Electric coil stoves?

[dkgershe]

I know, this is probably not your first choice of what to cook on, but i need a new stove and it must be electric. I use cast iron pans often, some enameled and some not, so I do not think a flat top will suit my needs. Does anyone have a suggestion for an excellent coil burner stove? Does one exist?

[wattacetti]

No. Since you have plenty of cast iron, look to induction. There are several affordable ones from Kenmore and LG.

[cutipie721]

Agree, go with induction. Don't confuse it with regular electric glass/flat/smooth top though. Induction heats your cookware differently. There's a ton of information out there and here on this board.

Check out searsoutlet.com for deals as well.

[mlou72]

You can use cast iron on a flat top, but you do have to be careful not to drag it (or drop it, but I think if you drop any type of pan on that glass it's going to break). I have a glass cooktop and use cast iron, though not frequently. Induction is still a glass top. The glass tops are a lot more durable and easier to clean than people think -- just follow care and cleaning instructions.

I think I've read that some people slide parchment paper between their cast iron and induction cooktop -- that's something to investigate.

I don't know that there are anything but cheap coil burners on the market. Not to say they're not decent ranges with nice features, but they're not high end. Don't worry about people being horrified you don't have gas, the newer electric/induction glasstops are fantastic and I personally think people who insist on gas now haven't tried a new quality electric cooktop.

I've got a Kenmore Elite all electric glasstop range, love it. It's a Frigidaire under the hood but has much nicer features added to it.

[dkgershe]

thank you-- I was hoping someone would know about some hidden gem out there, but my suspicions seem to be correct that what I am looking for does not in fact exist. :(

[paulj]

I assume you already have a coil stove. What kind of improvement do you want?

I've only seen a couple of types of replacement coils in the hardware stores, so I assume there isn't much difference in the the working end of these stoves. There may be more variation when it comes to the oven, and bells and whistles like timers. I read some place that the more turns there are in the coil, the better.

My coil stove is 20 yrs old. The things most prone to breaking are the control knobs (20 yr old plastic gets brittle), and the drip pans, which are replaceable.

[dkgershe]

right now I have a jenn-aire electric range that came with the house we bought. the stove is probably 20 years old and still works, however, it only has two burners (the other side of the stove is a griddle) the oven is just okay, does not heat evenly, blah blah blah. I do a lot of cooking and need more than two burners at this point. I have used the stove as is for 10+ years, but i am in need of a change. I know I should not be complaining about a jenn-aire that still works, it just is not the stove I need! I am not truly fussy, I just need a great suggestion for a stove that will make me happy! :)

[mlou72]

Sounds like my old stove exactly. Gosh I loved that thing, or... thought I did. Once I got my Kenmore Elite range I was shocked at how well it outperformed my old Jenn Air. I AM fussy and nothing about my range has ever bugged me.

Knowing what stove you have (and boy I know it well), anything you get will knock your socks off. You really will love either the glasstop or induction. Really, they're very durable. The burners will perform a thousand times better than your old stove (not really exaggerating here, I remember how it took ages to boil water on my old stove, and adjusting the temp was a fine art).

Get one with as many features as you can afford/will use. My neighbor got a stove similar to mine but without the warming drawer, extra large burner, and a few other things... she has really regretted not spending a couple hundred more.

One big thing I can tell you to look at -- burner size. Bring along at least a template of the base of the largest pot you use, you'll be shocked at how some cooktops just don't have enough room. The #1 reason I chose the stove I did is because it has a 10" burner with nothing to obstruct the pan. On some, the back control panel overhangs so much that it pushes anything but the smallest pots off the center of the back burner.

[melval]

Personally, I can't stand our glass top. I find it much harder to clean than coil (though it does clean up fine with BKF, it just takes a lot more elbow grease). We don't have a high end one by any means, but I would never choose one regardless.

The MAIN reason I don't like glasstop is you can't can on it. I don't know if you do any of that, but since the water bath's bottom isn't flat it won't work because it won't make sufficient contact with the stove. Again, I'm not sure if you can at all, but if you do, don't get a glass top.

[wattacetti]

Isn't the canning issue more that your specific water bath doesn't have a flat bottom and not an issue with the ceramic top itself?

[melval]

Most manufactures say that - even if you find a flat bottom water bath (which is pretty hard to find) - it's not recommended because the size of the pot goes inches beyond the burner and many times the burners will auto-shut off before the canner can reach the appropriate temperature. Because of this I just avoid it and can with someone who has coils or gas.

[sueatmo]

I don't use BKF on my glass top. At the grocer you should be able to find stovetop cleaner. Put it on the stovetop and let it sit there a minute or two. Then take a nylon scrubby and rub off the bad stuff. Rinse and buff it with a paper towel. All done and shiny!

[mlou72]

Agree. Stovetop cleaner also puts a thin film of silicone down, which makes cleanup even easier. They sell red scrubby pads right next to the cleaner in Target, they scrub off everything. Usually I use one half paper towel to rub the cleaner on, one half to buff off. Wax on, wax off, lol!

*I just tried the new EasyOff cooktop cleaner. Yuck, it stinks. It says it cuts grease and has non-scratch abrasive particles, so I'm going to save it for big messes only.

[sueatmo]

I have had a glass top electric cooktop for over 10 years. You can use your pans on this kind of cooktop. I do all the time. A good smoothtop is a very good cooktop. I would NEVER go back to electric coil burner stoves. I suspect that coil burner stoves are not terribly well made, as they are not considered top of the line electric. I know little about induction. If you can afford it, then perhaps it would work for you. But if not, get a big enough smoothop "glass" cooktop.