How it works
These are the parts of a stove, or kitchen range: the cooktop from above, with gas burners on one side and electric coils on the other, then the range from the front with the oven seen through its door.
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The cooktop
On a gas cooktop each burner has a cap that spreads the flame, under a grate that holds the pan. An electric cooktop has coil elements sitting in drip bowls that catch spills.
The oven
The control panel at the back holds the knobs. Through the oven door's window you can see the broil element at the top, the oven racks and the oven light. The drawer below stores pans or keeps food warm.
- Grates and burner caps lift off a gas cooktop for cleaning; check the owner's manual first for how your model's come apart.
Questions and answers
What is the top of a stove called?
The cooktop, or stovetop. It holds the gas burners or electric elements; a range is a cooktop and an oven built together.
What is the drawer under the oven for?
On most ranges it is a storage drawer for pans. On some it is a warming drawer, which keeps cooked food warm or proofs bread dough before baking.
What is the broiler in an oven?
The broil element, a heater at the top of the oven that cooks food with strong heat from above.