Ranges If your commercial operation prepares food over an open flame, you’ll need a kitchen range. The range is the powerhouse of the kitchen, so it’s important to choose one that meets both your cooking and aesthetic needs. Like residential ranges, commercial units can be either gas or electric. If you’d prefer to have a visual, responsive cooking experience, purchase a gas range. Gas ranges make it easier to judge heat and change from high to low settings much faster than their electric counterparts. Alternatively, electric ranges have smooth, elegant, easy-to-clean designs and come in one of three sub-categories. Standard electric ranges use coils to heat food, whereas you cook directly on the flat surface of smooth-top electric ranges. Electric induction ranges employ magnetic coils beneath a ceramic glass top to generate heat. The stovetops of induction ranges stay cooler than standard or smooth-top variations, but require special magnetic cookware to work.