I am in the market for a new stove and want a flat top one. I am at the very beginning stages of research and would love to know if you have one, what brand it is and what you think of it.

I cook a lot, every single day, so it has to work well. I want something that is even burning, easy to clean and reliable.
I am considering one that automatically turns off the heat when you pick up the pot for safety reasons.

I would love any input you guys have on this appliance. Thanks!

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Get one with a black surface. I have a white GE one and it shows everything. I have to clean it after every meal with the cook top cleaner so it doesn't look cruddy. I can't get away with just soap & water.
Mine has both the convection roast/bake, reg bake oven. proof and broil options.
I love the convection roast a lot.
HTH,
Judy

Ok Judy thanks!

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you know gas is better than electric---or at least I think so. I'd give anything for a gas range

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Definately get a black surface or even gray might not be bad! I had a black top in our last house and loved it. It was a Kitchen Aid with the convection oven option...also loved that! When we moved to this house I have a white kitchen so hubby talked me into getting a white stove top and hate it for the same reasons judyrhirtle does. The white top is even discolored now and I can't get it looking good. I am very disappointed with it. It's a Whirlpool and it's okay but I miss the convection oven too.

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Do not value the things you have in your life,
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I have a whirlpool with a black top. I love how easy it is to clean, but HATE how it heats. My husband insists I'm using the wrong pots (Seriously??). It takes FOREVER for water to boil. I mean, absolutely forever. Maybe something's wrong with it, I'm not sure - it came with the house we moved into three months ago.

I would agree with don't go with a white top. I take care of homes with a white cooktop and they're a PITA to clean.

Absolutely! I'll take gas over electric any day. My mom's the opposite she thinks gas is dangerous.

Do the flat tops damage easily? I've noticed at friends' houses that they have spots that look worn or sometimes burnt.

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In my old house, I had a white stove with mottled gray/white stove top with black heating areas. I loved it, it could be a little dirty and you wouldn't see it. I think that one was a Hotpoint? I'm not quite sure anymore. It heated fine.

In my new house, the builders put in VERY shiny, total black surface Whirlpool. I think it cooks fine, but I HATE the top. It shows every teeny tiny thing - just like a black sports car!

For cleaning on both stove tops I just use soft scrub - it's the same thing. My MIL had given me a small jar of the stove top cleaner and she said it was rather expensive. I used a few times and thought, "This is basically Soft Scrub!" SS works just fine and it's not expensive.

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I'm a gas fan, too, but our stove is electric.

Cooktops like this interest me a lot!

Frigidaire LEGC30S9FE

I would never get another flat top stove!

My MIL got one about a month before I did and we both HATE them. As someone else mentioned, they take forever just to get water to boil.

Hers is white with the gray mottled effect and mine is solid black. Both are impossible to keep clean -- the slightest food on them can't be easily wiped off.

I love gas stoves but when I moved into this house, there wasn't a gas line so I got a flat top GE. The interesting thing is, the only plus I have found is how FAST the water boils (unlike the other posters) Mine is a pretty basic model, nothing special but it must heat up really fast cuz the water is always boiling faster than I expect!

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Mine's an Amana. Black with gray flecks. I love it. It heats quickly and cleans well. I have an extra "burner" in the center back that is a warming burner. I don't use it much, but it's handy to have.

I hate gas. When I moved here I had a gas stove which ran on propane. One time I put a can of peas on...on low...and they were at a full boil in about a minute. It was so hard to cook and not burn everything.

I have a black amana ceramic top that I really like because it works well and compliments my small kitchen. I use a razor scraper when stuff gets stuck on it and follow up with a ceramic top cleaner that makes it shine. I was told to worry about scratches, but after 5 years, I don't have a one.

My mom has gas and complains that my burners take too long to boil water.

I agree that the pan you use is important, as some can warp on the bottom and not sit directly on the burner and therefore don't get as hot as fast.

Adding a bit about the pans ~ I think you are not supposed to use glass or cast iron on a flat top electric stove. I bought new pans from IKEA and they work quite well.

I also have a glass top, it's ok. I use oven cleaner on the glass for burned on stuff you can't see. Just dont get it on any paint. It works so great and I just wipe it off. As far as cast iron, careful not over lo/med heat and dont pull it around on the glass. I use iron and am careful. My mom uses enamel coated cast iron too.

I have a black glass top stove. I love it. Mine is over a year old and I cook everyday and mine looks like new. All I do is wipe it down with a soapy rag after cooking then spray some windex on it and shine it up and it looks great. If something burns on it I just use a razor blade and poof it is clean.

The reason pans warp is because people put cold water in them while they are still hot. I learned my lesson the hard way. When I got my new set of pans someone told me to let them cool before throwing them in the sink and it has worked I have not one warped pan. I also hand wash them.

One thing you do have to learn with a glass top is to pick your pans up and not slide them from burner to burner.

I have something similar to this, only it is a 36" and has five burners instead of four. I absolutely love it. Gas cooks so much more evenly (in my opinion) and quickly. I had a ceramic top stove in a previous house and I really liked it, but now after having my massive gas cooktop I would never go back to an electric cooktop. I do prefer electric ovens, so my double oven is electric.

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I've had a Foreman Grill for about six years. I've done about 85% of my cooking on it, but I've never burnt myself. Probably because I don't use it as a pillow.

I can't get gas here. LOL well I can but it won't run the stove! It's interesting to see the difference in opinions. I will check out the models mentioned and if you see any great deals let me know please! I will definitely be going with the dark top.
And I read that the pots and pans need to be either cast iron or stainless steel. I read that Pyrex and ceramic don't work very well.

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I had a Kitchen Aid ceramic cooktop before we moved and loved it. I used a razor blade to scrape off the food or if something boiled over. It worked like a charm. Mine also had two elements that had halogen heating for faster cooking. It did help, but now that I have gas in the new house, nothing beats how quickly water boils.

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I had a cooktop in our other home, loved it. Then we moven to this house in PA and it was a gas stove. It took time getting use to but I love how the gas cooks, especially baking. I also can alot and was afraid if I dropped a canning jar that would be a disaster.

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