Most Responsive Modern Electric Cooktop?

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rp2813

rp2813

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My sister is probably going to make an offer on a 1968 house still outfitted with its original GE cook top.  She prefers gas (has cooked with gas exclusively since the early '70s and currently uses a '40s Wedgewood), but there's no gas service to the kitchen.  I don't think it would be a big job to run pipe, but the quickest solution would be another electric cook top that she could tolerate.  Not induction, though.  Having to buy all new cookware is a non-starter.

 

If the '68 GE is worth keeping, I'll need details on how the burners react compared to other candidates new and old-ish so I can make a pitch for it.  I'm not the biggest fan of GE ranges in general, but practicality is my main concern.

 

Otherwise, is there anything out there, new, or she's fine with stuff from the ReStore, that has relatively quick-response burners?

 

Check out this sweeping bay view.  I'd put up with an electric cook top in exchange for that if I had to.

rp2813-2017042201482103662_1.jpg
 
If the plan is to go with gas eventually, I'd stick with the GE. The elements are easily obtained if they need replacement. Personally I don't think one calrod type coil range "burner" heats up much faster than the next one, but maybe someone has studied this.

And while the old GE is meeting minimum requirements, have that gas pipe extended to the kitchen, and then squeeze in that vintage Wedgewood (or a gas cooktop if the kitchen won't fit a stand alone range any more). I had that done in my home (extend the gas to the laundry closet and the previously electric only cooktop peninsula nearby). I think it cost about $600. In 1997.

Baring that, seems like nearly all the modern cooktops are glass topped with hidden elements, which probably don't heat up any faster than the old exposed coil type, just easier to clean. And there seemed to be a fad for infrared lamp burners under glass for a while. Don't know if those are still being made.

Personally if gas is not run to that area, I'd go with induction and bite the bullet in terms of all new cookware. It combines the speed and control of gas with the cleanliness and safety of electric. BTW, just saw that Green Pan has an induction ready set with ceramic non-stick at Costco. Oh, and I've seen hybrid cooktops - with both induction and coil type burners.
 
The old GE

coils, what about old Frigidaire coils?
Today, induction is the fastest and most efficient glass cook top. The glass stays cool, only the vessel and the food gets hot.
 
Cooking with electricity is different than cooking over gas burners, but most people adjust quickly and most don't go back to gas if given the chance. The most important principle in electric cooking is that you don't use high heat under a skillet and you never leave a pan over high heat unattended. Just because you don't have heat blasting you in the face does not mean that heat is not going into the pan and it is heating the pan far faster than you realize at first.

 

In today's marketplace, your sister does not have to give up any of the instant responsiveness of gas and can enjoy all of the clean, cool kitchen advantages of cooking with electricity by getting an induction cooktop. The speed and efficiency are unparalleled since the heat is created INSIDE the base of the pan and does not have to be transferred to the pan from another source. Instead of heat going up the outside of the pan as with a gas burner, it is in the pan itself. With both induction and electric coil-type elements, good cookware with a flat, medium weight base is a must. Take a magnet with you in your change purse to check for magnetic metal in the base of pans when you go shopping.
 
The most responsive modern cooktop after induction is probably halogen. It's responds quicker than a traditional ceramic cooktop, but I don't know if they are available in the US.

BTW, with an induction cooker you don't need to buy all new cookware. You just have to check if the bottoms of the current pots are flat and if a magnet sticks to them. That's all. When I changed to induction I didn't buy a single new pot.
 
 

Is the unit pictured above halogen?  It has ribbon coils like my GE, which is radiant but not halogen.  I think halogen is also a type of radiant but as I understand has light bulbs instead of ribbon coils.  Pic 2 shows a halogen design with four light tubes.

 

What are the various types of electric cooktops?  Traditional coil surface, ceramic surface (opaque?), radiant ("transparent" on heating?), halogen, and induction?

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dadoes-2017042212442708680_2.png
 
Thanks for the replies.  I had a feeling the GE Calrod coil design might be considered the best of its genre.

 

The only halogen cook top I've seen was a late-ish '80s vintage, and it may have been that only one of the burners was actually halogen.  It was of course a smooth top, and the halogen burner was some sort of turbo-boost affair that got hot instantly and looked nothing like the others.

 

I think I could run a gas line if that's what it came down to.  I could likely tap into the line where it serves the furnace.  It would be about a 10 or 12 foot run through the crawlspace over to the cook top area.

 

I think her current vintage Wedgewood with double ovens would be far too big for the space, as the kitchen is on the tiny side, and that particular stove is too old and frumpy looking for the age of the house anyway.  There's also the issue of professional movers basing their fees on weight, and that stove is heavy.  I personally hate that Wedgewood and have been urging my sister to get a more MCM looking one, but if she gets this house, that stove will stay behind at her old place and my sentiments will be, good riddance.
 
Here's a Siemens cooktop with several different burners. The two at the back are the classic burners, at the front left is a newer burner, with a highlight spiral. At the front right is a halogen burner.

I've seen single halogen burners on Youtube, don't know if they are available in the US. Single induction burners are a cheap way to try induction cooking. In combination with a stainless steel induction disk all pots (if they have a flat bottom) can be used.

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Most responsive electric cooktop's

Induction as already mentioned is the clear winner, beyond that any of the thin coil GE and other brand conventional coils are probably more responsive than the glass top stove but only by a slight margin.

The worst ones were the old monotube elements not only did they warp more but they had more mass to heat on cool.

There's really no difference between halogen and Fast start ribbon elements that are in use today for smooth top cooktops that's why halogen disappeared from the market in the United States at least.

I have both halogen and ribbon type elements in my Jenaire cooktop at home and there's no difference and cooking speed with halogen elements they look impressive because they come on almost instantly but they don't make any difference when actually cooking.

In most cases the issue of having proper cookware for induction stoves is not a big issue as pointed out by others what your sister already has may work, if not you can go to IKEA and get high quality cookware to fill the kitchen for just a few hundred dollars this is a small expense compared to the cost of running gas lines in buying a gas cooktop.
 
Chances are, almost all their pans are induction compatible.  Induction has instant response and is faster than gas.  When a zone is set to boost/max, most of the cooktop's available power is sent to that zone and it will be far more powerful than gas and will bring a pan full of water to the boil very quickly.  Extremely easy to clean as nothing can burn on to the glass.  Very little heat given to room.  Safer.  No combustion byproducts. 

 

My parents in the UK are in their 80s and had always had gas.  They would never had entertained an electric cooktop as they had always heard that gas was better.  Then they switched to induction about 5 years ago and absolutely love it and would never go back to gas.  Here in Spain almost all new cooktops are induction.

 

Having said that, I would find it a cool, retro look to stick with the original '68 GE!  Especially in a mid-century modern house or similar.  Gas also has other uses: skinning peppers, cleaning spark plugs!!  Other types of cooktops can spread out the heat better than induction.  Some pans (especially cheap ones) can make a noise on induction.  The portable induction cooktops tend to have noisy cooling fans and the ones sold in the USA are designed to be connected to a 120V 15A outlet which means they are nowhere near as powerful as a built-in model.
 
I'd run the gas line.  I'm a big fan of the new(er) flex lines.  They come in a range of sizes from 3/8 -1", odds are 1/2" would be fine for most modern stoves/cooktops.  The lines come in different lengths, but I think all are more than 10', but very easy to work with, no measuring, cutting, threading, gooping on thread sealant and so on. Not cheap but well worth it considering the work involved.
 
emf fields

emf fields put out by induction cook tops should be looked into before considering one for purchase. Simply google ; emf fields put off by induction cooktops, and search the results. The desire to minimize the amount of emf fields you are exposed to by all electrically operated equipment should be a consideration. Good luck to you. Les.
 
I'm positive that all the information that turns up in that EMF field Google search is 100% accurate and fully supported by science too. Lots of kooks on the internet telling us to fear our smart power meters too...

Induction would get my vote too, once you cook on one even a gas stalwart could be converted. Assuming they can deal with some real heat output.

I've never found response to be a problem with electric stoves, you just have to learn how to cook with what you have. My manual transmission car drives much differently then an automatic too, drive it the same and it may not work well either.
 
I agree with those that have suggested the GE Calrod stove tops. I have been cooking with this type of electric stove for the past 24 plus years and find these burners very flexible and easy to control. Like Phil said, you learn to cook with what you have. When I've cooked on our nieces gas stove to me its impossible to get exact control. If you turn the flame up to get more heat, unless the bottom of the pan contains the flame its hot as hell, and if I turn it down it seems too slow. And to get a really low flame for instance to finish cooking rice, unless you keep an eye on it the flame goes out. The infinite controls on a GE coil top go down to a very low heat and maintain it, and on high the heat is concentrated on the bottom of the pan, where it belongs. Plus, when you get experienced with a good coil top you learn to cook with residual heat too. And electric is much cleaner than gas. Unless you can afford a really top notch gas stove electric is better in my opinion.
Eddie
 
Assuming the conditions you set

Short of halogen, your GE is going to be the most responsive electric system, given your stipulations.

Calrods are still made, there is nothing better.

Pity Induction is out, it's as good as gas.

So - either halogen/ceramic top or keep the GE.
 
Matt, thanks for the info on flex lines. 

 

I agree with some of the arguments for electric and don't care for the way gas = hot handles either.  There is an exhaust hood, so that addresses one complaint about gas. 

 

The last electric stove my sister cooked on was my mom's '49 Westinghouse, so her preference for gas is understandable.  I switched to gas as soon as I was out of my parents' house too.

 

Maybe I'll be able to find a GE cook top of similar vintage in really nice shape that would be acceptable, but at this stage I'm putting the cart before the horse.  Let's see if she even gets the place, as a bidding war is expected even though it needs to have some big ticket work done.  That should at least scare off the flippers and their cash deals.
 
My mother always cooked on solid electric burners, the slowest responding ones. When she moved to an apartment, it came with a gas cooktop. She couldn't get used to the fast changing heat and also felt she had no control over the heat because she had to look at the flame all the time to see how high it was instead of looking at the dial. Funny isn't it, how we get used to what we have.
 
I like old Wedgewoods, but if they are abused or not maintained they can look pretty awful after a while (as can any cooking appliance).

For a while I was collecting old Wedgewoods, and found I could move them relatively easily single handed with an appliance dolly and my pickup truck. The secret is that these things are generally bolted together. The tops are generally easily removed, as are the heavy cast iron parts like grids, burners, griddles, etc. They are also generally bolted together so simple tools are all that are needed to disassemble them further, if necessary. After the heavy stuff if removed, the remaining porcelain coated (or chromed) sheet metal is relatively light. I consider them easier to move than a washer.
 
re: halogen burners

I thought they were available in the USA some years ago, but haven't seen any on display in stores for quite a while. I understand the halogen burners tended to have relatively shorter life spans, which might be another reason for their disappearance.

GE electric ranges and cooktops have gotten top or very good ratings from Consumer Reports for years. It is one appliance that GE appears to have consistently done well. Although I confess I'm not a fan of the pushbutton controls on the back panel. They are impossible to clean and one has to reach over hot pots and pans to reach them. I had one of those ranges in a rental flat in the 80's. I moved to another rental after a few years and it had a cheap Tappan gas range that I liked much better.

Yes, a good cook can get used to electric. But I think there's a very good reason why most restaurants and chefs use gas.
 
For sure Rich -- I don't care how well built it might be -- there is no way in hell an electric stove would hold up in a restaurant situation.  Do they even make electric stoves in "professional" models?  I doubt it, as the premise is truly ludicrous.  Gas is a cheaper fuel, and gas ranges of restaurant caliber can endure decades of heavy use and abuse.  It's a no-brainer for that particular application.

 

The GE cook top in question does at least have knobs instead of push buttons and they are located up front.  I agree with you about GE's use of buttons.  I'm not a fan.
 
Yes you can get professional stoves in electric

They tend to be where gas is not available and having cooked on all types of cooktop including solid fuel I would choose Induction over any of them you can get settings that boil quicker than gas as no heat is wasted up the sides of the pot unlike gas. As far as solid electric goes they are zoned so you have boiling and simmering areas and are extremely wasteful of energy as you have to leave them on like an AGA !! Personally I now prefer Induction to gas as it does not heat the air around you thus helping to keep you cool but at the end of the day its a personal choice but if anything like UK its a fortune having gas pipes run due to having to have registered installers. I found it cheaper and easier to learn to use a new form of cooking I have one of those steel discs that enable you to use non ferrous cookware but it hardly gets used.
Austin
 
Thanks Austin.  I wasn't aware of the steel discs.  That's a bit of a game changer, as I do find induction intriguing.

 

I guess if the vast majority of us are putting our faith in microprocessors without being able to see and/or understand what they're actually doing, we can adjust to doing likewise with induction controls instead of looking at an actual gas flame.
 
If you do use the "interface" steel discs to cook with non-magnetic cookware on induction, please be aware of a couple of things: they work "very well" for the countertop induction burners, although it becomes very obvious that the disc has a thermal mass/inertia associated with it, it will feel more like using a regular electric burner and also be very careful using the disc on a cooktop -- the countertop burner will barely get 1800W and can deal with the disk, but several people visiting my home got very confused when they put the disc on the cooktop instead, and set the thing on power boost (over 3000W) and got the stove to shut down the burner a minute or so later because it was overheating. You need a very good flat bottomed pot with a lot of liquid to absorb that much power quickly enough from the disc so it won't case unscheduled shutdowns.
 
Good point about the steel disks. They are a band-aid sort of solution for using non-induction ready cookware on an induction burner.

I'm noticing, at least at Costco, that more and more cookware sets are induction ready. There can be a bit of a price premium for this, but it's probably a better solution than having to cook everything with an inefficient steel disk under every pot.

There is however a lot of 100% aluminum or non-magnetic stainless cookware out there. It will take some time for people to wear it out and replace with magnetic stuff. I have very few induction ready pieces of cookware, other than the cast iron stuff or steel woks etc. Even my stainless set is non-magnetic (but it looks wonderful). I'd hate to have to replace it all in order to enjoy induction. Meanwhile the main kitchen has a gas cooktop, and the patio range has coil type elements, so I'm good to go.
 
electric professional / industrial models

 

 

A quick detour back to this.  

 

Prior to 9/11 I was able to get a "behind the scenes" tour on a cruise ship.  When walking through the very large galley, which produces thousands of meals each day, I noticed their stoves, or cooking surfaces were something similar to this.   At first I was surprised to see an all electric galley (growing up with gas), but thinking about it this makes total sense from a safety and convenience stand point.

 

Kevin

 

"I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread..."

revvinkevin-2017042401081104207_1.jpg
 
Most even moderatley

priced cookware is induction compaitable now.

Cruise ships would have to carry LPG tanks, or LNG in order to cook with gas.
That would also add weight.
I don't think Wartzilla makes a ship engine that is not diesel.
As the generators have to make electricity for everything else on board, plus the air compressors for the engines, etc., it's the most efficient.
 

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