Kitchen Cooktops, The Three Heating Types.

Kitchen cooktops come in three basic types electric, gas, and magnetic induction. Electric cooktops are not new but different technologies in the heating elements have changed. Gas has not changed very much, but difference options are available. Magnetic induction cooktops are very new but the technology has been around for many years.

Choosing which one is right for you is based mostly on which fuel types are available. Natural gas for example is mostly only available in cities and the surrounding area. If you have the choice of any fuel, then the choice is a personal one. Which ever one you decide to buy, they all do the same thing, heat things up. Some do this better than others.

The costs associated with cooktops are higher because a separate oven needs to be purchased. Ovens are generally not used very often so being able to keep the oven in a separate room or away from the main parts of the kitchen allows for more space for storage.

The Three Types

Element types are coil, ceramic, quartz halogen,and solid.

Coil types are the most common in older electric cooktops. The thicker the coil, the faster it will heat and the longer it will last.The coil type generally take quite a while to come to temperature.

Ceramic elements provide almost instant heat and are very easy to keep clean. This type can also be set flush with the countertop to give a seamless look. These heat faster than the coil type.

Solid element cooktops are cast iron disks with electrical resistance wires encased in insulation to transfer the heat. These are also easy to keep clean. They also heat relatively quickly.

Quartz halogen is the type that glows red when turned on and have smooth tops which are very easy to keep clean. This type heats almost immediately. It's efficiency is around 65% in the transfer of heat.

Read the documentation that comes with your cooktop because some cooktops cannot have certain metals in contact with the surface when hot. Having the wrong cookware can permanantly etch the surface.

Gas kitchen cooktops come in two types, natural gas and propane. It's very unsafe to connect the wrong fuel to the wrong cooktop. Propane is also known as LP Gas, which stands for liquefied petroleum gas.

These kitchen cooktops have various attachments like Wok cookers and broilers. Pilots are a thing of the past and most have piezoelectric starters which save a lot of money and fossil fuel because the pilot isn't burning all the time.

Burners heat instantly and are about 55% efficient in the transfer of heat. Not the best efficiency and the lowest of all types.

Magnetic induction kitchen cooktops are very new to the residential market in the US and Canada but have been used in Europe for quite some time, and are sometimes very hard to come by in North America.

Induction cooking works by creating a magnetic field that reacts with the iron in pots and pans. This type of cooktop needs ferrous metal cookware such as cast iron and steel.

If you buy this type of kitchen cooktop you may also have to buy a whole new set of cookware. The benefits are the only the cookware itself is heated and not the top itself. This makes it much safer for households with children.

The efficiency is outstanding, around 90%. This is by far the most cost effective in fuel efficiency as it pertains to cooktops. This type also boils water twice as fast as gas and electric.

Energy saving induction cooking
Energy saving induction cooking uses much less energy than conventional electrical cooking and has the instant-off ability and precise control of gas cooking. Plus it won't heat up your kitchen. For details see Energy saving induction cooking at Green-Energy-Efficient-Homes.com.