How to buy cooktops?

Thanks to the number of players in the cook top market, choosing the right one has become quite a complicated task. The following tips however will make it easier for you to pick a cooktop most suited to your needs.

The three main types of cooktops available in the market are-

·         Electric

·         Gas

·         Induction

Before you make a choice between the three you must first understand the features and pros and cons of each one.

The electric models are generally the cheap and cost effective. The problem however, is that they cook slowly as they take a long time to heat up and cool down. If you chose the electric model, you’ll have to make a choice between the ceramic and the coiled version. While a ceramic cooktop would be easier to clean than a coiled one, the latter cooks faster and give a better overall performance

Gas cooktops cook faster and better. They can start heating at a moment’s notice and cool down moments after the gas is turned off. Moreover they also have the ability to cook evenly

Induction cooktops combine the advantages of both the gas and electric models and have added benefits of their own. Induction cooktops use magnetic energy to cook food; they cook fast and what’s more the cooking surface never gets hot. They are the most energy and time efficient cooktops available in the market. The downside, however, is that they are quite expensive and only work with special cookware, which means that if you buy an induction cooktop you will also have to invest in new cookware.

Once you have decided on the kind of cooktop you want to buy, consider additional features like the number of burners (the  more the better if you play host frequently),  the kind of knobs (stainless steel knobs are the best) and freebees (such as cookware, recipe books etc) if any.