Cooktop Versus Range Decision
Jun 09 '02 (Updated Sep 29 '02)
The Bottom Line It's a personal choice based on needs, looks, and budgets in deciding whether you should buy a range or cooktop.
When you are building a custom made home or even remodeling your kitchen, you are faced with many decisions since you try your best to make it perfect to fit your needs and within your budget. We recently faced the daunting task of having to decide if we wanted to have a cooktop and a wall oven or a range when we were having our home built.
The Money Factor
The first deciding factor should be if you have the extra money to buy and install a cooktop and a wall oven because the two items separate add up to cost a lot more than a fully featured range, and they will require electrical or gas plumbing to each unit.
Where To Put Them and the Building Code Dilemma
If you do want to spend the extra money, the next deciding factors should be where you plan to put your cooktop and where you plan to put your oven. I had formally been stuck in a kitchen with 3 walls and felt left out and alone when cooking since you could not see the family room. All I had to stare at when cooking was a wall. I knew I did not want this closed-in feeling any more when we had our new home built. We designed our new home with a kitchen that looks out into the family room whereas I can now be part of the family when cooking or cleaning and able to watch TV.
After the basic kitchen design was in place, I had to decide if I wanted a cooktop and a wall oven or a range. In looking at the various stores, I discovered that a cooktop and a wall oven was going to be much more expensive than just a range. Also, what I did not realize was in most states, the building code requires that you have a vent over your cooktop. Also while talking with our architect, having a wall oven and a cooktop separate, I would have to give up part of my cupboard space to allow room for the built-in wall oven.
After discovering this, I thought that the building code would defeat my whole purpose of being able to watch TV as I cook or converse with guests and family since the venting system would have to attach to some type of cabinetry; this would therefore take away a major part of the view and just would not be as attractive looking at the backs of cabinetry from the family room. I, in addition, did not want to give up any of my cupboard space. Now, I could have located my kitchen sink so it was overlooking the family room and placed my cooktop on the wall side, but you do not normally watch TV or talk in great distances anyway when you are using the sink.
A Downdraft Cooktop or a Regular Cooktop
My next option would have been to get a downdraft cooktop that does not require the venting system on top of the cooktop because it is designed to pull your steam downwards through the venting system generally located in the middle of the cooktop which is plumbed to escape outside. However, downdraft cooktops are even more expensive than regular cooktops with a vent on top. There are some downdraft models that have a grill cartridge to grill meats on.
The Oven Choices
When it comes to the ovens, you are faced with a lot of choices. You need to decide if you want a single wall oven or a double wall oven. A double wall oven is 2 ovens that normally sit on the same wall with one on top and one on the bottom. If you always cook for a large family, I could see how 2 ovens would be beneficial. On top of that, you need to decide if you want an oven/microwave combined, that is, one on top of the other. The drawback I see to the oven/microwave combined is replacement problems when one goes bad and is too costly to repair and trying to find another to match your other oven and to fit in the spot correctly.
I will not quote any prices for cooktops, ovens or ranges because the prices change constantly, brands are priced differently and it also depends on the many different features that you want. I will tell you that if you have not had a convection oven before, you might want to consider one that has a choice to use convection or regular baking. Convection baking and convection roasting cooks foods quicker and meats retain their natural flavor and juiciness more than conventional roasting. In fact, I rarely use regular conventional baking or roasting anymore.
My Decision Finally
After an exhaustive research and shopping, my decision was to buy a downdraft slide-in convection range with a drop-in look kit whereas, it looks like a drop-in range with cabinetry at the bottom of it and place it overlooking the family room behind a rock wall with a eating bar, where I can cook and still remain part of the family activities.
For my microwave oven, we had a shelf built underneath one of the cabinets which was less costly than the built-in microwaves and we do not have to worry about dimensions should the one we have ceases to work, a replacement will be easy to obtain.
Costs, space, and looks were a major factor to my buying decision and I have not regretted my decision.
If you would like to read my review on my downdraft range that I chose, please copy and paste the following link into your browser.
http://www.epinions.com/content_58156289668
If you would like to read my review on the microwave that I chose, please copy and paste the following link into your browser.
http://www.epinions.com/content_58392940164
Thanks for reading, and I hope this was helpful in your decision-making process.
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