best electric cooking range

9 years ago

Which is the best electric cooking range? I am not by any means a professional but I am fed up with hot spots on my pans and inaccurate oven heat. I don't wish to sound like Rockefeller but my choice will no be defined by price alone.

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foodonastump

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I don't think you'll find much enthusiasm and discussion around non-induction electric, so something like CR may be your best bet. My own experience, for a decade or so I had a Frigidaire ceramic cooktop that boiled water like nobody's business and went low enough to where I could place my hand on it for several seconds. Yes, the response time was characteristically slow but I learned to live with it and didn't understand why people were so passionately anti-electric. Then came the kitchen remodel and I bought a Bosch range, and I'm not happy with its cooktop at all. Starting with the cosmetics - within weeks I had permanent marks that took me years to earn on the Frigidaire. But more importantly, the darned thing can't simmer unless it's a big old pot of something. A small pot of rice for two or three of us, forget it. That's a juggling act between power on and off, and sliding pot on and off the burner. And while the large burner on paper is higher powered than my old one, that's only with all three rings on, which means that a normal say 8 quart tall stock pot of water which covers only two rings, takes forever and a day to boil. That said, the large burner is nice for a 14" pan, but something to consider when looking at power ratings. I'd put it on the curb and buy induction if I wasn't hoping to sell the house in the not too distant future.

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Comments (11)

User
9 years ago
My son switched from an electric range to an induction range, and he's very pleased.

I think if I had to suffer with only electricity for cooking, I'd get induction, too.
nancyofnc
9 years ago
I love my electric Maytag Gemini double oven range with glass cook top. Gemini double oven range

It has a variable burner, two small one large burner and a keep warm burner. The top oven is perfect for pizza, casserole, broiling steak, the oversized bottom oven has three racks and the lowest one glides out. It is also a convection oven.

My DS loves his Electrolux induction range (the inside is royal blue!) but he also has a double wall oven and all the racks glide out. Electrolux inducion range

Lots of choices out there.
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We just got the GE 30" slide-in with the induction cooktop and convection oven. It is flat-out amazing to cook on compared to our old KA flattop electric. Superfast responsiveness, wider range of heat than electric or gas, HUGE oven, plus a warming drawer. Not to mention being able to place paper towels under the pan while you cook, to catch spills and spatters. I would never go back to electric or gas after using this.
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Ranges come in 24-inch, 30-inch (actually 29 & 7/8, 56 and so on. So, if the existing stove looks like a 30 inch, the a standard 30 inch will fit. If you have any questions, get the model numbers of your candidates for replacement and look for someplace to download the installation You want to make sure that the 240v instructions. is in the proper area. All that being said, I suspect that finding a radiant smoothtop is going to be difficult when you arelooking for a price at or below $500. That you don't want to go scratch-n-dent (ding-n-bing) cna further complicate thigs Everybody I know who bought an "inexpensive" smoothtop jad t spend a couple hundred above your budget for a smoothtop that was not dog slow and had an oven that heated Can this wait until the next bg holiday sale (Columbs day?) Otherwise, I would be inclied to look at coil burner models. Plain, simpe, durable, mare technology.relatively evenly. Also seem to have beeter (more even) ovens tan smoothop competitors. Frankly, I have no idea why coil burner stove seem to have beet ovens in the lower end of the price scale but, somehow, they do. In that price range, I would be inclined to look for a coil burner unit. Plain, simple and (mostly) durable.It's mature technology. I would look at Hotpoint (a GE brand). For a about $550 you can get a Kenmore 90313 coil burner stove with convection oven. For about $450 you can get a Hotpoint which used to be Consumer Report's highest rated coil burner. (It will be more if you want it stainless.)
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Mid- to high-quality tri-ply pans would be my choice. The AllClad pans that I have work well on my radiant smoothtop, but so do other brands of tri-ply such as Cuisinart, even a no-brand pan from TJ Maxx and an old Revere pan that I paid much less for. The key thing is that you need pans where the bottoms will stay perfectly flat, and you shouldn't use cast iron. "Tri-ply" means aluminum sandwiched between stainless steel on both the inside and the outside.
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PRO
Lars/J. Robert Scott
9 years ago
From what I can tell, induction cook tops do not age that well, as they can get scratches and ugly marks on them. They may look great when they are new, but I'm not sure how long they look like that. If you plan to go that route, be sure to look at some that are several years old. Some brands may age better than others. Some have white circles and lines on top that can wear off.
plllog
9 years ago
Quality or lack thereof exist on all types of products.

I love my induction (cooktop only, not a range), but it's not for everybody. You have to have the right pans with the right shapes to get the most out of it, and many induction ranges have limits to the cooktop power so that they can combine the cooktop and oven. There are some issues there.

I don't like radiant under glass. I far prefer cooking on an old fashioned coil. The good news there is that while the ranges may not look stylish, they're old designs that have stood the test of time, so are the best tested in terms of longevity.

If you want more specific information, check out the Appliances forum.
PRO
Lars/J. Robert Scott
9 years ago
For looks, I like the Electrolux, but I don't know anything else about it!
writersblock (9b/10a)
9 years ago
I don't like radiant under glass. I far prefer cooking on an old fashioned coil. The good news there is that while the ranges may not look stylish, they're old designs that have stood the test of time, so are the best tested in terms of longevity.

All very true, but the problem is that coil ranges now are almost entirely geared to the lowest bottom end, so the quality of the range itself is generally horrible--sides you can dent by pushing with your hand, for example.

A used coil range might be a possibility, but there's a time limit on parts availability for those, too. I currently have a 1979 GE mystery range which needs replacement coils, but no appliance parts dealer I have contacted can find the correct part sheet or parts that fit. I've ordered and returned five sets of coils in the past six months.
Lars
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Garland makes a high end electric coil range.
cynic
9 years ago
What's best for me may not be best for you and vice versa. Inaccurate oven temp is possible in any oven so you still need to check with a thermometer. I went back to a coil top and yes it's a cheaper one but it's well insulated and works fine for me. Just because something is cheaper does not mean it's bad and just because something is more expensive or carries a foo-foo name does not make it good. Models and specifications change ongoing so if someone has a 10-year-old unit that they like, you probably will not be able to get the same unit today. Plus what's sold in one area of the country is probably not going to be the same as elsewhere. If you buy from a big box, you most likely won't get the same model/specs from another big box. There are advantages and disadvantages to gas, electric and induction so you have to make your choices and make your compromises. I have electric at home and gas at the cabin. I recently bought an induction unit to try out and see if I like it. My intention was for it to be a slow cooker with the cast iron brasier pan.
writersblock (9b/10a)
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Just because something is cheaper does not mean it's bad

Not at all, but I sure haven't seen recent any coil ranges that don't shout "We know the tenants will destroy it, so why bother." If you've found a decent one I'd love to know what it is.
PRO
Lars/J. Robert Scott
9 years ago
You can find a selection of electric ranges at Central Restaurant Products. I've had a very difficult time finding reviews for electric ranges, however.

best electric cooking range

foodonastump

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nancyofnc

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