36" Gas range with easy to clean cooktop

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I'm involved in the design phase of my daughter's home renovation and to ease some of the work, I'm in charge of researching new appliances.

I remodelled my kitchen 15 years ago and purchased high end appliances and never felt they were so wonderful except for my Sub Zero.

As mentioned above my first item is the range. DSIL loves to cook and is excellent at it too.

DD is a clean fanatic.

After doing a search I came up empty with finding a range with a cooktop that is easy to clean.

Does Consumer Reports tackle this feature for the cooktop as well as the oven?

Any suggestions as to which brand is easy to clean? I'm not sure they are interested in an induction range but they seem to be easier to clean.

One more question, it seems to me the reliability of the costly appliances is lacking in one way or another at least from the reviews I've been reading. Should they opt for extra warranty for the more costly appliances?

MrsTi

Featured Answer

oasisowner

6 years ago

Ask them about induction, by far the easiest to clean. If they want to stick with gas, burner grates should definitely be non-stick. Not sure, but I have heard that closed burners are easier to clean than open burners.

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Comments (7)

stevep2005
6 years ago
Really, if "clean fanatic" has easy-to-clean as the #1 priority, then induction is the best choice. Done. The next step is to research for a local appliance dealer with a great service reputation - because appliances at every price point can run into problems so the ease of getting them addressed will directly impact your satisfaction with whatever you choose. Finally, induction is in many ways a tech product, so get out there and use them before you buy. You may, for example, find you don't like push button controls and steer towards a range with traditional knobs - better to find these preferances out before you purchase.
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I have a Gaggenau gas cooktop and a Wolf induction cooktop in two different homes. I would have done gas in both homes, but only electric was possible in the second home. While the induction cooktop is miles ahead of standard electric cooktops, I still prefer gas. I like the visual cue that one gets from seeing the size of the flame. I have the Gaggenau model KG-291, a 36" five-burner model. It's definitely at the high end of the price spectrum, but it's a dream to use, and it cleans up beautifully and easily. Everyday cleaning is accomplished by lifting off the grates and spritzing with Windex or Formula 409 and a quick wipe with a sponge. It takes less than a minute. A more thorough cleaning (about once a week) involves lifting off the burner assemblies and scrubbing more thoroughly, usually taking 10 to 15 minutes. There are no crevices, gaps or crannies for crud to accumulate. The burner assemblies are sold brass, and darken over time, but they still look good, although not that nice brassy yellow color they have when new. My cooktop is almost 5 years old and still looks like new. It cooks like a dream with the same low simmer temperature available on all four of the main burners, regardless of whether it's a large or small burner (2 of each). The center burner is much larger, and can't be lowered to quite as low a temperature, which isn't a problem. The only real drawback to this cooktop is price. It has gotten significantly more expensive than it was when I bought mine, but I still think it's worth the price. I'd buy it again if I were outfitting a new kitchen. Here is a link that might be useful: Gaggenau KG-291
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Ok a Big Oops this should be 36" and 36" or I will have a really big kitchen sorry for the mistake thought I had corrected it but somehow it didn't post correctly.
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We have a self-cleaning Electrolux all gas slide-in range in our lower level kitchen. I have been cooking on it daily for the past six months while our main kitchen is being renovated. It has a stainless top with black iron grates, and is super easy to keep clean. The burners have decent power and I love the gas oven. It bakes beautifully. We had a Thermador stainless gas cooktop in our main kitchen for 21 years. The burner grates and caps were bright black porcelain, and it was a bear to keep them looking clean and shiny.
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Babs, I share your frustration! I have a Maytag Gemini and use both ovens frequently and also love having the option of using a smaller oven to save energy. I am also planning on a 36" induction cooktop but am having trouble figuring out how to fit double ovens in my smallish kitchen. I wish there was a reasonably priced 36" induction range. (I'm currently drooling over that 36" Diva, but when it says to call for pricing I know that means it's out of my price range.) Here are some of the options I've come up with; maybe one of them will help you. (BTW, I have no idea which one I'm going to use, but I don't think we'll be doing our reno for a couple of years due to finances.) 1) Put in 1 standard built-in oven either under the cooktop or on refrig wall. For second oven, use Breville oven. Problem with this is the Breville can't be built-in and I really don't want it on the counter (I would get the bigger one). If this could be built-in below a counter, I think this would be the perfect economical option. 2) Second oven would be a speed oven of some sort (Electrolux, Miele, Advantium, etc.). This is a significantly more expensive option than #1, but it would be built-in which is a plus. In order to do this one, I would have to move the doorway to my dining room so I could take advantage of about 2 more feet of wall space. If you put your main oven below your cooktop, maybe you could fit a speed oven under the counter somewhere else in your kitchen. #3. Sharp SuperSteam Oven. It can be on counter or built-in. It's a steam, convection, and MW. I was thinking I could put this on a shelf over my counter. I think there may be 36" Induction ranges available in a few years, but that doesn't help anyone doing their reno now. It's hard to work 2 ovens into a small kitchen, but it can be done. It suddenly occurred to me about a month ago that if I moved the doorway to my dining room, I'd get rid of a blind corner and gain about 2 feet of wall space which might, just might, give me enough space to fit stacked double ovens. Good luck, and I hope I've helped!
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mrsti
Original Author
6 years ago
Trying the induction is xcellent advice that I hadn't thought of.

I didn't know they made non-stick grates.

Much appreciate your comments.
Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real
6 years ago
Another vote for induction- excellent control- as good or better than gas (but you must get induction with enough settings) and easy of cleaning- love it.
Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real
6 years ago
PS With induction, if you have a hard time finding a 36" range, consider the 36" cooktop and a wall oven undermounted in the counter. Bosch makes great induction hobs and is middle of the road in prices. I think Kitchen Aid is good as well.
PRO
Four Brothers Appliances
6 years ago
Definitely induction is by far the easiest clean. An induction cooktop with the wall oven, like mentioned above, will probably be the best choice. Also go with the electronic controls as opposed to the knobs for ease of cleaning and nicer look. If your daughter is not a fan of the cooktop/wall oven combo, definitely go with the "standalone" range.

PS From my experience, GE/Kitchenaid/Frigidaire are the best bang for your buck cooktops out there.
M
6 years ago
If ease of cleaning is the primary concern, then there honestly isn't even a question. Induction wins every time.

If other factors are also in play, then gas might still be possible. I personally find, my Bluestar RNB with open burners is about as easy to clean as it gets. Most days, just a quick wipe with a damp rag across the grates, and then clean the stainless front with a kitchen towel. Every couple of months, I clean the drip tray.

The cast iron grates develop a natural patina that is naturally easy to keep clean. But they'll never look factory new after first use. So, it depends on whether that bothers you

36" Gas range with easy to clean cooktop

oasisowner

Comments (7)

stevep2005

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36" Gas range with easy to clean cooktop

oasisowner

Comments (7)

stevep2005

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mrstiOriginal Author

Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real

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