Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jul 8, 2014 16:31:47 GMT
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Post by Loydene on Mar 2, 2015 14:37:55 GMT
I'm shopping for a new stove. My decision may end up being swayed by the limited choices (my kitchen requires a "drop in" style range). But -- I'm wavering between the smooth top v. the coil top for the stove top burners.
I had a smooth top -- 15 years ago -- and wasn't impressed as to the "heating" ability. I didn't have any issues cleaning it -- I used the recommended cleaner and a razor if anything was tougher and my pots and pans seemed to work just fine. It was all the cooking part that I didn't care for -- it seemed slow, it seemed too cool (not hot enough). The only coil top range in my choices (and price range) has poor reviews -- it is rated "1" with people saying it is just junk.
Has the technology improved? The two smooth top choices each have one small area with "quick boil".
What type stove top would you recommend?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2015 14:39:44 GMT
We just went from a smooth top to a coil and I couldn't be happier. It's easier to keep clean and I feel that it heats faster and hotter.
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Post by littlemama on Mar 2, 2015 14:40:11 GMT
Smooth top all the way. We have had ours for almost 3 years, and have none of the issues you describe.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2015 14:46:54 GMT
Smooth-- hands down. Once you learn how to clean it, it's easy. I like it much better!
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,147
Jun 29, 2014 18:58:47 GMT
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Post by scrapnnana on Mar 2, 2015 14:47:24 GMT
Well, I replaced my coil with a smooth top about seven years ago, and I saw no obvious difference in the heating ability, BUT one burner stopped working, and I was informed the entire top has to be replaced. I am NOT happy about that, obviously. It was the largest burner, the one I would use most. With a coil, replacing one burner is easy. However, I find it so easy to keep my smooth top clean. It is much easier than my coil top was, but my coil top was over 25 years old.
I wouldn't buy anything rated junk, no matter how much I wanted a coil top.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2015 14:49:45 GMT
Have you looked at induction cooktops? That's what I'd go with.
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
Still peaing from Podunk!
Posts: 4,546
Location: North Dakota
Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Mar 2, 2015 14:52:20 GMT
I've had a smooth top for many years and the newer ones are much faster heating than the older ones. I love mine. What I don't love about it is the shiny black surface which is hard to get and keep clean. The one I had before this had a pebbly gray top and it was much easier to clean and it didn't show dust like the black does.
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paigepea
Drama Llama
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Posts: 5,609
Location: BC, Canada
Jun 26, 2014 4:28:55 GMT
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Post by paigepea on Mar 2, 2015 14:54:38 GMT
I was used to cooking with gas when we med into a house with a coil electric stovetop. It was ok. When it died we bought a smooth top cooktop and I was in love. We got a high end model with all the bells and whistles. It had so many more options compared to my coil model. I had elements that mimicked a gas range and I thought they worked perfectly - I was finally able to cook how I liked. We've since moved and have only had gas ranges since then, but I remember that smooth top fondly.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2015 15:01:01 GMT
We just ordered our new stove, and while I like the clean look of a smooth top, we had to go with coil top because I home can foods and the smooth tops won't work for that.
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Dani-Mani
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,706
Jun 28, 2014 17:36:35 GMT
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Post by Dani-Mani on Mar 2, 2015 15:04:11 GMT
I went from a coil to a smooth top and absolutely hate it. The coil cooked more evenly and is SO much easier to clean!
I'd picks gas coil as my stove if I cpuld.
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,879
Aug 16, 2014 17:52:53 GMT
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Post by likescarrots on Mar 2, 2015 15:36:53 GMT
I have a smooth top and i hate it. It's impossible to keep clean, and the way it registers heat drives me nuts. If you have to have electric, i would go for a coil.
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Post by leannec on Mar 2, 2015 15:43:38 GMT
I have a smooth top and I LOVE it I have a white range with a black top and it is sooooo easy to keep clean ... with the coils I always had junk underneath
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Post by momof3pits on Mar 2, 2015 15:50:00 GMT
I've had a smooth top for many years and the newer ones are much faster heating than the older ones. I love mine. What I don't love about it is the shiny black surface which is hard to get and keep clean. The one I had before this had a pebbly gray top and it was much easier to clean and it didn't show dust like the black does. The first smooth top I had was pebbled and I loved it!! Didn't realize or think about the fact that shiny black would just stay permanently dusty looking. I wipe that thing down every time I walk by.
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Gravity
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,229
Jun 27, 2014 0:29:55 GMT
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Post by Gravity on Mar 2, 2015 16:20:40 GMT
I have a smooth top and I love it. I'll never go back to a coil top. Gas is not an option in my neighborhood.
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Post by hennybutton on Mar 2, 2015 16:33:54 GMT
I've had a smooth top for many years and the newer ones are much faster heating than the older ones. I love mine. What I don't love about it is the shiny black surface which is hard to get and keep clean. The one I had before this had a pebbly gray top and it was much easier to clean and it didn't show dust like the black does. The first smooth top I had was pebbled and I loved it!! Didn't realize or think about the fact that shiny black would just stay permanently dusty looking. I wipe that thing down every time I walk by. I just had to replace my cooktop last year. I bought the current version of the one I had and I don't like it as much. The surface is shinier than the old one and it doesn't clean as easily. I want my old one with the rougher finish back. On the other hand, I will never, ever, ever go back to coils. I hate coils with a passion. As for cooking, I never noticed much of a difference between coils an a smooth cooktop. I like that the smooth surface doubles as counter space when not in use. It comes in really handy sometimes. Ideally, I'd run a gas line and put in a gas cooktop.
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Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jul 8, 2014 16:31:47 GMT
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Post by Loydene on Mar 3, 2015 0:30:38 GMT
Thanks for the information. My previous smooth top was the grey pebbled looking type -- I hadn't thought about the black shiney smooth top showing dust so much!]
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 4, 2015 16:28:48 GMT
We have a smooth top that was in the house when we bought it, only it was not so smooth. The glass over the burners in front is pitted and it drives me nuts. I had gas in my old house and wish I could have it again but that would mean losing my microwave above it and having to give up counter space, and that's not a trade I'm willing to make.
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Post by MichyM on Mar 4, 2015 17:43:10 GMT
Gas is not an option in my building, so I went with induction (which has a smooth top) when I bought my place two years ago. I love it, heats up much faster than any other method, and has the responsive temperature control that a gas cooktop affords.
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Post by compwalla on Mar 4, 2015 18:19:41 GMT
Echoing praise for an induction cooktop. It's smooth, cooks fast, and doesn't heat up the kitchen. Best decision ever.
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Post by 5peanutsnana on Mar 4, 2015 18:45:46 GMT
I don't understand now a glass top is hard to keep clean. I had one in our previous house and the one I have now is 13 years old and it looks like new. And I cook a LOT. Anything that splashes or boils over can be wiped off easily with a little help from Barkeepers Friend.
Coils-never again. The drip pans had to be wiped out and cleaned in the self cleaning oven. No thanks.
My DD has an induction cook top and they can be very expensive. (Her's is in her island so she wanted it it for her kid's safety.) Also you have to make sure your pans can be used on them. Hers could not and she needed to buy all new cookware. Her MIL just did a complete kitchen and went with an induction cook top range and it cost $3000 on sale.
I have used my daughter's a few times but not enough to used to it. I will be replacing mine soon only because I recently got SS fridge and dishwasher and I want them to match. We have an all electric home so it will be a glass top for me for 1/3 of the price of induction, for me.
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Post by gale w on Mar 4, 2015 18:53:13 GMT
I love my smooth top stove. It's been years since we had coil but one burner quit and it wasn't the coil but in the stove somehow so even a new coil didn't help. If I jiggled the coil it would sometimes come on but would also make a loud pop which was scary. My smooth top (both my current one and my last one) heat quickly and seem to stay evenly hot while cooking.
We looked at induction but too much of my cookware at the time wouldn't work with it.
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Post by compwalla on Mar 4, 2015 18:56:14 GMT
I don't understand now a glass top is hard to keep clean. I had one in our previous house and the one I have now is 13 years old and it looks like new. And I cook a LOT. Anything that splashes or boils over can be wiped off easily with a little help from Barkeepers Friend. Coils-never again. The drip pans had to be wiped out and cleaned in the self cleaning oven. No thanks. My DD has an induction cook top and they can be very expensive. (Her's is in her island so she wanted it it for her kid's safety.) Also you have to make sure your pans can be used on them. Hers could not and she needed to buy all new cookware. Her MIL just did a complete kitchen and went with an induction cook top range and it cost $3000 on sale. I have used my daughter's a few times but not enough to used to it. I will be replacing mine soon only because I recently got SS fridge and dishwasher and I want them to match. We have an all electric home so it will be a glass top for me for 1/3 of the price of induction, for me. My cooktop was more expensive than a regular ceramic cooktop but nowhere near 3k. I got my five burner, 36" cooktop on sale for around $1300 shipped. If you are used to cooking with gas and your house doesn't have gas, induction is the closest you can get. I don't know that I'd even go back to gas if I could at this point. And I did have to replace some (not all) of my cookware but the nice thing is that you don't need expensive pots to cook on induction. Cheaper pans work just as well as fancy expensive ones. My mom has used my cooktop a few times and declared she hates it but I think you need to cook with it a lot to understand why it's so awesome. I did have to change the way I timed meals and change when I prepped ingredients. It cooks so much faster than ceramic or coil that you can't count on time to chop ingredient 2 while ingredient 1 is in the pan. You have to have all your ingredients ready to go ahead of time. There was a learning curve. But still - even at twice as much as ceramic - induction was well worth the money.
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Post by gonewalkabout on Mar 4, 2015 18:57:12 GMT
We're in an apartment but they just upgraded our stove from coil to smooth top and it heats very well! Technology has improved. Dh is a mechanical design engineer in the industry and yep, they're always working on new designs and improvements, tech specs etc.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 20:07:48 GMT
We just ordered our new stove, and while I like the clean look of a smooth top, we had to go with coil top because I home can foods and the smooth tops won't work for that. Just curious why it won't work? I dont do tons of canning but do can occasionally on my smooth top, just wondering why it doesn't work?
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Post by jloubier on Mar 4, 2015 20:10:48 GMT
We have a smooth top induction stove. LOVE, love, love it !
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Post by gale w on Mar 4, 2015 20:26:12 GMT
We just ordered our new stove, and while I like the clean look of a smooth top, we had to go with coil top because I home can foods and the smooth tops won't work for that. Just curious why it won't work? I dont do tons of canning but do can occasionally on my smooth top, just wondering why it doesn't work? I know that the water bath canners don't usually have a smooth bottom, and a smooth bottomed pan is essential for a smooth top stove. I don't know about pressure canners but I never had luck with mine on an electric stove, no matter the type of elements. The heat just doesn't adjust fast enough for me. I have never tried since I got the smooth top stove though.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 20:35:18 GMT
We just ordered our new stove, and while I like the clean look of a smooth top, we had to go with coil top because I home can foods and the smooth tops won't work for that. Just curious why it won't work? I dont do tons of canning but do can occasionally on my smooth top, just wondering why it doesn't work? This explains it!You can do it, but it's not optimum, and for me, the possible compromise to my canned goods and/or the potential damage to my nice cook top isn't worth it. ETA: link might not work, here's the cut/paste nchfp.uga.edu/publications/nchfp/factsheets/smoothtops.html
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Post by tuva42 on Mar 4, 2015 21:50:17 GMT
HATE my smooth top. Impossible to find a saute pan that heats evenly on it. And I don't care what they say, once something boils over, you will never get that mark off of the top. Even if its just water.
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Post by hdoublej on Mar 4, 2015 22:32:20 GMT
We just ordered our new stove, and while I like the clean look of a smooth top, we had to go with coil top because I home can foods and the smooth tops won't work for that. I can foods on mine and I don't have any trouble. I really like my smooth top and I've had it for about 10 years.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 19, 2024 15:37:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2015 22:57:54 GMT
We just ordered our new stove, and while I like the clean look of a smooth top, we had to go with coil top because I home can foods and the smooth tops won't work for that. I can foods on mine and I don't have any trouble. I really like my smooth top and I've had it for about 10 years. Of course, and the link I gave in the other post explains all this
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