01.Introduction
CHOICE tests nine radiant ceramic cooktops priced from $649 to $1399
If you’re after a stylish cooking surface that’s easy to clean, has good cooking performance and a mid-range price tag you’ll be interested in a radiant ceramic cooktop. Coil elements lie under the continuous ceramic surface that has few to no dirt traps. These cooktops might not be as controllable or instantly responsive as gas or induction but they’re generally excellent at low temperatures for sensitive heating such as melting chocolate and are reasonably responsive to heating up or turning down.
Cleaning can often be a real chore with ceramic cooktops but with the right tools it’ll be quick and simple.
Brands tested
- Blanco BCCT63X
- Bosch PKE645C14A
- Delonghi DTCH60B
- Electrolux EHET66CS
- Fisher & Paykel CE604CBX1
- Miele KM 5600
- Omega OC65TA
- Smeg SA611XA
- Westinghouse PHN768U
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How we test
Our home economist, Fiona Mair, assesses each cooktop on its cooking performance and ease of use.
Performance
White sauce measures how well the simmer (smallest) element maintains a low temperature.
Rice measures how well the medium burner turns down to low from a high temperature.
Stir-fried beef with vegetables assesses the largest burner’s ability to produce continuous high heat.
Melting chocolate is a delicate food so this test measures how well the simmer element maintains the lowest temperature.
For ease of use, Fiona considers the positioning of the controls, handling and setting the controls and the marking and labelling of the controls and burner areas. She also makes an assessment on how easy each cooktop is to clean as well as identifying potential dirt traps.
For more information on Ovens and cooktops, visit our Kitchen section.
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