Kitchen Products Review: CooktopsHot Tops: Manufacturers fuel their latest cooking surfaces with a powerful dose of gourmet features.

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The good news is that there's a size and design loaded with advanced cooking capabilities for every budget and preference. Some prefer a more minimalist integrated look even when space is not a commodity. Sheri Sauls, director of purchasing for the WCI Communities Palm Beach Division, especially likes the newest streamlined cooktops, such as Kenmore's European-style 30-inch, four-burner gas-on-glass with its sculptural controls, dishwasher-safe grates, and sealed burners.

“They blend seamlessly into the appliance package,” she feels, “which is far superior in our market to the bulkier versions that take up an entire island.”

Yet at the high end, the professional style shows no signs of abating. “Our clients still want that big restaurant look,” claims David Heigl, vice president of Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Orren Pickell Designers & Builders. In particular, he adds, they like the griddle and grill options.

Noteworthy introductions in this category come from several sources. The Grand Veneur from Morice, a Lyon, France-based manufacturer available through BKE Supply, spans an impressive 71 inches and can be custom configured to the customer's specifications with the likes of a French plate, high-powered gas burners and/or electric elements, an electric steamer, or a deep fryer.

Another newcomer, the 36-inch six-burner Vintage Professional in polished stainless steel, also from BKE, offers a basic package. But it does provide all the essential bells and whistles of this genre—20,000-, 18,000-, 15,000-, and 12,000-BTU burners, an ultra-low simmer, angled control panel, indicator lights, and easy-care spill pan—for under $2,000.

The Electrolux Icon brand brings this super-charged look to the electric front with a substantial stainless steel six-element, 36-inch slide-in, complete with 4,400 watts of power, large professional knobs, and concentric ring and bridge elements.

Familiar faces include Jade with a fresh 24-inch-deep flush-to-cabinet design for its 36- to 48-inch gas cook-tops, and Thermador boasting improved 15,000-BTU five-point burners providing full pan heat distribution as well as an extra-low simmer.

Upping the ante on style and utilitarian appeal—all the while echoing that semi-pro feel—Wolf's newest 30-and 36-inch gas cooktops sport a lower, sleeker profile and dual-stacked burners all equipped with a True Simmer feature.

Meanwhile, Caldera remains true to its technological expertise with its first stainless steel unit featuring grates designed for improved heat control, a safer electronically enhanced ignition system that minimizes the occurrence of annoying clicks, the ability to power up to 18,000 BTUs and down to a gentle 150-degree F cooking temperature, and an easy-to-clean glass control panel with graphics screened on the underside so they won't wear away.

“Cooking enthusiasts will always choose gas [cooktops] over electric when they can,” says Brian Maynard, KitchenAid brand director, integrated marketing. “For one it is more efficient and it is more reactive. It's on when it's on and it's off when it's off.”