Induction. ;)

Induction. The config of the burners on the 36" wolf is pretty nice

I went with the 36" Wolf induction too. (oven is Bluestar french door).

I have the same question as the OP. (Though I don't require propane.) I am hoping for a sealed-burner setup.

I had settled on Induction myself, solving this problem, until I realized that the induction cooktops produce rather a strong electro-magnetic field, and I would not like to spend hours every week up against a powerful magnet. I am very sorry to let go of this dream of smoothtop, gas-free happiness, but here I am.

All of the higher end cooktops/ranges seem to have elegant-looking grates that give you maybe four little points to hold up your pot, and the burner rings are so big that the flame is going to go straight up the sides of my littler pots. The best-looking grate arrangements (IMO) are - intriguingly - found on the least expensive units I have seen (Whirlpool, GE).

In a recent search, I did find the Fulgor Milano look promising, with seemingly plenty of support for small pots and ALL burners having dual rings (they all go from simmer to 18,000BTUs, apparently). I am not finding much in the way of reviews, yet, though.

The Dacor Modernist gas cooktop looks like it might work, too, though it is hard to tell from photos if those grate points would really support a small pot. It does have one dual burner in the front.

I'm trying to find photos of the Thermadore Professional series gas rangetop--it LOOKS (from the front) like it might have good grate support (?). The star burners could be a plus with the small pot. I have read complaints about cleaning difficulty of the star burner, but I'm not sure that is enough to put me off if the rest of it works.

If anyone has input, it would be welcome!

Induction is not a problem for anyone outside of a few very pacemaker patients whose old models should be replaced before long. You need to educate yourself more. And not on the fringe wacko sites.

If you are worried about induction, you should also worry about the electrical wiring in your house. Humans are just not very magnetic.

Thank you, Sophie. Many people consider me somewhat fringe-y for my concerns over what we blast/bathe ourselves with and what we consume, as a nation, and the potential impact on our health.

From what information I have been able to gather, the strength of the EMF field at the distance which I would be using the appliance, and for the duration of my expected exposure (I cook a LOT), is too high for my comfort. I have not been able to find any information on differences in EMF strength between models. I looked hard for such information, because I really was in love with the idea of induction.

Induction cooktops should have no more EMF than an electric cooktops, which have been in use for years. They might have less because cooking time is shorter.

I agree, Jerry. I am interested in ways to reduce unnecessary EMFs in my new home build. I will limit the use of dimmers, for example. I already to do not own a microwave, very rarely use a hairdryer, and try not to hang out in grocery stores or at gas stations. Our local electric utility is determined to lay a 345k volt transmission line in the street within 10-20 feet of my present home. We are moving.

But back to GAS cooking, please! I have it now, and have always been happy with it.

You should be FAR more concerned with the poor indoor air quality produced by cooking on gas. You’d be eating nothing but raw food if you read all of the studies out there that show how bad any kind of cooking effluent is. With gas being much worse than electric.

You don’t get out of life alive. Being excessively fearful of non dangerous things only makes for a miserable quality of life for the short time that you do have.

Thank you everyone for your input. For Casey B. - I ended going with the Thermador 36" with extra low burners. I love the configuration of the 5 burners, the ability to use my small pots and simmer. The highest is not too powerful (lost 3,000 BTUs in the LP conversion), but better than what I had. It does click on and off, but the cooking is worth the trade off. It has been easy to keep clean, though I am getting a very tiny bit of baked on residue on the inside corners of the burners. Not a problem and not very obvious. I love how the burner caps overhang a bit and protect the jets. I love this cooktop!

Sophie, I was just recently reading about the "dangers of gas" on indoor air quality. I think because it has been around for so long, we don't think to question it in the same way as we did with microwaves and now do with induction (even though induction isn't really new).

I would be much more concerned about the hazards of gas and how it is more likely to cause problems such as cancer, than I would be with induction. Do some reading on the dangers of gas. It's much worse than using electricity.

cpartist, I did love the idea of induction also, particularly, for the fact that it would eliminate the combustion of gas in my house. With gas, I will need a more powerful hood than with induction, and may set it up to automatically turn on (my husband is not awesome about turning on the hood).

Jerry, the high EMFs are a product of the way that induction works. Standard electric stoves would presumably produce some measurable EMFs, but not the equivalent.

sjbphb20, thank you so much for your post! I will definitely check out the Thermador in a showroom. I take it you are satisfied with the support the grates offer for your small pans (they are not 'tippy')? Are the extra low burners standard on that unit, or something you were able to choose? Finally, is the clicking just when you ignite, or during cooking? (My Dacor sometimes will click incessantly when one of the burner rings is not lined up properly.)

There is also the danger of earthquakes and ground water contamination with gas (from fracking). You can only stop this by voting with your dollars as the politicians are in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry.

Yes, Jerry. Thank you. I also sign petitions and donate money to try to stop this sort of thing, and I get the irony. Electricity is a very dirty form of energy too, the way most of ours is made. It's just that most of us don't see it.

But electricity gets cleaner as the grid gets cleaner and/or people put up solar panels and you can opt for wind or solar power in many areas--even mine. Gas can't ever be changed, so anything I can do to not use gas, I do.

I respect that.

caseyb - My pots and pans are stable on the Thermador burners. Not all models have the extra low feature. Of the 5 burners, only 1 of the smallest and the largest have that feature. The go below the normal range by click off and on to maintain a simmer. The range for that is variable. There is noise that I wish wasn't there, but I can't beat the function. As for the air quality issue, my house is old, drafty, and has very high ceilings and large rooms. I understand the environmental issues of gas, but for me it was the best choice for the cooking I do.

Thanks so much, sjbphb20!