How meticulous are you about wiping up after spills? Electric smoothtop ranges need to be cleaned carefully after every use or you can get a residue buildup on top, says Franke. Smoothtops also require a special cleaner. If you’re not the constantly cleaning type you may want to consider electric coils, which are inexpensive and easy to replace, or a gas cooktop with sealed burners so spills can’t leak down underneath.How much do you really use your oven? Very few people are really going to use an oven to complete capacity, Franke says, so those extra cubic feet might not be that important. Some ovens have racks that divide so you can cook a standing rib roast and then put in a half rack for your biscuits or sweet potatoes.
"In the future, look for steam ovens that cook with moist air," says Sharon Franke. Sharp has introduced a countertop model in Japan that "bathes food in a spray of superheated steam," according to the press release, reducing fat and salt in foods. Franke also anticipates ranges that can be used outside, to accommodate the frenzy for outdoor cooking.
Whatever your choice, you’re likely to love it. "Years ago it used be you chose gas or electric and you got four burners and that was it," says Joan Kohn, host of HGTV’s Kitchen Design. "The truth is, you can do with much less than we’ve become accustomed to."
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