Cooktops & wall ovens: this combo is more adaptable to many kitchen designs than is a standard range. And you needn't pay top dollar for top performance.(Cover Story)

Publication: Consumer Reports

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COPYRIGHT 2002 Consumers Union of the United States, Inc.

Flexibility is the main reason to choose a cooktop and wall oven over a standard range. A cooktop fits discreetly on an island. And a wall oven can be placed so you don't have to bend over to cook a turkey. Some cooks buy double wall ovens for, say, baking potatoes and broiling steaks simultaneously.

A cooktop and wall-oven combination may be more expensive than a standard range, and it requires custom or semicustom cabinetry. But the best electric cooktop we tested this year and a very good electric wall oven, both Frigidaire models, together cost $1,200--comparable to some standard ranges. Both are CR Best Buys. By contrast, spending $3,900 for the pro-style Viking models we tested would get you the bottom-rated cooktop and wall oven.

Compared to the cost of high-end ranges, you fare even better with a cooktop and wall oven. In our Ratings, a sixburner, pro-style cooktop and decentsized wall oven cost about $2,000 less than a pro-style, six-burner range. If you like boiling with gas but broiling with electricity, a cooktop and wall oven can cost less than a dual-fuel range.

COOKTOPS

Our choice of eight 30-inch electric smoothtops and nine 36-inch gas cooktops for testing reflects the split market in cooktops. Electrics come in several sizes and two types, coil and smoothtop. Most consumers opt for 30-inch, four-element smoothtops, ranging from $400 to $700. Comparable electric-coil cooktops typically cost $100 to $300 less. But as a decreasing share of the market, they were not tested.

You can choose a gas cooktop only if a gas hookup is available. The best sellers in this category are 36-inch models with five or six burners, priced at $700 and up.

Style and convenience figure prominently in the buying decision. Electrics offer easy-to-clean glass surfaces without heavy grates. They can be installed flush with countertops. By contrast, gas allows you to adjust the temperature quickly and to see how high you're setting the flame. Gas cooktops are where you'll find stainless-steel finishes and other pro-style features.

PERFORMANCE

Our tests focused on speed of heating and the ability to melt chocolate and simmer tomato sauce without...

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