Best Cooktop Buying Guide – Consumer Reports

Size
Most cooktops are 30 or 36 inches wide, so we test models in these sizes. But they can be as small as 21 inches and as large as 48 inches, too. Many have five or six burners, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have room to use them all at once. Generally, most 30-inch cooktops have four or five burners, and most 36-inch cooktops have five or six. 

Fuel
For cooktops, both electric and gas are capable of delivering decent performance. But with gas, you may find it easier to judge heat by appearance of the gas flame. And when you turn the knob from high to medium on a gas model, the pot and the food in it experience that change in temperature almost immediately.

Electric elements tend to heat faster and maintain low heat better than gas burners. But burners need time to react, so pots and pans take longer to adjust to changes in temperature.

Induction cooktops use the same hookup as a regular electric model, but they use an electromagnetic field to directly heat pans, offering quick response and control. In our tests, induction tends to be the fastest to heat water and the best at maintaining a steady simmer. But you’ll need magnetic cookware for the induction elements to work. 

If you qualify, the Inflation Reduction Act might save you some money on an electric cooktop, including an induction model. Eligibility for rebates depends on how much you earn and where you live.