Best Electric Cooktop Ranges of 2019

We have been researching and evaluating electric ranges since 2011 to find the best ones in terms of features, convenience and overall design. The Kenmore 95053 is the best electric range we found. It has a generous 6.1-cubic-foot capacity. The stovetop has two powerful expandable burners and all the convenience features we look for, including different self-cleaning options, a timed bake shut-off feature and removable knobs for easy cleaning.

Best Overall

Kenmore 95053

The Kenmore Elite 95053 electric range has a lot to offer in terms of functionality: a triple expandable burner, a large 6.1-cubic-foot-capacity oven, two convection fans, and steam and heat self-cleaning cycles.

This Kenmore model is a tank of an electric range. It’s roughly the same size as other ranges in our lineup, but it outweighs them by at least 30 pounds. You won’t have to lift it frequently, however, since it’s free-standing and can be positioned between cabinets or independently. It comes in three colors to match your kitchen’s décor: black, stainless steel and white.

Each of the five burners on this cooktop has a different purpose. In the front of the stove is a powerful heating element that heats up fast, bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil quickly. Next to the power-boil element is the expandable triple burner with 6-, 9- and 12-inch burner rings. Controlling this element is as easy as turning the corresponding knob.

The two heating elements inside the oven generate ample wattage to heat it quickly. Its broiling element produces some of the highest energy levels in our lineup. This oven also has dual convection fans to circulate the hot air efficiently, so the food cooks quickly and evenly.

To keep the oven clean, this electric range has both steam and heat self-clean cycles. The steam clean isn't as powerful as the heat clean, but it takes only 20 minutes for normal buildup and light soils. The heat clean cycle is effective at eliminating baked-on messes, but the burning organic material inside can create smoke and fumes harmful to pets and children, and the oven is dangerously hot for up to four hours.

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Best Value

Whirlpool WFE515S0ES

The Whirlpool WFE515S0ES is an electric range with a dual expandable burner on the cooktop and a steam clean cycle to quickly clean spills with water and a cloth. While the oven’s cooking compartment isn’t quite as large some of the other ranges in our reviews, there’s plenty of room to cook a feast for your family, and it has convection functionality for even baking.

The oven’s capacity is 5.3 cubic feet, which is smaller than average when compared with some of the best ranges on the market. To help manage the space, the two included oven racks fit into five positions within the oven. The range weighs 168 pounds, which is less than many of the other ranges we reviewed. It comes in four colors: black, silver, stainless steel and white.
This Whirlpool model has a sleek ceramic glass cooktop that’s equipped with an expandable element that grows from 6 to 9 inches. The burners have maximum power of 3,000 watts.

It doesn’t have a power boil function per se, but the 3,000-watt burner can bring water to a boil fairly rapidly. The other burners measure 6 inches and act as low-temperature simmering elements. There is no low-wattage warming element on this cooktop. The lowest is 1,200 watts. But this is an attractive, functional, affordable electric range.

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Largest Capacity

LG LRE3193

The LG LRE3193 is easily one of the most attractive electric ranges in our lineup, with its futuristic design and advanced functionality. It is fully touch-automated and comes in three sleek finishes to complement the smooth black ceramic stovetop.

The first thing you’re likely to notice about the LG oven is the cobalt blue interior. There are five burners on the ceramic cooktop, including two dual expandable burners – one that grows from 6 to 9 inches and the other from 9 to 12 inches. It also has two 1,200-watt, 6-inch burners and a 7-inch that warms food with its 100-watt power. This cooktop an impressive 3,200 total watts of power.

The oven has the most powerful broiler element and largest capacity of any electric range in our reviews. It has 6.3 cubic feet of space and can broil food with a wattage of 4,200 and a heating element with 3,400 watts of electricity, giving it plenty of baking power as well.

This LG oven uses a specialized enamel to make cleaning easy. You simply spray the interior with water and press the clean cycle button. The low heat and water loosen baked-on food in about 20 minutes. When the clean cycle is done, you wipe it down with a cloth. That is incredibly fast when compared with some of the ovens in our lineup which can take between 40 and 180 minutes for self-cleaning.

This is the sole electric range with only touch pad controls. This makes the backsplash far easier to clean and adds to this range's sharp look. However, for its modern look, it's missing a couple of standard features. For one, it lacks an auto shut-off. That means you must closely monitor foods baking in the oven and turn it off at the proper time. It also lacks preprogrammed settings for foods like pizza and chicken fingers.

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How We Researched

We have been reviewing electric ranges since 2011 and have spent more than 120 hours researching them. Since the main function of an electric range is cooking food quickly and evenly, we focused on cooktop and oven features that facilitate that functionality. We compared the product pages of the ranges, watched videos, and read customer and professional reviews.

To select the best electric ranges, we focused on cooktop and oven capabilities, as well as extra conveniences and features. Our lineup consists of a variety of brands. Each of these ranges are free-standing, so they have finished sides, are flexible for remodeling and fit into kitchens of different sizes and varying decor. We also chose ovens of different capacities for families of all sizes. 

Why Trust Us

To find the best electric ranges for our comparison, we researched on the internet, carefully read through manufacturer websites for individual models, checked the fine print in user manuals, looked carefully at warranties and read consumer reviews. We spent time checking online videos, watching TV cooking shows and reading articles, cookbooks and cooking blogs. When questions arose, we called manufacturers to check facts so we could give you accurate information.

We also consulted with experts and industry insiders to get their take on some of the most important new features and to understand the direction electric ranges are headed. We consulted with Michael Ledford, the product director at Maytag and Brittany Whittaker, a Frigidaire marketing team representative. 

Ledford directed us to a blog on the Maytag site that makes useful and concise comparisons between gas and electric ranges. If you are debating between an electric or gas cooktop or range, this blog is a great resource to help you decide. 

Whittaker made comparisons between a freestanding electric range, like the ones in our reviews and built-in electric ranges. She said the main differences between the two are aesthetics and cost. “You’ll pay more for a built-in range, but you get a seamless integrated look,” she said. According to Whittaker, a good economical option is a front-control free-standing electric range. It has the look of a built-in range with a lower price tag, and the controls are in an easy-to-reach, safe position in front of the cooktop. We have more information from our discussions with these experts in our What to Look for in an Oven section below.

Keep It Clean: Range Maintenance 

When it comes to maintenance, smooth cooktops are infinitely easier to clean than their coil counterparts. With a specialized cleaner you can remove smudges and add a shine to your cooktop surface with relative ease. You can remove cooked-on messes with a scraper, spatula or even an old credit card. By regularly cleaning your cooktop and using proper cookware, you will get more mileage out of it and it will remain modern-looking much longer.

Ovens by nature are much more challenging to clean than an electric cooktop. Thankfully, modern electric ranges commonly have a heat self-clean feature. This feature uses extremely high heat during a cycle lasting two to four hours to reduce baked-on food stains to fine ash. This can produce smoke, fumes and odors that can be harmful to pets or children. 

Many newer models have also started to incorporate a steam clean cycle. These cycles use water combined with high temperatures to produce steam that dissolves food stains in 20 to 40 minutes. This is a safer option for families, eliminating dangerously high temperatures and harmful fumes, and it is a great feature for regular maintenance. 

Tools of the Trade: Cookware for Your Electric Range

When choosing cookware for the stovetop, you should know how to maintain the stove and the cookware. You can use common cookware like aluminum, stainless steel and cast iron, which are all compatible with the ceramic surface, but be aware of how they interact with the ceramic cooktop.

Aluminum is an excellent conductor and will cook food evenly. Aluminum will work well on this surface as long as the bottom is flat. You may notice your aluminum pots leave a skid along the surface of the cooktop, but you can remove these marks easily if you catch them early.

Stainless steel cookware heats more slowly than aluminum and generally cooks less evenly, but it’s affordable and easy to maintain. Like aluminum, stainless steel can also leave marks behind when you drag it across the cooktop, but these marks can also be removed if you clean them soon.

The biggest concern with cast iron cookware is there is more of a risk of leaving scratches or cracks behind. You need to be careful and lift cast iron pots and pans from one location to another on the cooktop. As with other cookware, flat bottoms are always better, but there is still a risk of leaving marks behind.

The Heated Debate: Gas vs. Electric

There is a lot to debate about the pros and cons of electric and gas ranges. Electric ranges are easier to install and typically less expensive initially than a gas range. Gas ranges, however, are less expensive to operate and may save you money over time. With proper installation both ranges should be safe, but gas ranges are more of a safety risk because of the possibility of a gas leak. Gas ranges heat faster than electric, and you have immediate temperature control on a gas cooktop. This is one reason gas is a popular choice among restaurant owners.

We talked to Nick Cash, a former restaurant owner from Utah. He and his brother owned and operated the Bistro 258, a popular restaurant in Ogden, Utah, for eight and a half years. Cash said they used gas in his restaurant for everything upstairs and on the main floor. They used an electric oven in the basement for baking bread and roasting vegetables. This was a good arrangement because gas would have been disallowed downstairs due to a lack of ventilation. “Gas was clean and quick to ignite, especially for the type of demand in a restaurant,” Cash said.

As for cooking at home, Cash said his wife Jolene loves to cook on a gas cooktop. “She loves having instantaneous flame and heat,” he said. However, he said Jolene is not crazy about a gas oven because she feels it tends to distribute heat less evenly than an electric oven. However, Cash acknowledged that their gas oven does not have convection capabilities, which could dramatically improve the heat distribution problem his wife has experienced. For these reasons, Cash says their next range will consist of a gas cooktop and an electric convection oven.

Types of Electric Cooktop Ranges to Consider

The type of range that is best for you will depend on the layout of your kitchen, and your specific needs, especially if you are remodeling. The three types of ranges include freestanding, slide-in and drop-in. Freestanding are the most versatile ranges when it comes to placement. They can sit between two cabinets or at the end of one. The backsplash controls on this type of range keep them out of your child’s reach.

A slide-in range has unfinished sides and is designed to be inserted between cabinets and match counter heights for a clean look. The controls are usually in the front of a slide-in range, making them easier to reach for both you and, unfortunately, your children. Therefore, child controls are especially important on this type of range. A drop-in range is the least popular type of range, partly because it is the most limited when it comes to design. It generally sits on a platform that is built into the cabinetry of your kitchen. Drop-in ranges are often purchased as a replacement for an old drop-in range.

Finding the Right Electric Range for You

The self-clean cycle uses extremely high temperatures to reduce baked-on food stains to fine ash. These cycles can take a few hours and create dangerous fumes. Newer models have incorporated a steam clean cycle that uses water and heat to clean ovens more quickly. Steam cleaning is not as effective at removing baked-on food stains as extreme-heat cleaning, so you’ll want to do it more frequently.

How Much Does a Electric Cooktop Range Cost?
Electric ranges vary widely in price. The models we compared cost from $625 to over $1,300.

While many factors contribute to a range's price, you’ll notice more expensive models have more stovetop features. For example, unlike their lower-price competition, high-end stoves tend to have more burners and burner options, including warming features, rapid boil features and triple burners. More expensive stovetops also have burners that cover a wider wattage range. As such, they can cook food more precisely. Of the brands we reviewed, Kenmore, Samsung and LG make the most expensive electric ranges, while Frigidaire, Whirlpool and Amana sell much more affordable options.

What to Look for in a Cooktop

The best electric stoves have expandable burners that fit two elements into one. The smaller inner element usually expands from 6 to 9 inches, while the larger outer element ranges from 9 to 12 inches.

The wattage is generally higher on these models than electric-coil ranges. Wattage indicates how quickly an element on the stove or oven heats up, not necessarily its temperature range. The higher the wattage, the faster the element reaches the heat level you want. Cooktops with a power-boil element often produce over 3,000 watts to boil water, stock or sauces quickly.

What to Look for in an Oven
Obviously, the bigger your family, the larger you want your oven capacity. Larger ovens require more power, especially if you have a convection oven. Double ovens are also a viable option for large families and enthusiastic cooks.

The best feature in modern kitchen ranges is convection cooking. Convection is the process of heat transfer by mass motion of air or fluid. Modern ovens are often equipped with fans in the back of the oven chamber to circulate hot air and eliminate cold pockets. This helps to produce evenly cooked food inside and out. Convection ovens tend to bake hotter than traditional models, so temperature conversion is necessary when following a recipe. This can take some getting used to, but it's worth it for tasty, evenly baked food.

Michael Ledford, product director at Maytag, identified two types of convection cooking that can enhance your cooking experience. The first is a single fan convection oven that continuously circulates heat throughout the oven. The second type is called true convection. “True convection adds a third heating element in addition to the fan, so your dishes not only cook more evenly, but can even cook faster,” he said.

We also discussed convection technology with a Frigidaire marketing team representative, Brittany Whittaker. She agreed with Ledford’s take on true convection technology. She feels that having the third heating element takes convection cooking to the next level when it comes to quick, even cooking. “It circulates hot air throughout the oven. This offers faster and more even multi-rack baking,” she said.