Safety First

• Look for a range that has a heat indicator, which shows you a red LED indicator to point out a hot burner. Some ranges even point out which burner is still hot. This feature comes in handy when you have children in the house or when you would like to know when the range cools, so you can you clean it. Even if smoothtop ranges have a glass cover, the glass still gets very hot and may cause severe injury if you touch it.
  
  

Get a Range With the Right Coverage

• Most ranges are 30 inches wide with varying lengths and heights. The 40-inch models usually have five burners instead of four. If you have a family of four or more, you might want to look for a range that has four cubic feet or more in coverage area, according to Lowes.com, Range Buying Guide. Don't forget to measure the space you have in your kitchen if you don't plan to modify it to accommodate a larger range.
  
  

Larger Burners

• Get a smoothtop range with burners large enough to accommodate the cookware you use. Some smoothtop ranges include a fifth large burner in the center. This burner accommodates large pots and pans that wouldn't fit onto a normal burner. Some ranges even allow you to set the size of your burner so you don't waste heat using a large burner for a small pot.
  
  

Programmable Ovens

• Unless you want to get a countertop range, your range includes an oven. To prevent having to check back on the food that bakes in your oven, get an oven that allows you to program cooking time and temperature. These ovens stop cooking even while you are busy doing the laundry, for example. Buying a smoothtop range with a convection oven will save time on cooking. Convection ovens cook 30 percent faster than conventional ovens.