I've always thought electric stoves weren't worth the trouble. My brother burnt himself pretty badly on a stove that looked off but wasn't, and I've been wary of them since.

For energy-efficiency minded folks, you don't see the same benefits from upgrading to a new electric stove, compared to say, a new fridge or new washer/dryer, dishwasher. The energy saving advances seen in those other has been HUGE over the last 10-15 or so years. That said, if you want energy efficiency:
1. Get an self-cleaner because the extra insulation and tight seal required for modern s.c. stoves also helps save energy when using the oven.
2. Don't place your fridge and stove side by side. One's for making things hot, the other for keeping things cold... and they make each other work harder. Tip: if you don't have any other option, use an inch or two of styrofoam sheet between them (as we have).
3. Move to Europe. Seriously, though. The historically high cost of energy over there has forced them to develop extremely efficient ways of using electricity (and gas!). Unfortunately, their stoves aren't readily available to the NA market. But let me know if you hear of any!

A colleague at work just installed an induction cooktop (I dunno if they're available in range form) and loves it. He can't stop talking about it either. The salient points:
1. Much more energy efficient (90% as opposed to 65% for ordinary electric)
2. Saver, as the cooking surface doesn't actually get hot.
3. Easier to clean, as the cooking surface is flat and spills don't get "cooked"

I would go for a Siemens induction top if I could. I have a Siemens regular ceramic top, and it´s great. The safety issue, and the energy saving, is a big plus for the induction tops. :) Unfortunately, I have no idea of the price range in the U.S., I suppose they´re in the mid range in Norway and the rest of Europe. Good luck!

I have a Sharp Insight Range that I like a lot. It has a microwave, oven, cooktop combined into one. They are sort of spendy new. 2000 I got mine cheaper with dents on the sides. it is not noticable when in place.

RE: induction cooker

Stylish AND energy efficient AND no more burns (cool-top)!
On the other hand, since it operates on a technology that calls for tight specifications in pots and pans, you may also incur the additional cost of replacing all or most of your pots and pans at the same time as you replace your stove.

That said, if cost were no object, induction would be the way to go!

I really wanted induction for my new kitchen - we're going all electric in an effort to avoid using fossil fuels, and induction is really efficient. We'd picked out a Diva model, but ended up switching back to a regular electric range because of cost - it was $3000 more for the induction cooktop and separate oven!

I ended up choosing KitchenAid's Architect II slide-in range (Model #:KESS907S) for various reasons:
Reasonable price
Highly rated by Consumer Reports
KitchenAid is made in the USA, so won't be shipped as far
Smoothtop is easier to clean than coil
Convection oven - this was a must for me!
Nice controls, not too complicated
Like the slide-in style and black color

It'll be delivered next Monday, and I did a lot of research, so hopefully that choice will work out well!

BTW, I don't think Siemens sells induction in the USA - the only brands we had available to look at were Diva, Electrolux, Viking, Kenmore and Thermador.

I have a thermador radiant heat ceramic top in my kitchen and am suprisingly ok with it. It is the stove the people before us picked out and I had reservations, because I had always used gas before. I thought we'd swap it out right away, but it is very responsive and easy to clean. Not like the old style coil electrics of our youth. You just have to get used to which number is the right temperature for which application (e.g. 7 to sear, 9 to boil, 3 to simmer, 5 for pancakes)

One thing I've heard about electrics is that they are more energy efficient, and I believe induction are the best. My biggest issue at this point is this - when you need to take something off the heat, you have to take it OFF the heat, and there is only so much counter space in New York... alas. But induction would take care of that problem, but I'd have to change out most of my pans.

I have a Maytag Gemini (double oven) one is convection. i cook and bake alot....the convection oven works just like the gas for baked goods. To me, the cooktop works like gas...mine does not stay hot when you don't want it to...it is extremely easy to clean. I love having the 2 ovens in a 30 inch space. I even use my 65 year old cast iron pans on the cooktop. I like it alot.

Our new Jenn-Air electric range's top changed color to let you know that it is still hot. As temp drops, color turns back to white.

Sisterrae: Avoiding fossil fuels is one thing. Going "all electric to avoid fossil fuels" is another. The bulk of the electricity in the U.S. arrives via coal. Not only a fossil fuel but the dirtiest (and cheapest).

I'm not suggesting its a bad idea, as some companies allow residents to specify their power source from renewables (wind and biomass typically), but the energy must come from somewhere.

In the past 5 years anyone who has looked at the energy & environment issues has come to the conclusion that the one single thing that will have the most significant impact is conservation. I.e. we need to use less.

Cheers!

SeanG, normally I'd agree, but in Vermont most of our power is hydro or nuclear (which has it's own issues, of course), and we can pay extra for "Cow Power" - methane from cow manure (http://www.cvps.com/cowpower). None of it is coal. Since there are no gas mains in our area, we wanted to avoid installing a propane tank - hopefully we'll go solar someday if the price drops. Agreed about conservation and efficiency being the best choice!

We have "Bullfrog Power" here in Ontario. That's wind power and low-impact hydroelectric power. But I would be absolutely thrilled to be able say that my electricity was produced by flatulent cows. "Cow Power"! What a gas.
Lucky you!

We redid a kitchen a year ago. I think my favorite purchase, and the one I was most worried about, is the GE induction cooktop. Yes it required a new set of pots and pans, but we downsized during that process. The cooktop is black, sleek and flush mounted. It looks spectacular. But two functional characteristics make me happy day after day. First, it heats up and cools down in a flash. It's probably more responsive than gas, in my opinion. Second, it cleans like a dream. As much as I loved cooking on gas and loved the industrial look of the great gas stoves out there, I'm a stickler for a clean stove and couldn't imagine lifting those big grates and scrubbing to get the burned on milk or tomato sauce off the surface. I have zero regrets!