One of the more common questions that comes up at Aggressive Appliances is whether to go with a gas or electric cooktop. 

Our answer was generally: go with gas if you live in a natural gas community.  If you don’t have a natural gas line running near your home, the answer was always a little muddier.  Almost any home can have a liquid propane gas tank buried in the yard, but the expense of that and the plumbing required made it a less attractive option to some customers. 

Pro-style gas rangetops (for examples, see: http://www.vikingrange.com/consumer/products/category_subcategory.jsp?id=cat12360033 and http://www.subzero.com/products/category.aspx?cid=7) provide a look that some customers just can’t live with out.  The performance of a rangetop generally out-classes a traditional gas cooktop as well (every manufacturer makes traditional gas cooktops, check out this typical example from Kitchen Aid: http://www.kitchenaid.com/flash.cmd?/#/product/KFGU706VSS/) For customers who want the look and performance of a professional kitchen, the gas rangetop can’t be beat. 

For the customer who wants a traditional gas cooktop, the look and performance difference are less significant.  Sure, a gas cooktop provides instant heat and a visual cue to the heat level, but modern electric cooktops have come close in performance.  In fact, premium electric cooktops provide features not found on gas models.  Electric timers, knob less touch controls and hot surface indicator lights are not found on traditional gas cooktops.  Because of that, we often tell our customers that the choice between a gas and electric cooktop comes down to personal preference. 

Now that induction cooktops are readily available and much more affordable, the performance difference may actually swing in electric’s favor.  See our induction blog for more information on induction cooking: http://www.aggressiveappliances.com/orlando-appliance-dealer-news/what-is-induction-cooking/