When choosing your dream home, you want your kitchen, the heart of the home, to match. One of the most important elements of a well-functioning kitchen is the cooktop, whether you’re serving up regular dinner parties or just boiling the occasional egg.
In the past, cooktop options have been relatively limited in terms of energy source, aesthetic, and functionality. Now, with the increased accessibility of induction cooktops and significant improvements to gas and electric cooktops, there are endless possibilities for your new kitchen.
To help you choose the right cooktop for your new home, Icon Homes has compiled a list of the most common cooktops in Australia. To better understand each type of cooktop, get in touch with our expert team today.
The different kinds of cooktop options
In today’s market, there are three main cooktops available; electric, gas, and induction. This means there are plenty of options for choosing the cooktop that best fits your home and your lifestyle.
Induction
Induction stovetops have increased in popularity in recent years. Creating heat in the cooking utensil rather than the burners, inductions allow for fast and even heating while also being more energy-efficient.
The flat, smooth cooktops of induction cooktops are easier to clean, safer than standard cooktops and provide a great aesthetic for contemporary kitchens. Inductions only work with specific cookware, which means they may not be compatible with certain types of cookware, such as non-magnetic stainless steel.
Gas
With their fast response time and ease of control, gas cooktops remain a favourite with many serious cooks.
Unlike induction cooktops, gas stoves are directly connected to your house’s main gas supply, using an electric ignition system to generate a spark and light gas. This produces a blue flame, giving home chefs an instant understanding of heat levels. While gas stovetops provide various options regarding the number and configuration of burners, the cast iron rivets and knobs can be difficult to keep clean.
Electric
Electric cooktops are traditionally the most affordable cooktop option available, although functionality and price can vary. Easy to use, electric cooktops utilise metal coils under a ceramic surface which are heated by electricity. The smooth surface is not only aesthetically pleasing but is quick and easy to wipe clean and cook evenly.
On the downside, the glass-ceramic top can scratch and even crack when used with stoneware, glass or cast iron cookware. Electric stovetops don’t provide the level of instant control gas and can often be slower to heat.
Which cooktop is best for your home?
With variances in style, usability and cost across all three cooktop options, there are many important things to consider during your kitchen design process and selecting your perfect cooktop.
- Cooking style
A great place to start on your hunt for the perfect stove top is to consider your cooking style. Think about how many burners you regularly use and what you tend to use them for. If you cook Asian food frequently, you’ll need high temperatures and can explore adding a wok burner. Other forms of cooking might require gentle simmering or melting, or particularly large pans and saucepans, in which case you’ll want to consider heat control options and flexible burner sizes. Induction cooktops provide beautifully even cooking surfaces and allow you to increase or decrease heat very quickly, while the open flame of a gas cooktop generates heat immediately and gives you easy visual cues to adjust the temperature accordingly. Electric cooktops on the other hand, can be slower to heat and don’t respond to temperature changes as instantaneously as gas.
- Size
Most standard cooktops come with four burners which for many home chefs is plenty. However, if you often find yourself cooking multiple things at once and your kitchenware is fighting for space on your stovetop, you might want to consider adding extra burners. Not only does this allow your utensils to heat efficiently and easily, but it also allows for a more relaxing – and safer – cooking experience for you. Of course, the size of your kitchen needs to be considered here. Choosing six burners is no point when your kitchen only has room for four! You’ll find yourself encroaching on potentially limited bench space and risk creating a cramped and uncomfortable cooking space.
- Aesthetic
You’ve put your heart and soul into designing your dream kitchen, and your cooktop is an important part of the aesthetic. Induction and electric cooktops are often sleeker and more minimal in style, suit contemporary homes and work well in smaller kitchens where space is at a premium and where too many details look cluttered. On the other hand, the extra detailing inherent in gas cookers – knobs and iron rivets – often suit a more traditional aesthetic, such as a country house or Hampton-style kitchen.
- Safety
Regardless of who uses your kitchen, cooktop safety is paramount. Induction cooktops are often heralded as the safest option, given they stay cooler during cooking, are only functional when a cooking vessel is touching the surface, and cool down quickly. Electric cooktops using a ceramic surface can often hold heat for some time even after switching off. If choosing this option, make sure it comes with residual heat warning lights.
- Ease of cleaning
After an evening sweating over your stove, the last thing you want is to spend hours cleaning. Inductions and electric stovetops are excellent in this sense. The smooth, flat surface makes it quick and easy to wipe down any muck. Gas stoves can be tricker, with rivets and knobs acting as the perfect trap for grime or old food. To clean properly, you’ll need to remove the iron rivets and wash them often, which can be time-consuming.
- Cost
There’s a lot to consider when weighing up the cost of a cooktop, with prices varying across all three options. Obviously, the bigger the cooktop, the bigger the price tag, while add-ons and extra functionally will also add cost. It can be helpful to consider the long-term cost efficiency of your purchase, in particular energy costs. The most energy-efficient option, induction cooktops, may require a larger initial outlay but will likely save you money in the long run. Electric cooktops are often more cost-effective to purchase upfront but will cost you more to run than a gas cooktop. Perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to cost is durability – it’s always safest to go with the best quality option you can afford to reduce the risk of broken parts or necessary replacements down the track.
Every cooktop option has its benefits and drawbacks, all that’s left is to decide which style suits your lifestyle best. Icon Homes has a wide variety of kitchen and home styles to choose from, and each home is entirely customisable, so you can get the kitchen (and cooktop) of your dreams. Speak to one of our expert team members to find out how we can help you find the perfect home design for your family.
