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A gas cooktop and an induction cooktop set side by side into one long counter, both clean and off.

Which cooktop suits the kitchen

Choosing and comparing
guides.

Gas against induction, radiant against coil, a drop-in top against a pro-style rangetop, and a downdraft against an overhead extractor — how each cooks, what it asks of the cabinet below and what it is like to keep repaired.

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Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Three guides
  • Read before you book
  • Says where to stop

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Choosing and comparing,
guide by guide.

This section is for owners standing at a fork: a cooktop that has stopped working and a showroom full of alternatives, or a remodel where the counter is about to be cut. The guides here compare the kinds of cooking surface side by side across every brand, from a flame to a radiant ribbon to an induction coil, and from a flush drop-in top to a pro-style rangetop with its knobs on the front.

All 18 guides
A black glass induction cooktop set into a white quartz counter in a US home kitchen, the cabinet door below open to show a gray junction box on the back wall, with a tape measure lying across the glass.
6-minute read

Repair or replace a cooktop: the cutout, the supply and the part that failed

Igniters, elements and switches are worth fixing on nearly any cooktop; a discontinued board, glass nobody stocks or a new model that will not fit the old counter opening are where the sums change.

A gas cooktop with cast-iron grates and a flush black induction cooktop set side by side into a long quartz counter in a US home kitchen, drawers below both, one blue flame lit under a skillet and a pot on the induction zone.
5-minute read

Gas, radiant or induction cooktop: heat, wiring and upkeep compared

How a flame, a glowing ribbon and a magnetic coil each heat the pan, what each asks of the cabinet below, how the kitchen air changes and which parts tend to need repair.

A 36-inch stainless pro-style gas rangetop with red knobs on its front face and cast-iron grates, set into a notched stone counter over a base cabinet of drawers in a US home kitchen, a stainless overhead extractor above it.
4-minute read

Rangetop or cooktop: front knobs, a notched counter and a bigger extractor

A pro-style rangetop hangs in a notched counter over a base cabinet and needs serious overhead ventilation and clearances; a drop-in cooktop sits flush and leaves more choices open.

Which cooktop suits the kitchen.

Each comparison looks below the counter as well as above it. The cutout, the gas line or the 240-volt circuit feeding the junction box, the cooling air an induction top needs and the extractor a high-output rangetop demands all shape the choice, and none of them appear on a price tag. Where a figure matters, such as a circuit rating or a clearance, it comes from the maker's own installation instructions or from ENERGY STAR and the EPA.

Read these before replacing a cooktop that could still be repaired, before switching fuel, and before asking a fabricator to cut stone for a model you have not measured.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerRepair or replace a cooktop: the cutout, the supply and the part that failed

Whether to repair or replace a cooktop depends first on which part failed and second on what a new one would ask of the counter and the cabinet below.

The short answerGas, radiant or induction cooktop: heat, wiring and upkeep compared

Gas vs induction cooktop, with radiant electric in between: gas heats the air around the pan and needs a gas line and ventilation, radiant heats glass that then heats the pan, and induction heats the pan directly through a magnetic field.

The short answerRangetop or cooktop: front knobs, a notched counter and a bigger extractor

Rangetop vs cooktop comes down to where the controls sit, how much heat each burner makes and what the installation demands.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What repairs cost
  1. 01Each burner and zone, tried in turn
  2. 02The price, before any part is fitted
  3. 03The usual parts in the van
  4. 04Repaired, then cooked on

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems
A close view of a black induction cooktop set flush into a pale stone countertop, a single crack running across one cooking zone, every zone switched off and dark, nothing resting on the glass. Gas, fire, broken glass or live current

Glass Cooktop Cracked

6 causes, cheapest first

 A stainless gas cooktop set into a granite countertop in a US home kitchen, a hand lifting a burner cap to reseat it, the grate set aside on a folded towel and every knob off. Problem

Cooktop Burner Won't Light

6 causes, cheapest first

 A US home kitchen with a black radiant glass cooktop set into a granite countertop, one ring glowing orange while the ring beside it stays dark under a pot of still water. Problem

Cooktop Element Not Heating

6 causes, cheapest first

 A close view of the touch display on a black induction cooktop set into a stone countertop, a blurred unreadable code glowing on it and an owner's manual lying open beside it with out-of-focus pages. Problem

Cooktop Error Code

6 causes, cheapest first
A parent and a teenager stirring a pan together over a gas cooktop set into a kitchen island
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
choosing and comparing.

Which guide should I read first if my cooktop just failed?
Start with the repair-or-replace guide. It sorts the failure into a cost band and shows how the existing cutout and circuit affect the price of a new unit.
Do these comparisons favor one brand?
No. They compare kinds of cooktop, not makers, and quote a manufacturer only where its manual states a specific figure that helps the comparison.
Can I change from gas to induction without remodeling?
Often the counter can stay, but the supply cannot: an induction top needs a heavy 240-volt circuit and the gas line has to be capped by a qualified installer. Check that the new model's cutout matches the old one.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides
A gas cooktop burner clicking with a small spark and no flame, an empty pan above it.
Why the cooktop behaves that way

Common problems

A finger touching the lock key on a black glass cooktop's control strip, the display blank.
Cooktop checks you can safely make

Troubleshooting

A razor scraper held flat against a black glass cooktop, lifting a dried spill.
Keeping the cooktop out of trouble

Maintenance and prevention

A kitchen with a gas cooktop switched off and every knob at off, the back door propped open to air the room.
When to stop using the cooktop

Gas, fire and burn safety

An empty rectangular cutout in a stone countertop, a cooktop resting on padding beside it.
Set up to last

Installation and setup

Not sure which section?

Start from your question

The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it.

18 guidesWhere to start Where to start

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your cooktop working again.

Three short steps online, or one call. Tell us what you are seeing and pick a window that works.

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