Choosing the Right Range

Understanding the Basics

An artist is only as good as his or her tools, and a good chef would be foolish to attempt to execute a serious recipe without a solid cook space on which to work. Ranges may look a lot alike, but under the hood they're anything but. The first question to ask in evaluating your needs involves your choice of heat source: Gas, electric or induction. We’ll cover all of these options and more below.

• GasGas ranges have long been the choice of professionals, who use the open flame for more than cooking. With an open gas flame you can give food an impromptu char, ignite flambés, or even toast a marshmallow. Gas offers great flexibility and instant heat, but it also requires a careful hand and some know-how since the gradients on the dial are only approximate.
• ElectricElectric ranges, also known as radiant electric ranges, are familiar to many home cooks, featuring a glowing coil that transfers heat to your cookware. Electric elements heat up (and cool down) a bit more slowly than gas burners, but some cooks don’t want an open flame or don’t have access to a gas intake line. If you're switching from gas to electric, don't worry—all of your cookware will work just fine on an electric range .

"If you're switching from gas to electric, don't worry—all of your cookware will work just fine on an electric range."

• InductionThe latest way to cook doesn’t use heat at all. Induction cook tops use magnetism to heat cookware directly, leaving the surface of the range cool in comparison to both gas and electric, making it the most energy efficient of the three cooking methods. Induction ranges give you precise control over temperature thanks to a digital display. The totally flat surface makes it easier to move cookware around, and since it doesn't get hot, spills are easy to wipe up. However, cookware must be compatible with induction ranges and have a flat bottom. Glass, copper and ceramics don’t work with induction, nor do rounded pans like woks.

• HybridInterested in induction but don’t want to give up your ceramic Dutch oven? Hybrid ranges give you both induction and electric cooking elements, offering maximum flexibility.

Other Details to Consider

Once you’ve set on which type of range you want, you can move on to the big guy below it: the oven. Here are some of the key oven features you may want to consider when selecting a unit.

Convection

You can upgrade your baking and roasting by opting for a convection oven, which uses a fan to blow hot air over and around cooking food. The steady breeze reduces cooking time and cooks food more evenly.

Two Ovens in One

What’s better than one oven? Two ovens. If you don’t have room for two full ovens, check out the Samsung Flex Duo™ Range (NE595R1), which lets you split the single cavity oven into two smaller zones, allowing you to cook at two different temperatures.