Upgrade Your Kitchen With These Best Gas Cooktops (2024)

With its exceptional grate construction, elegant stainless steel design and features like backlit knobs and a professional high-powered center burner, this 36-inch gas cooktop from the GE Cafe range offers great performance and luxury-inspired looks without luxury pricing. Five sealed burners ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 British Thermal Units (BTUs, units that measure thermal energy) provide the power and precision necessary for both quick boils and delicate simmers, and there’s an integrated griddle attachment for bridge cooking.

Unlike many cooktops that are one-size-fits-all, this Cafe model has easy-access knobs in four finish options — brushed stainless, black, bronze and copper — to match almost any kitchen design. Some reviewers note that the grates have scratched their cookware, but this is an issue with most gas cooktops with cast iron grates.

This popular Frigidaire Gallery cooktop fits five gas burners across a 30-inch frame for under $900, making it the most versatile and high-performing option for the price. Reviewers love this cooktop’s speed and efficiency at heating cookware, particularly with its 18,000 BTU center burner. This model also comes in black and stainless finish options.

Take note that some reviewers have complained of rusting underneath the continuous grates and discoloration from spills that aren’t cleaned immediately, and the 30-inch frame means more potential crowding between five burners — but this is still an exceptional cooktop for the price.

This feature-loaded gas cooktop comes equipped with Samsung’s smart home technology, enabling it to pair with the matching hood via Bluetooth for automatic ventilation and an app on your phone via Wi-Fi for remote monitoring. It also has the sleek, high-tech looks to match, with blue backlights on each knob.

This cooktop has five sealed burners with an exceptionally strong 22,000 BTU dual-burner for boiling and searing, as well as special features like an integrated griddle and wok burner. Reviewers love this Samsung’s performance and the quality of its grates, while some say the smart app is fussy and complain that the rubber feet below the grates aren’t durable.

The winner of our best gas range roundup, LG's smart range with ProBake Convection was the top performer in our Lab tests. It performed well in our stovetop evaluation with a max 17,000 BTU burner, but the oven is where this range excels: It consistently baked cakes and cookies in its spacious convection oven, browning perfectly even across baking sheets (though taking a couple extra minutes to do so). The broiler didn't produce super even browning, which is important to keep in mind when melting cheese on a baked ziti.

Its controls are easy to use and clear to see due to a slanted control panel. A smart feature we liked: If there's a problem, the "smart diagnosis" feature transmits data via your phone directly to LG Customer Information Center to troubleshoot without stress. Just keep in mind:some reviewers complain of rusting and discoloration issues both inside the oven and on the cooktop.

The Viking 5 Series model is an excellent option for serious home chefs who want a professional setup. With six burners ranging from 6,000 to 16,500 BTUs, this cooktop might not stand out as exceptionally high-powered compared to options with single 20,000+ BTU burners — but it has a higher average BTU rating across burners than most comparable cooktops and the highest combined rating of this list, providing the power necessary for all cooking tasks.

These burners are also evenly-spaced for maximum cookware coverage, with continuous porcelain-coated cast iron grates to prevent scratching. Keep in mind that Viking is also a luxury brand, which puts this price tag close to $2,500.

If you want to install a cooktop on an open island counter or other area of your kitchen where a hood isn’t an option, a downdraft cooktop with built-in ventilation is essential. This well-reviewed, four-burner 30-inch gas cooktop from KitchenAid has a central downdraft vent with three fan speeds that quietly whisks away smoke and cooking odors.

The KitchenAid’s four burners are well-spaced and range from 5,000 to 17,000 BTUs. Users love the downdraft vent and the continuous cast iron grates, while some complain that the rings at the base of the knobs can come off too easily and that the burners can scratch cookware.

Outfitted with five of the brand’s iconic star-shaped burners, this luxury gas cooktop from Thermador is an excellent pro-style option for any kitchen upgrade. The burners range from 9,100 to 18,000 BTUs and are covered by a continuous cast iron grate. The heavy-duty knobs have blue backlighting and a “push to turn” system for safer use.

Reviewers love this cooktop’s low simmer features for sauces, as well as the quick boil times on the center burner and overall build quality. Because Thermador is a luxury brand, this model is priced to match at $2,500.

Size: While there are cooktops that fall outside this range, most gas cooktops on the market are either 30 or 36 inches across. We prefer the flexibility of a 36-inch cooktop for fitting many different pots and pans at once across multiple burners. However, more compact kitchens will call for a 30-inch cooktop. Choose the size that’s right for you and your cooking habits.

Number and layout of burners: Most gas cooktops have between four and six burners, with five being the most common. While the number of burners is important and should correspond with how large and varied of meals you tend to cook, you should also consider the layout of the burners on the cooktop. Five cramped burners is no more useful than four well-spaced ones — make sure you can fit all the cookware you tend to cook with on the burners provided.

Power (BTUs) and variety of burners: The power of each gas burner is measured in BTUs, or British Thermal Units. You’ll want to look for a gas cooktop with a good variety of burners and a high average BTU — one 20,000 BTU power burner for boiling water is great, but it’s best to have a couple burners above 12,000 BTUs. You’ll find that luxury options tend to have a higher BTU average, while cheaper models have single power burners and more low-powered options. Note that lower-power burners are still important for simmering sauces and cooking slowly.

Grate style and material: Gas cooktop grates come in a variety of styles, but the most important thing to look for is that the grates are continuous, meaning they cover the surface of the cooktop end-to-end to prevent gapping, tipping and shifting of pots and pans. You also want elevated grates that can be easily lifted to clean up messes. Most grates are cast iron, which are heavy and durable, but are harder to clean and risk scratching your cookware. Some grates are enameled cast iron, which are easier to clean but risk chipping. Choose a style that’s right for you and your preferred cookware.

Design and finish: Unlike electric and induction cooktops, which largely tend to have smooth black glass finishes, gas cooktops come in a variety of styles. Some have interesting hardware in multiple finishes, some have white or blue backlights on knobs, and some have star-shaped or hexagonal grates. While most gas cooktops have a stainless steel finish, many are also offered in black or black stainless. Choose a cooktop with a design that suits the rest of your kitchen — there are classic and contemporary options available from different brands.

Ventilation: All cooktops need to have the proper ventilation, and this is particularly true with gas cooktops, which produce actual flames. Installing a corresponding ventilation hood over your cooktop is the most common option here, but some gas cooktops include downdraft ventilation with a fan and vent system built into the appliance itself. Consider a downdraft cooktop when installing a hood isn’t an option or will negatively impact the design of your kitchen.

Special features: Gas cooktops often include special features such as griddles, wok burners, smart home connectivity and power and simmer burners. While some of these options may be useful to you, particularly the specialty burners, make sure to prioritize strong performance and a simple design that fits into your life and budget over bonus features.