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  • Design & Usability

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  • Before You Buy

  • Design & Usability
  • Performance
  • Before You Buy

Cooktops are made for cooking, not cleaning, though, and sluggish boiling speeds and insufficient maximum temperatures don't do this Whirlpool any favors.

The reasonable sub-$1,000 price, decent low temperature cooking performance, and easy-to-clean design are the WCG97US0DS’s main attractions. If you have to have a spotless kitchen, it will do the trick.

Design & Usability

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Good news for dishwasher-owners

Users who favor simplicity, convenience, and spartan design over flashy looks will likely appreciate this cooktop's minimalism.

Whirlpool WCG97US0DS grates

Hinged grates make for easy cleaning.

The cooktop boasts five burners, including an Accusimmer Plus simmer burner and central FlexHeat burner. The Accusimmer Plus burner has a single row of flames for simmering and a double row for searing and high-heat cooking. These burners are covered by continuous EZ-2-Lift hinged cast iron grates, which lift up to provide access to the surface below. They can also be fully removed for cleaning, and are dishwasher safe.

Burners are controlled by knobs located at the front of the cooktop. Like the grates, these knobs are removable and dishwasher safe. The cooktop also has raised edges to contain any spills.

Whirlpool WCG97US0DS controls

Control knobs are located at the front of the cooktop.

Performance

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The lower end of average

This cooktop earned fairly strong scores in some of our tests, and worse scores in others. Altogether, we’d say its performance was what we’d expect from an average gas cooktop.

Boiling times weren’t as fast as we’d like. The center burner was the only quick one, boiling six cups of water in just under five minutes. However, the right front burner, which was the second one to hit a boil, took more than twice that long. It was all downhill from there. Gas cooktops simply don’t boil water as quickly as electric or induction, but even taking that into account, the WCG97US0DS underperformed. We also like to see more than one fast burner on a cooktop so you can boil two items at once.

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The WCG97US0DS was able to reach lower temperatures without as much trouble, with burners hitting their mildest heat from 131°F to 224°F. High temperatures proved to be much more difficult, but we don’t expect the same kind of heat from gas cooktops that we’d expect from electric or induction. The burners reached their hottest temperatures in a range of 337°F to 362°F.

Before You Buy

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Convenient cleaning, but lacks top notch cooking power

The Whirlpool WCG97US0DS is an interesting beast. We don’t find it attractive, but some may appreciate the utilitarian design. Others may find the simple style just blends into their countertop.

Boil times and high heat are not this cooktop’s strengths, although we don’t expect the highest heat or quickest boil times from gas cooktops. It is, however, decent at low temperature cooking, and on sale it can be found for under $900—not bad for a five-burner gas cooktop with stainless trim and cast iron grates.

This Whirlpool’s greatest strengths may actually be the design features that make it convenient to clean. The hinged grates that can be fully removed and washed in the dishwasher, the removable and dishwasher-friendly control knobs, and the cooktop’s raised edges should help deal with the inevitable splatters and burnt bits that come with daily use. Bottom line? The WCG97US0DS is a reasonable purchase, and its flaws are offset by some nice features. Just don’t expect perfection or anything too fancy.

Meet the tester

Kori Perten

Kori Perten

Former Editor, Home & Outdoors

@Reviewedhome

Kori began her journalism career as a teenage fashion blogger and has enjoyed covering a wide variety of topics ever since. In her spare time, she’s an amateur poet, avid reader, and gluten-free cake baker extraordinaire.

See all of Kori Perten's reviews

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