Hello.  After some thought and some good feedback from people on here I am headed towards all electric instead of gas.  One reason I wanted to go with gas was because I strongly prefer to use cast iron and a gas burner is a better fit (IMHO) that with a electric stove.  I wonder if there is a range out there that looks like a gas one but is electric?  I did find one but it was about $9000 so needless to say NO THANKS!  lol  I like the large cast iron spider grill types on a gas range, but just can't find an electric one that has those instead of coils.  Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance and have a good day!

Why not use gas or propane for just that appliance. I looked at using propane for our current house; we even had the HVAC setup to feed just the stove with a propane line back to a standard 20 pound tank. He said he had done this in another house and they used about one tank every 6 months for just a cook top with a separate electric convection oven. It was much cheaper than paying the local utility for the monthly natural gas connection fee and using just one therm a month.

I actually had that very thing suggested to me, but I would like to use solar someday....eventually getting totally off grid.  Plus I have not actually purchased any havc or anything and would like to either use the gas for multiple appliances or not at all and be all electric.  The more I think about it, and with the deals I can get on marathon water heaters (I just started selling them) it looks like all electric would be the way for me to go.

Thank you for your reply it is greatly appreciated!

Well I honestly can't remember, but when we were looking I do remember seeing an electric that had a top like a gas with the cast iron burners sitting on the top.

I am sorry I can't remember what brand it was or even where we were, but I do remember seeing it about 9 months ago. I remember because it had an electric convection oven and my wife thought it was a gas cook top, but it was all electric.

It's even hard to find an electric range that has coils these days. Seems like all they make are those fragile ceramic and glass tops. But they're not so good for an active kitchen, you know - you're not supposed to even move the pan while it's cooking. I've seen the coil cooktops, but not integrated in a range. I'm interested in whatever you find - I hope you post it here.

I personally prefer to use an eleectric range rather than a gas range. I have had so many bad esperiences with gas that I have just become very turned off by them. My son burnt himself when he was just tall enough to see the blue flame. He thought it was pretty. I find it more difficult to regulate the temperature with gas, but that cold just be me. i especially prefer the flattop electric range that i have now. its easy to cook on, easyt o clean and you can always tell when it is still hot.

I was considering propane just for the cooktop, but then I heard about induction cooktops. The "burner" stays cold to the touch, but heats up any iron or steel pot or pan placed on it. They don't look like a gas burner, they're smooth, which to me is a plus because they're easy to clean.

I bought a ceramic cook top in a drop in 3 years ago ( GE Profile Model) and am very satisfied with it's performance and appearance.
I too had some concerns about the abrasive aspect on the surface.. Not a problem, heats up very fast, easy to keep clean, scuffs on the surface are easily removed with a ceramic cleaner polishing compound. Stiil shines like New Money!
True induction cook tops have the same abrasion problems, but also are very finicky about the amount of ferrous metals in a pan you use. You've got to excite the matrix of the cooking vessel with a good quality steel. That leads to more scratch prone areas, especially if your moving a pan as has been suggested.
My cook top has a Red light warning you of what areas are still hot to the touch after shutdown. Can't be much simpler than that!

Glenn

I could never get used to the whole "not moving your pan" thing. I'm moving the pan all the time when I cook.

Imagine a commercial kitchen with ceramic or induction cooktops. It would never function.

This is really a personal preference item, but given a choice, I like gas because of its instant and infinite adjustability.  Having said that, the best electric set up I ever had was a downdraft Jennair with heavy heating elements and also the possiblity to grill or insert a griddle.

Our current place in the USA has halogen cooktop that I HATE!

Our future residence has no gas service, so we will go back to Jennair or similar.

Bruce

Electric – type range or gas range? Well, it is absolutely dependent on your preference. Of course, you know how to decide what to choose between the two depending on experience with these types of ranges as well as the facts concerning advantages that each appliance has. However, range users will most likely choose electric ovens or ranges. It is because they are mainly known for their increase ease of use. They’re also designed to provide an even cooking temperature throughout the entire cavity of the oven. Electric ovens also acquire great features that include being fan assisted.