friend has a foo-foo kitchen with the expensive appliances that don't get used more than a couple times a year. As she puts it "It's all props!"

A good cook can cook on any heat source, gas, electric, induction, an electric frypan, campfire, grill or a solar oven and won't need the fancy egomachines for anything more than showing off.

I agree with the old Saab commercial. Form follows function! If anyone says your kitchen is "dated" tell them it cost you $100k to get the "retro" look. And the people with the Viking/Wolf envy will drool, ooh, and ah! :)

All you guys are awesome, truly. Wildchild and Cynic, you've made me feel so much better.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

If you have to go with electric and don't want the smooth top, in your shoes I'd go with one of the stoves with the sealed unit round cast iron elements. I used to find with a coil element stove if a pot boiled over it was a real PITA to clean under the coils or replace those foil tray things all the time.

I remember I had one of the solid burners, about 20 years ago. It took forever to heat up, but once it did, it held the heat a long time. Take that into consideration with the style of cooking you do.

Any chance I can talk you into cooking with gas? ;-)

I understand the OP can't easily get Gas and I respect that and think she should go with what she likes best. I personally think coils look fine if you have to go electric. I don't like the smooth top look on ranges anyway. I think it screams "Electric"!

And by the way, Gas... is not just a "prop" as cynic's friend may put it. Gas is not just glitter; If you really like to cook, there is a difference. Well worth considering if you have the option.

Wait! If you can't do gas, how about an induction cooktop? They are a bit expensive and may require the purchase of new cookware, but they are more responsive than coil. I've even seen people using a cloth between the cooktop and their pot to keep from scratching the glass.

jasdip....I have a 6 burner Wolf. :0) It came with the "honking" kitchen. It's 28 years old and being commercal grade there are very few parts, pretty much nothing to break down.

All the posts I've done about baking bread....making home made pizza, lasagna, dim sum, empanadas, etc....I cook a LOT!

I'm sure there are a LOT of people that own Wolf cook tops tho...

It doesn't sound like Katlan wants to go in that direction...

Price is definitely a consideration. $1000 for the jenn air was a lot to me.

It's just the two of us and I am certainly not a chef. I just cook regular, everyday stuff. Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner, etc.

I have a smooth top now, about 25 years old, at least. but it's not ceramic or glass like what's available now. It's 4 separate square, porous ceramic tiles, from Montgomery Wards, was here when we moved in 22 years ago.

I HATE it. Takes forever to heat up, and cool down, and is a b!tch to clean.

I appreciate all opionions and comments. I'll let you know what we end up with! Although, it could take freakin' forever for me to decide, I don't want to mess up.

I love my glass/whatever topped stove. I rarely use anything except a wet cloth. I wipe it after every use, if that doesn't work I use soda and if it is a burn on, I use the special cleaner. I wouldn't go back to a stove where stuff falls down inside, to much hard cleaning.

I found some of the sealed cast iron jenn air modules on ebay some brand new they are called Euro style. It was as close to cooking with gas as I ever got on electric. There is a huge difference in my opinion to cooking with gas over electric.I am currently cooking with electric, we have gas in the house but not to the stove location. It is one of the definite things we will change when we do the kitchen redo.

this is what they look like
Jenn-Air

SOLID ELEMENT CARTRIDGE

My friend had that solid element . LOVED it, but I could not find one around here at all. Now that I think
about it, I wouldn't want the coil back, simply for the
cleaning!

goodluck Katlan! lol

I had the solid element burners for years. Mine was a GE downdraft cooktop with the grill, and the modular units. Very similar to the Jenn-Air. I had two solid element burner modules, each with a large and a small burner. I hated them. They took a long time to heat up, so forget boiling water for a quick pasta dinner - it'll take twenty or more minutes, but they were great for simmering something for hours.

The worst problem was they were impossible to keep clean - any slight spill would bake on around the base of the burner, instantly if cooking on anything other than low heat. There was no place for the spill to go, and the burner heated up the surrounding surface, so every spill on the hot cooktop surface became a huge mess to clean. And once they get that black ring of crud around the base of the burner, you have to disassemble the whole unit to get it clean again. I did that twice a year for twenty years, and was so happy to ditch the damned thing - even though it was what I thought I wanted when we built this house.

Get the coils. You already like them.

We were faced with the same dilemma last fall when we replaced our range at our vacation house. We went back and forth for weeks and finally decided that the reason we couldn't make up our minds was because we didn't like either option -- we really wanted gas, which is what we have here. So we bit the bullet and ran gas (turns out it was an easy run). I'm so pleased we did! But if that had not been an option, we would have gone with some type of smooth top for the reasons others have stated. Those Euro modules sound interesting -- I hadn't heard of that before.

I had gas in my first home, the next place had electric and didn't like it at first but now I would never go back to gas. With electric stoves my cabinets don't get sticky with residue.

Hi EmmaR,

Nuthin' stuck-up about you, it seems.

Also katlan,

When it comes to best stoves ... I don't know nuthin' about nuthin'.

My question sort of relates to wondering whether the new ones compare to the short-life fridges ... how quite a few of the ones made 50 years worked well for 40 years ...

... but many of the ones built in recent years last for about 10 years.

And when I've told this story to many, in recent months, at about that point quite a few have chimed in to add, almost always, "If you're lucky!"!

It seems that our concerns for quality ... and longevity ... have sort of gone up in smoke.

o j

I love to cook and have never had any problems cooking with electricity, it is what I grew up with and what I know. I have cooked with gas but still prefer electric. I didn't mind having coil burners either but hated the clean up which is why I really like the ceramic top now. What is essential to me though in a range is the self cleaning feature. I do a lot of high heat cooking so the mess is much easier to clean up.

Good luck with your purchase whatever you choose.