GUIDE TO GAS STOVE BURNERS: TYPES, SIZES & USES

WHAT ARE BURNERS AND HOW DO THEY WORK?

Gas stove burners are what heats your cookware to cook your food. They provide heat through an open flame that responds quickly to temperature adjustments, helping to save you time in the kitchen.

WHAT ARE GAS BURNERS MADE OUT OF?

Burners are often made with various components, each of which may be made with different kinds of metals, depending on the stove’s make and model. Often, these various burner components are brass, aluminum or porcelain enameled cast iron. For instance, stoves can have aluminum flame spreaders and porcelain enameled cast iron burner caps. Here are some of the qualities that help make these metals useful:

• Brass: This material is durable, offers great heat retention and typically has a long lifespan.

• Aluminum: Aluminum heats very quickly, cools fast and is typically a budget-friendly material.

• Cast Iron: Cast iron is ideal for high heat, thanks to its heavy weight and durability. It is often enameled for protection of the metal.

5 MAIN TYPES OF GAS STOVE BURNERS

Gas burners can vary by size, cooking function and recommended cookware. Understanding how each type of burner differs can help you get better results whenever you cook on your gas stove.

1. STANDARD OR ALL-PURPOSE BURNER

This burner style is typically medium-sized and outputs anywhere between 8,000-12,000 BTUs, making them ideal for everyday cooking techniques like pan-frying. These burners are often found in the back corner of your cooktop.

2. POWER BURNER

This larger burner typically offers high BTU outputs between 12,000-18,000 BTUs for speedy cooking, rapid boiling and high-heat techniques like searing. If your gas cooktop offers a power burner, it will typically be located in the front corners of the stove.

3. SIMMER BURNER

Often the smallest burner on the cooktop, the simmer burner often has a lower output of around 500-2,000 BTUs, although some models may vary. This is the ideal burner for simmering pasta sauce and melting chocolate, as well as other low-heat cooking activities.

4. DUAL-RING BURNER

Some gas cooktops offer a burner that combines both a simmer and a power burner all in one. Dual-ring burners allow you to go from a small, gentle flame to a large and powerful one, giving your cooktop extra versatility.

Select gas cooktops from Maytag brand offer the Power Simmer Dual Stack Burner that gives you precise control over your cooktop, allowing you to boil water rapidly or gently hold low temperatures to simmer sauces—all with one burner.

5. OVAL BURNER

Some stoves include an oval-shaped burner in the middle of the stovetop to help you heat longer cookware, like a griddle. The oval shape of this burner helps distribute heat to the surface area of large cookware and typically has an output of about 8,000-10,000 BTUs, but this may vary by make and model.

GAS BURNER BTU COMPARISON CHART

Since BTUs help indicate how much heat a burner is able to produce, understanding the BTU output of each gas burner type can help you choose the right burner for each meal.

These numbers are estimates and may vary by make and model

WHEN TO REPLACE GAS STOVE BURNERS

Over time, you may need to repair or replace your gas stove burners. Some signs that can indicate a problem with your gas burners could be an uneven flame, visible corrosion or issues during ignition.

If you notice a burner issue with your Maytag^® gas cooktop or range, you can schedule service with a licensed technician to help determine the best solution for the issue.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT GAS STOVE BURNER CONFIGURATION

Depending on the type of gas cooktop or range you choose, you could have anywhere from two to six burners on the stovetop. The best burner configuration for you depends on your personal cooking habits. 

If you’re only cooking for one, a 2-burner option may be the right fit, but if you’re often cooking large meals or meal-prepping for the whole week, you may want a stove with four, five or six burners to help get more cooking done at one time.