How big is the gap? I have never seen or heard of this being caulked. I guess from my own experience people just clean it periodically and try not to prep that close to the edge and or be careful on the stove top. Never really put much thought into it however.

I pull my stove out once a year to clean under it and around it. My friend's mom used to fold up a paper towel and shove it slightly below the gap between her stove and countertop.

It's about 1/8". I have seen it mentioned here but only briefly.

Oh! There are quite a few covers on Amazon. Thanks gracie! (and hello from Oak Park)

ETA: hmm, they seem to be for free-standing ranges. This will take some investigating.

I've seen other GWers recommend this stainless steel gap-filler: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HM1XGC1/?coliid=I5VWSG97XGHJJ&colid=2ENCOBV9FELLW&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

If you decide to get it, please post your feedback! I'm on the fence about whether such a thing is worth it.

A rangetop should have a flange that rests on the counter. There really shouldn’t be any gap. Can you post some pictures?

TCK is right - it has a flange that rests on the counter. Well, it almost rests. There is about 1/8" in between the flange and the counter. It also looks like there is something in there like foam? I will look again and post some pictures. At the moment, I am thinking about just getting a narrow silicone cord/cable to wedge in there.

I have the above Amazon gap filler, I didn’t have a huge gap but I wanted more to protect the counters. Either way it worked out great in my opinion.

I appreciate all the suggestions but I wasn't clear in my OP - I have a slide-in range so none of those will work. I wish they would - there are some great options available.

I will post a pic in a bit. I'll also edit my OP if it's not too late.

Going to try adding pix from my phone. If it doesn't work, I will do from computer tomorrow. And it turns out there *is* some foam stuff in there. I am really curious about that now. I imagine it stops crumbs, but it also probably absorbs liquids. I will take a look at the manual too (Frigidaire).

Close-up

For reference

The picture makes it look like the foam goes right up to the edge, but it doesn't. It's set back.

Wipe the flange/top with acetone. Push a small bead of clear silicone into the gap. Spray the bead with Windex. Spit on your finger and tool the silicone to smooth. Remove any excess. Wipe the Windex overspray away without touching the fresh bead. Less is more.

No, your appliance repairperson will have no trouble removing the silicone with a credit card.

Pull up your range manufacturers installation specs and measurements. Some do do use a compressed foam gasket, which is to level out any countertop irregularities, or to provide a minute heat separator for some counter types, like Corian. Some want the flange directly on stone.

Check to see which yours specifies. Check to be sure that the counters to either side are level front to back and side to side. Check to see if the rangetop is level too.

That sounds like overkill, I know. But before you seal the rangetop to the counter, you want to be sure that you won’t have to take it out soon and tweak any slight incorrect install. It’s weight should bear on the counters, but the majority of it should be supported from underneath. Which is why the fact that there is a gap needs to be assessed to see if it’s installed correctly.

Yes, I should have done that from the start. But I don't think I will seal it after all. I think I will look for a temporary solution.

Lots of good solutions but I’m wondering why your fabricator couldn’t have gotten a tighter fit without the gap. Or am I misunderstanding the problem...

Slide-in ranges sit on their feet, not on the top flange. There can be a minimal gap, but the feet must bear the weight.

I'd masking tape off around that foam and caulk it in black to match the glass on the range.

Make sure the foam is pushed back / down so it does not try to come through the caulk.

Use a common frosting spatula, tongue depressor, or one of those pampered chef giveaway bowl scrapers to "tool" the caulk.

(I did this along ALL our installed windows and have gotten to expert level). Waxing applicators - smooth hardwood tongue depressor looking things in different sizes - from Amazon provide different radiuses.

Dry tooling this will ensure that the caulk sticks to the other surfaces. If you get moisture on your surface, it won't adhere.

1/8” or less….caulk it with black, brown, white or clear. Mask both edges and finish the bead down just below the surface. Its a common professional technique for new installs. The cover strips are useless.