Kitchen range vs stove (2024)

Kitchen range vs stove, Let’s find out what you’re looking for! Whether you’re purchasing appliances for your new kitchen or want to upgrade from the old one, you’ll have to choose between these two major appliances: a kitchen range or a separate cooktop.

While range and stove are words used interchangeably to describe the cooking appliance, they have their differences. A kitchen range combines a cooktop and an oven into one appliance. On the other hand, a stove comes as a cooktop alone without an oven.

If you’re unsure which of the two to purchase, you came to the right place. I will help break down the major differences between the two appliances and detail their pros and cons to help narrow your search.

Here are the key points to consider

1. Kitchen range refers to a unit that combines an oven and cooktop into one appliance.
2. Stove refers to a standalone cooking surface with burners, typically separate from the oven.
3. Ranges are often larger and offer more features compared to stoves.
4. Stoves offer more flexibility in placement and can be easier to install in smaller kitchens.
5. Ranges are typically more expensive than stoves, but offer more convenience.
6. Both options have different configurations and fuel options, such as gas or electric.

What is a Range Oven?

A range oven is an enclosed chamber that heats the air for cooking or heating food. Ovens often come as part of a kitchen range with a stovetop. However, ovens are also available as individual appliances, the most common being wall ovens.

What is a Stove?

A stove is a heating appliance with a top that is used to cook food. Some stoves have an enclosed space, but mainly, they have stovetops or cooktops that are removable. Stove tops support cookware when cooking food. Stoves can be portable or fixed. The more modern stoves use gas or electric burners, whereas the traditional ones were either coal stoves or wood burning stoves.

What is a Kitchen Range?

A range is a kitchen cooking appliance that features two appliances combined into one: a cooktop and the enclosed space as the oven. With a range, you can boil, sear, or sauté on the top while you bake, roast, or broil your meal in the inner cooking chamber. There are different types of ranges like electric, gas, dual fuel, slide-in, or freestanding models in the market.

• Gas ranges use open flames to provide heat and are the most common cooking appliances in most homes. With gas ranges, you get hands-on cooking experience controlling the heat levels and cooking techniques.
• Electric ranges have a smooth and flat surface that is simple to clean. Electric ranges use heating elements inside the oven and on the cooktop or stove to provide heat when cooking food. You can get an electric range with two or three adjustable rings to fit different lengths of cookware. Another option is the induction burners that use electromagnetism to generate heat when in contact with your cookware instead of relying on the cooking surface. The perks of the electric induction cooktop are that high temperatures and cooling down takes a very short time to achieve.
• Dual fuel ranges function by combining a gas cooktop with an electric oven. The advantage of this setup is that you get full control of the gas cooktop as well as even dry heat in the oven. The dry heat in the oven is crucial if you want your meals crispy and brown, while the even heat ensures consistently cooked food.

After deciding the type of fuel type range you want, you can proceed to pick a style. The most common is the freestanding and slide-in ranges.

Stove vs. Range: Which Type is Right for You?

The choice of one of the two major appliances depends on the kitchen layout, your cooking habits, and budget. A stove is cheaper to purchase but can be expensive in the long run if you have to install an oven separately. A range is a better choice because it offers two appliances in one, although you must dig deeper into your pockets. A range is also a better fit in a kitchen, whether freestanding or a slide-in. A range can also easily blend in with the rest of the lower cabinets.

Stove vs. Range: What’s the Difference?

In modern times, the words stove and range are used in place of each other to describe the kitchen appliance used for food preparation. A stove is an appliance that provides a radiant heat for cooking by use of gas or electric burners. Before modern kitchen ranges, not all stoves were used to exclusively prepare food, as some were used as heaters. There is a wide range of stoves including electric and gas heating stoves, pellet stoves, and wood burning stoves.

A range is a two-in-one appliance comprising both an oven and a stove cooktop. With a stove, you need to install a separate oven, while a range gives you both as one product.

Stoves are countertop mounted cooktops. However, a range installation requires a full-length break in the length of the countertop in order to fix it between the two separate counter pieces.

Range vs. Oven: Which is Which?

A range combines an oven and one or more attached external burners into a single appliance, allowing you to fry, boil, bake, or roast all in one space. An oven can be a separate appliance or part of a range, with a single or double oven cavity in either case. Wood and coal ovens are more traditional and had an internal wood fireplace, but modern-day ovens run on electricity or gas. Ovens come in two types: convection and conventional.

Pros of Using a Range

• It’s a two-in-one combo, reducing the cost of purchasing two separate appliances.
• You can fry, boil, sauté, bake, or roast all in one sitting, hence ranges are versatile appliances.
• Ranges are easy to install, whether freestanding or slide-ins.

Cons of Using a Range

• More expensive to purchase compared to stoves.
• Range ovens are fixed low; so, one must bend or kneel when cooking food.

Pros of Using a Stove

• A stove gives off a cozy, warm fire that warms up space.
• Gas stoves can cut energy costs in a home.
• Cheaper to buy and install compared to ranges.

Cons of Using a Stove

• Stoves are more prone to burning food or hands since the heat is regulated manually.
• It doesn’t include an oven, requiring you to install a separate wall oven.

Cooking Appliances for Ranges

Ranges are the most common kitchen appliance used for meal preparation. Whether using gas or electric burners, or run by both, the two most common ranges are:

• Freestanding ranges are standalone appliances since their sides are fully finished. You can place these ranges alone, at the counter’s edge, or between cabinets. In various models, you find a backguard where oven controls are located to prevent spills or grease splatters.
• Slide-in ranges are installed between cabinets to achieve a seamless built-in look. The controls in this model are usually located on the front; so they’re easy to reach.

Is There a Difference Between a Range and an Oven?

The difference is very slight, and it’s in the make depending on the appliance manufacturers. A range has an oven or more than one combined with a stovetop. On the other hand, an oven can be part of a range or come as a separate kitchen cooking appliance.

Range Ovens vs. Wall Ovens: What are the Pros and Cons?

Each option has pros and cons, and your pick depends on your style, the kitchen layout, budget, and cooking habits. Wall ovens can have more than one enclosed cavity, giving you more cooking chambers.

• Wall ovens are easy to install and placed at eye level; so you don’t have to bend or crouch when placing and removing food from the oven. Range ovens are the opposite since they are on the lower part of the range.
• On the other hand, range ovens are a bit more aesthetically pleasing and stylish than wall ovens.
• Buying a wall oven and stove separately can be more expensive than purchasing the range oven combination.

What to Choose: Range vs. Stove?

After weighing the pros and cons of these three major appliances: ovens, ranges, and stoves, your appliance of choice comes down to what makes your experience as you cook food in the kitchen easy. However, a kitchen range is the best pick since it incorporates two appliances.