When you cook on your stove, you can end up with smoke and strong odors that linger around your kitchen for hours or days on end. While it’s true that a vent or range hood can eliminate the odors and smoke while improving your ventilation, they can be bulky with a difficult installation process.
This is where the best 30″ gas cooktop with downdraft comes in, and it’s able to get rid of smoke from cooking and food odors while maintaining a slender profile to save space. We’ve picked out five great options, and you can use our buying guide to compare them and make your final decision.
Want something bigger? Check out the best double oven gas ranges!
Best 30″ Gas Cooktop With Downdraft 2024
GE Profile Series 30-Inch Built-in Gas Downdraft Cooktop
This cooktop has a unique design with four burners, and it comes with burners with 11,500 BTU. This makes them all-purpose burners that deliver a broad range of cooking power to any food items you want. The flames will go slightly higher than the countertop with this model as well.
There is a five-inch round exhaust with this product that works very well to help get rid of any stray smoke or odors that your cooking can produce. It comes with a built-in glass that gives you a very modern and sleek profile that can help your kitchen look more expensive and chic. There are a few colors to choose from to help you seamlessly match the decor in your kitchen.
You’ll enjoy sealed burners that help prevent any liquids from spilling onto the countertop, and this feature makes cleanup quick and easy each time you use it. This is a very user-friendly model that is easy to operate and get the perfect temperature. The knob control also adds a layer of convenience to this GE Appliances cooktop, and the exhaust runs quietly so it won’t disturb your cooking time.
Pros
- Multiple fan settings on the blowers
- Liquids won’t reach the countertop
- Very sleek and modern design
Cons
- Iron grates sit slightly too high
- Black glass can develop watermarks easily
- Control knobs are plastic and less durable
GE Profile 30″ Gas Downdraft Black Glass Top Stainless Steel Trim
The all-purpose burners on this downdraft cooktop seamlessly deliver 11,500 BTU quickly and evenly to keep your cooking times down. The gas on glass cooktop is very sleek, and this design makes it a very easy to clean surface that you can wipe down between uses to keep it looking like new.
The powerful downdraft exhaust system on this cooktop will easily pull smoke, steam, and odors away from your kitchen and home to keep it smelling nice when you cook, and the product comes with a sleek profile that will blend well into most decors and design aesthetics.
The knob controls on this cooktop introduce a convenient element to it, and you get a modern look with them. The four sealed burners prevent liquids or food particles from getting down into the cooktop body. It has a stainless steel trim that looks nice and sleek when you set it against the black design. There is a variable fan speed with three settings, and you get standard grates when you order it. It uses an infinite heat rotary control type.
Pros
- Downdraft is very powerful and quiet
- Black coloring with stainless steel looks sharp
- Sealed design keeps food out
Cons
- Slightly more expensive option
- Shows watermarks and fingerprints
- Need a professional installer to set it up
KitchenAid 30″ 4 Burner Stainless Steel Gas Downdraft Cooktop
This product combines cast iron and stainless steel to help it match your current kitchen appliances, and the cast-iron grates create an even surface to cook on that allows the pots to slide on easily. The four burners have two high-powered options, one medium-powered option, and a low-powered option.
There is a burner cover that allows you to warm items to cook more smoothly, and you get a very good temperature regulation capability with this product. The downdraft is stainless steel that resists rust and corrosion while pulling out smell and fumes, and this product comes with a very quiet exhaust fan equipped.
You’ll get an excellent cooktop that combines aesthetics, functionality, and price in one eye-catching and durable design. You get the same benefits that you’d get with a wall-mounted range hood vent at a fraction of the space. The automatic re-ignition setting ensures that it’s always on and ready to use. You get a propane conversion kit when you order this KitchenAid cooktop, and this system is very easy to clean between uses to keep it looking like new.
Pros
- Has a powerful vent included
- Equipped with a warming cap
- Easy to clean and maintain between uses
Cons
- Vent can pull the flame
- Finish can chip away and flake
- Stains may not come off easily
Frigidaire Professional 30-Inch Gas Cooktop
The final entry on our list comes from Frigidaire, and this cooktop has a stainless steel design with durable cast-iron grates. You get an impressive five burners while the one in the center having a lot of power. You can use it to tenderize meat or boil food. The left rear and front burners have 9,500 BTUs each to allow you to grill kebabs and burners.
You can easily cook a broad range of food on this cooktop because it has different power levels for all of the burners. There is an automatic re-ignition system on this product that will light it automatically if it goes out. The cast-iron grates can easily hold larger pots and pans without fear of them tipping over or sliding off the surface.
The stainless steel design gives this product a very luxurious look and feel. The knobs are very stable and durable while introducing a modern look. The knobs come conveniently located out of your way right on the front of the cooktop. This product is easy to clean between uses, and you get a conversion kit when you order that adds to the versatility.
Pros
- Stainless steel with cast-iron
- Five burners instead of four
- Knobs are very durable
Cons
- Slightly more high maintenance
- Coating can scratch easily
- Takes a few minutes to light up
Buying Guide for the Best 30 Inch Downdraft Gas Cooktops
What should you look for when you start buying your new downdraft gas cooktop? Are there some buying criteria that are better than others? This buying guide will highlight everything you need to know about this product so you can narrow down your choices and pick out the best one.
How Does a Downdraft Gas Cooktop Work?
Downdraft gas cooktops come with vents installed right into to the cooktop to efficiently pull fumes and smoke away from the area. It removes steam, grease, odor, and smoke through an exhaust fan in a downward motion. The smoke and smells go through several ducts before going outside.
Downdraft is a nice alternative to traditional under cabinet range hood vents. When you get a range hood vent, you have to have a lot of space when you install it, especially if you get a wall mount range hood.
Read our full comparison between downdraft and vent hoods: Downdraft VS Hood.
It’s your job to put the exhaust together right in the cooktop. However, they can come with two different types of exhaust systems attached to them. We’ll outline them for you below.
- Active Downdraft Exhaust System – This is a system that you have to activate before it starts by pushing a button. You’ll find the vents at the rear of your stove with this type of exhaust. When you push the button, the fan will suck the steam, grease, and smoke through several ducts in a downward motion before expelling them outside.
- Central Downdraft Exhaust System – As the name implies, this exhaust utilizes a central system when it works. You’ll find it located in the center of your cooktop, and this is a stationary system. There are extractor fans located under the cooktop that pull air downwards before expelling it outside. No matter what you’re cooking, it’ll pull the steam, smoke, and smells away.
Exhaust Rating
You’ll find that your downdraft gas cooktops vary wildly in their exhaust fan’s efficiency and strength. The rating for exhaust fans tells you how much air they can suck in once you switch them on, and this measurement is in cubic feet per minute. This is how much air your fan will suck in every minute, and the higher the number is, the more powerful your fan is. A CFM rating of 300 means that it’s powerful enough to remove the odors and smoke from stir-frying and searing food.
Brand
You want to get your product from a reputable brand. Going with a well-known brand is one way to help ensure they use quality materials and are available if you have questions, issues, or concerns. There are dozens of brands available, and this means there are hundreds of downdraft gas cooktops available. A few of the best brands include but are not limited too:
- General Electric
- Bosch
- Kenmore
- Frigidaire
- KitchenAid
Exhaust Installation Process
Some of these cooktops require that you install an exhaust pipe that runs from the cabinet under the range outside. The exhaust pipes you have should be very straight and hard to ensure all of the fumes and smoke pull outside as efficiently as possible. A straight and hard exhaust pipe can also ensure that your fan runs quietly when it’s on.
Variable Fan Speeds
Many brands offer downdraft gas cooktops that have fans that run at a few different strengths. You can turn it on low, medium, or high, depending on what you’re cooking. If you notice that the fan is negatively impacting the burners and pulling the flames, having variable settings allow you to turn them on a lower setting to stop the interference. You’ll most likely notice interference only when you have the fan on the highest setting.
Filter Replacement Recommendations and Cleaning
There is a filter in this product that you have to clean every 6 to 12 months at a minimum. You can clean this filter by washing it with hot soapy water before rinsing it in clean water. Let it air dry before you return it to your cooktop. Some companies recommend that you replace this filter every five cleaning cycles, and this can be expensive. Don’t use your system without this filter.
Burner Strength and Numbers
Most cooktops come with four burners on them, but you can get products that have a fifth burner in the center of the cooking space. All of the burners usually have a different BTU rating, and this makes it easy to cook a broad range of food at the same time. Double-check the number of burners and the power rating to ensure it matches your needs.
In Conclusion
Our pick for the best 30″ gas cooktop with downdraft is the GE Profile Series 30-Inch Built-in Gas Downdraft Cooktop because it gives you all-purpose burners that allow you to cook a large range of food. We liked that it’s powerful enough to push the flames slightly over the countertop, and the five-inch exhaust fan effortlessly pulled fumes and smells out of the area.
The built-in glass layer made cleanup a breeze while adding to the elegant and chic look that this cooktop gave off. The sealed design kept liquids and food particles out, and it’s very easy to regulate the temperature throughout the cooking process to ensure your food came out perfect.
Last update on 2024-12-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API