Can You Upgrade an Electric Stove Top?

Types of Stove Tops

• Consumers can choose from several types of cooktops. The most basic electric stove tops have cooktops with a porcelain-coated steel surface, four burner coils and basic knobs. If you want to upgrade your stove top, you can replace the coil cooktop with a smoothtop of ceramic glass. You may also be able to upgrade your stove top to a smoothtop cooktop that uses induction for cooking. This type of cooktop uses magnetic coils underneath the glass to generate heat in cooking pans instead of on the stove's top surface.

Benefits of Upgrading

• Using a smoothtop instead of a coil burner reduces the amount of time you spend cleaning your stove. Food and liquids do not fall and drip, burning in the drip bowls underneath. You do not have to remove the rims and drip bowls to scrub them free of burnt food and oil. With a smoothtop, you can also easily accommodate odd-shaped pots and pans on the flat surface.

DIY vs. Hired Help

• While replacing a coil cooktop with another one can be completed by a homeowner, installing a smoothtop cooktop is more complicated. Manufacturers' manuals recommend hiring a qualified installer to replace the stove top.

Care

• A smoothtop is easier to clean than a coil-burner cooktop; however, you must not use abrasives on the ceramic glass. Wipe down the smoothtop with a cleaning cloth and mild dish soap each time you use the stove. You can also buy cleanser specifically made for ceramic glass to clean your stove top. To prevent scratches from cooking utensils, use a spoon rest.