[Brook]

My old electric stove just developed major problems, so I have been looking for a replacement. Most of the new electric stoves that fit my specifications --- self cleaning oven, convection oven -- have smoothtop surfaces, which make me a little nervous. There are more choices among gas stoves and dual fuel models. But my hood depends on charcoal filters and does not vent air to the outside. If I don't want to remodel my hitchen right away by installing a new hood with ducts going outside, do you think it would be safe to use a nonprofessional gas stove with my current hood?

What do people think of the smoothtop electric stoves? How well do they work in terms of heat production? Do they require alot of extra care to use, clean and maintain?

I was looking at Bosch stoves on the net. What do you think about that brand?

Thanks.

[Butt3r_Chick3n]

I hate smooth top stoves, they never seemed to heat fast enough. :S

Personally I prefer a gas stove though.

[Mezzaluna]

I'm sure there'll be many posts here, but you might find some interesting, earlier discussions on this topic by using our search button. Of course, some of the older posts might be outdated, but this topic comes up on a regular basis. I'll be doing some digging in the coming year myself and will probably post some questions myself.

[Steve A]

I have a gas stove with NO hood. (I also have an electric, but that's another story.) I use the gas all the time. Don't sweat it.

Ciao,

[Brook]

Wow, Steve A, that's really reassuring! Thanks -- you have helped me immeasurably.

[MikeLM]

Brook-
We went for a fairly expensive smooth-top electric cook-top when we completely redid our kitchen. We couldn't have gas (condo rules) so we splurged on a GE Profile unit.

Neither of us really like it, though we don't plan to replace it. We don't want to replace our granite counter to fit something else.

Even after two years' practice we aren't sure what kind of temperature we're getting at any particular moment. It's slow to heat up and slow to cool off. I spent about $60 for an infra-red no-contact thermometer, but haven't found it helps that much.

As if that weren't enough, it's a b***h to keep clean. And you HAVE to keep it clean. Splatters and spills tend to bake onto the hot surface. You have to have a special plastic abrasive pad and a special abrasive solution to keep it clean. If that's not strong enough, you have to use a razor-blade scraper to take off stubborn glots of baked-on stuff.

My wife says that's my new hobby in retirement- keeping the cooktop clean. I guess so, but I miss my woodworking shop; this isn't a great substitute.

Even worse, according to the cooktop manual, is spilling sugar on the hot cooktop- apparently it vulcanizes itself onto the glass and can hardly be removed.

We keep consoling ourselves- our cooktop looks REALLY cool!

When it's clean, that is.

Mike

[MikeLM]

Brook-
We went for a fairly expensive smooth-top electric cook-top when we completely redid our kitchen. We couldn't have gas (condo rules) so we splurged on a GE Profile unit.

Neither of us really like it, though we don't plan to replace it. We don't want to replace our granite counter to fit something else.

Even after two years' practice we aren't sure what kind of temperature we're getting at any particular moment. It's slow to heat up and slow to cool off. I spent about $60 for an infra-red no-contact thermometer, but haven't found it helps that much.

As if that weren't enough, it's a b***h to keep clean. And you HAVE to keep it clean. Splatters and spills tend to bake onto the hot surface. You have to have a special plastic abrasive pad and a special abrasive solution to keep it clean. If that's not strong enough, you have to use a razor-blade scraper to take off stubborn glots of baked-on stuff.

My wife says that's my new hobby in retirement- keeping the cooktop clean. I guess so, but I miss my woodworking shop; this isn't a great substitute.

Even worse, according to the cooktop manual, is spilling sugar on the hot cooktop- apparently it vulcanizes itself onto the glass and can hardly be removed.

We keep consoling ourselves- our cooktop looks REALLY cool! Black glass, no knobs at all, on a black granite counter.

Looks cool when it's clean, that is.

Mike

[onlinekitchen]

Brook, keep in mind that there are two types of smooth top electric that you can get, infra-red or induction. They make induction ranges for the home and from what I have heard the induction range are pretty nice. You would need induction ready cookware with the heavy bottom in order for it to work like it is supposed to though. On the other hand there is nothing wrong with using a gas range with a charcoal filter hood. No need to exhaust the air out, not enough BTU's to worry about.

[Brook]

How many BTUs is too much for a charcoal hood? What brands of dual fuel ranges do you like? I thought I have one all picked out -- a Kenmore self cleaning convection oven, 40" stovetop -- but learned on epinions that Kenmores are wicked to keep clean. Plus they recommend a special cream which is messy to use!

I like to stir fry and the instructions with one stove said that you can only use a flat bottom wok with the stove.

All input is welcome!