A recent survey said the appliance people covet the most is a cooktop with a built-in grill, like the one by Wolf pictured above.  

Do you find yourself pining for professional-style kitchen amenities? If so, you’re not alone. A recent survey conducted by the Research Institute for Cooking & Kitchen Intelligence (RICKI) asked nearly 3,000 U.S.  consumers what type of appliance they would want most if cost wasn’t a factor. The top answer, chosen by 43 percent of  participants, was a “cooktop with a built-in grill, rotisserie attachment.”

Cooktops with grills can be found in many commercial kitchens, but grills are far from a standard feature on residential cooktops. (Note: a “rotisserie attachment” is also included in the survey response, but you’d be hard pressed to find a cooktop with a rotisserie attachment. They are typically found on outdoor grills.) Still, residential cooktops¹ with grills exist; and for those of whom cost is a factor, there are even some at reasonable prices. But I’m not going to start with those. Below are some cooktops with a grill, ranging from high-end to more affordable:

  Five Star rangetop with grill and griddle. 

• In the “money is no object category,” the likes of Wolf, BlueStar, and FiveStar all make some intense rangetops with a grill feature. We found a 48-inch pro-style behemoth from FiveStar listed for $4,484 at Abt Electronics (All prices referenced are from Abt. Prices do not reflect any manufacturer discounts or rebates.). It features four gas burners, a griddle and a grill.

 KitchenAid 48" rangetop with grill and griddle. 

• For about $1,000 less, KitchenAid makes a 48-inch cooktop with a setup similar to the BlueStar. It goes for $3,399. From a Btu standpoint, the cooktop is slightly less powerful than the aforementioned BlueStar model, but it still has the requisite features one would look for in a commercial-style appliance.

 Jenn-Air 48" rangetop with grill and downdraft. 

• Coming in at a pricepoint below KitchenAid is a $2,299, 48-inch cooktop from Jenn-Air. This model does not have a griddle. However, it does have a downdraft.Compared to the KitchenAid model, it has about 1,000 less Btus powering the grill. Also, the peak Btu output for the burners is 10,000; on the KitchenAid and BlueStar models it’s 20,000 or more.  

 Jenn-Air 30" cooktop with grill and downdraft. 

• The most economical cooktop with a grill is Jenn-Air’s 30-inch model priced at $1,199. This version only gives you two burners (max Btu: 10,000) and also includes a downdraft. The grill portion of the cooktop has a max of 8,000 Btus.  It’s one of the smaller cooktops you can find with a grill feature; most are at least 36 inches wide.

Of course, where there is a grill, there is smoke – often copious amounts – so if you are considering any of these grill-enhanced cooktops, we suggest you purchase something that was not on the wish-list of consumers RICKI surveyed: a high-powered vent hood.