Selecting appliances is about more than just looks and function — the way that they fit into the space is essential. Over the years I have learned that besides precise space measurements, technical specification sheets for appliances are the most crucial information for designing a kitchen.
This is especially true of the stove area, since it’s the focal point of most kitchens. But which version will be right for you — gas, electric, regular, retro, industrial, cooktop, stove top or complete stove? How can you opt for a countertop or layout which works best with it? The following summary will assist you with your choice for the heart of your kitchen.
Dan Waibel Designer Builder
Electric cooktop. This cheerful kitchen is equipped with an electric cooktop. Look carefully and you’ll notice the thin stainless steel trim around its perimeter, which serves as a transition between the glass and the counter material.
Keep in mind that glass cooktops are scratchable, and they require specific creamy cleansers and instant cleanup after spills. You will also wish to put money into flat-bottomed cookware and prevent dragging your pots across the top.
Glenvale Kitchens
Induction cooktop. The induction cooktop is a degree up both in quality and price from the electric cooktop. Its function is based on a magnetic field similar to that of a microwave, and you’ll need to purchase magnetic cookware.
The great news is there is no tangible heat on the surface, which can be helpful for the fingers of wee relatives. Induction offers quite even heat distribution, and a kettle of water will boil over a minute, making this a very energy-efficient appliance.
This specific version has been installed flush with the countertop. Your rock or quartz countertop producer will cut a recessed line into the cutout for the cooktop, along with the glass top will be set up with a silicone strip as an allowance for heat expansion. Set into a dark counter, this type of installation would make the cooktop disappear completely, for a very clean and contemporary look.
Prestige Custom Building & Construction, Inc..
Gas cooktop. During installation, this gas cooktop was dropped into a cutout from the countertop, with its controllers sitting on the same plane.
When choosing a gas appliance, ask a knowledgeable appliance salesperson about versions with sealed burners versus standard ones. Sealed burners are much easier to wash, but the surface can get very hot, and so you will want more space away from combustible surfaces — that will affect your upper cabinetry.
A seasoned designer will be certain that you assess technical specifications and take these issues into account when designing your dream kitchen.
Dan Brown
Cooktop with individual components. Individual components can be selected to complement your cooking preferences. These components are usually 15 inches wide, and you’ve got the selection of steam units, gas, induction, a built-in wok along with others.
The kitchen here shows another great potential cooktop design. If it works for the lifestyle, eliminating cabinetry underneath results in a sleek, airy and contemporary look.
Wolford Remodeling & Building
Range cooktop. Range shirts are typically gas components. They’ve a front that is about 10 inches high, along with the knobs face out from the cabinetry. A cooktop remains neatly contained within a normal 24 1/2-inch deep base cabinet; the variety tops (including their signature heavy-looking knobs) require more depth and tend to stand out from the front border of their neighboring countertops.
Jennifer Brouwer (Jennifer Brouwer Design Inc)
Cooktops with back guards. A typical feature of retro versions and much more economical stoves is the back shield, which often houses the controllers or a clock/timer.
A back protector can visually interfere with a design characteristic in a tile backsplash, so you might need to stick with a simpler tile layout.
RemodelWest
Slide-in stoves. Slide-in stove versions, such as this one, come in both gas and electric options.
A stove such as this is usually a very economical choice and allows for a very clean installation. The controllers are either on the front face or on the stovetop itself, and also the stove slides roughly 3/16 inch above the edges of the countertop cutout, which ends in a tight seam having little prospect of crumb accumulation.
When the version sports a convection oven with a self-cleaning option, which maintains high heat over a lengthy period of time, you need to allow for air distance between the body of the stove and the neighboring cabinetry. The technical specification sheet will give you the necessary info on the requirements.
Should you realize that your version will require additional air space, then this can be achieved by simply using fillers or articles on each side of the stove, or by utilizing a face-frame construction technique for the true cabinet carcass.
Cary Bernstein Architect
Freestanding range. This kitchen sports a freestanding restaurant-style stainless steel gas stove. Notice the stainless steel splash shield and heating shelf. Should you select this kind of appliance feature, be certain that you install warming lights above the shelf. You can do that in type of pendants dangling down over it, as is often seen in restaurants, or even by purchasing a fitting hood enthusiast that has integrated warming lights.
Both freestanding stoves and stove top installations will result in small gaps on both sides, between the appliance and the countertops and cabinets. If you know that you would have a hard time accepting the accummulation and hard removal of crumbs in these openings, do yourself a favor and choose a different sort of model!
AlliKristé Custom Cabinetry and Kitchen Layout
Freestanding stoves don’t need to look industrial. If you’re looking for an alternative to stainless steel, then take a look at brands such as The Chateau or even Bertazzoni, which offer a vast range of color options and very distinctive designs.
Superior Woodcraft, Inc..
I am bringing this ideabook to an end with an image of an actual Aga stove. This can be alove-it-or-hate-it appliance — or really, it’s a furnace.
Produced in England and created for cooking and for heating rock homes, these versions are continuously creating heat and don’t have any controls. You will have to know when to push your pots to the ideal parts of the heated surface, and which of those three or more ovens do what.
The units have been fired by propane, oil or gas, and the black chimney is the signature exhaust tube.
Basically you would need to learn new techniques to cook on this stove, and it needs special cookware. In my experience this is only a worthy investment for a very dedicated cook. You need to remember that there’ll be continuous heat emanating from the appliance, which could make it unpleasant to be about it in hotter climates or simply throughout the summer months. I’ve heard of people who purchase an additional regular stove for the summer, so that they could turn off the Aga. Obviously, this would require not only an appropriately sized kitchen space, but also the necessary funds.
Additionally, due to the enormeous fat, the stove demands a concrete platform to sit on, and it can be serviced only by trained technicians.