The Frigidaire FFEC3225MB 32-inch electric cooktop is made of ceramic glass and has four burners and color-coordinated control knobs. The surface is available in solid black or white, giving you a choice in a category that typically only comes in black. The knobs are nicely integrated into the cooktop and don’t detract from its sleek design. They are placed on the side, out of the way of the burners, but they are all in a row instead of being aligned with the layout of the burners, which takes getting used to.
This is a basic ceramic cooktop that gives you two large 9-inch, 2,500-watt burners and two 6-inch, 1,250-watt burners. This cooktop lacks the flexibility of expandable burners. It also has the narrowest power level of any cooktop we looked at, which means it can’t reach the high or low temperatures of the other cooktops in our reviews, and you won’t be able to cook with the same precision as other cooktops in our lineup.
There are indicator lights on each burner and a single hot-surface light that glows after the cooktop is turned off for as long as it is hot. Natalie Walsh, Marketing Manager at Frigidaire, said the hot surface indicator is one of the must-have features because it alerts consumers when the cooktop is too hot to touch. It can prevent you or a child from getting hurt and lets you know when it’s safe to clean.
The knobs have nine power levels, so you can control how hot each burner gets and have four different pans of food cooking at different levels at the same time. This is an advantage when you need to heat items such as meat, vegetables, gravy and noodles all for the same meal and at the same time.
The burners have numeric ranges power levels, but also labels for the levels accompanied by numeric ranges. The instruction manual, which you can download from Frigidaire's website, recommends different levels for certain foods. There is a range of settings in between as well for other types of cooking. Multiple customers in the online reviews we read said it was easy to install and use.
You can cook with a wok on these burners as long as it fits the size of the particular burner and has a flat bottom that sits flush with the burner's surface. You cannot use a wok with a metal ring-style bottom. If you're a cook who must have more burners, check out the Maytag MEC9536B.
The Frigidaire FFEC3225MB is a nicely designed electric cooktop, and the choice of a white or black ceramic surface helps you match it to your kitchen's decor. It is a straightforward cooktop that offers the basic capabilities most cooks need. It is a sleek-looking appliance with four burners. The power level and temperature variability is somewhat narrow when compared with other cooktops we reviewed, but it is an affordable, functional cooktop with nice safety features.
