Electrolux EI36EC45KS Electric Cooktop review

The Electrolux EI36EC45KS is a 36 inch versatile electric cooktop suitable for families and large households.

Electrolux EI36EC45KS Electric Cooktop review
(Image: © Best Buy)

Top Ten Reviews Verdict

This is a well-designed electric cooktop with plenty of options to cook food precisely according to your tastes and cookware. It also has nice safety features that make it a good choice if you have small children.

Pros

  • +

    t has 15 cooking levels and 25 presets

  • +

    It has dual and triple element burners

  • +

    Hot surface indicator stays lit until burner is safe

Cons

  • -

    36 inches is harder to fit

  • -

    No bridge element

Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The Electrolux EI36EC45KS is a versatile electric cooktop with four burners, including a triple element and double element, which allows you to customize the burner to the size of your cookware. The ceramic surface of the cooktop has a smooth, modern look, and the design makes it easy to clean and simple to operate. You can set the touch controls to 15 different power levels and lock them when not in use. A timer keeps track of the cooking from one to 99 minutes and, at the end of the set time, shuts off the burner or adjusts it to warm at a precise level.

While most of the online customer reviews we read were positive, some people complained of receiving defective models. Some said they got the runaround with customer service when they tried to replace a model or get a refund. In terms of price, the Electrolux is a midrange unit that is a good value considering all that you get. Another cooktop with a number of worthwhile features, but an even more economical price, is the Frigidaire FFEC3025UB Electric Cooktop.

Electrolux EI36EC45KS: What you need to know

The design of this cooktop is well thought out. This 36-inch cooktop has a black ceramic glass cooking surface with two burners in front and two in back. This cooktop has a sleek design of cooktops and appreciate how easy they are to clean. Two of the front burners include the triple and double elements. The expandable element is one of its best features. With these, you push a button several times to reach the burner size you want. When you add up the triple and double elements on this cooktop with the single-element burners, you have a choice of seven burner sizes to precisely match your cookware and meet your cooking needs.

When a burner is in use, heat sensors under the ceramic top glow red, letting you know when the cooktop is not safe to touch. The hot surface indicator is an important feature, especially if you have children around. Once the cooktop is shut off, the letter H appears in the radiant element control panel until the burner is no longer hot. This Electrolux glass cooktop is great for quick boiling. The front triple element reaches a max power level of 3,200 watts, which will get your water boiling quickly.

You get an excellent feature that lets you save and store 25 preset options for specific foods you love to cook. For example, you can program the time frame for the dish to boil, followed by a time frame for it to simmer. This helps prevent overcooking things like rice and pasta. A digital display lets you know the power level and whether the burner is still hot.

This ceramic cooktop comes with several helpful safety features. One of the best is a locking function that shuts off the controls completely so curious children won’t get hurt if they try to play with them. The built-in timer will also give you peace of mind. If things get hectic and you lose track of time, the timer makes it less likely that you’ll burn dinner or start a fire.

Should you buy the Electrolux EI36EC45KS? 

The Electrolux is quite an attractive cooktop, with its smooth black surface and well-arranged burners and versatile features, like 15 cooking levels and 25 presets for making commonly cooked dishes just the way you want. The cooking and safety features make it a great electric cooktop for most kitchens, including families with small children.

Noel Case

Noel has worked as a reporter and editor for many online and print publications including the Salt Lake Tribune and the Ogden Standard-Examiner, covering diverse beats like education, city development and politics. He also wrote and edited an online monthly magazine for the nutritional supplement company Max International. Noel has degrees from the University of Utah and Weber State University in psychology, English and creative writing and is passionate about writing in all its forms.