Brand new-about to buy new gas cooktop

[moonlace]

Hi to all! I am particularly happy to find this forum. I have been dabbling in what I call a transition diet to macrobiotic way of eating for a few months. I am resuming focus on macro cooking after a move and have found the brief browsing I have done today enormously helpful in breaking through some blocks to menu planning.

I'd love to hear others experiences with gas stoves especially a discussion of particular brands' performance. We are about to decide on kitchen appliances for a new house and I intend to have a gas cooktop. I have been told that in the manufactured house we will be buying, the oven will have to be electric, but there can be a gas cooktop. I want to choose one that works as smoothly as can be expected.

I am using a gas stove in the interim, and it appears to me that the way the burner controls work makes it easier or more difficult to regulate the volume of gas used. I always have to use a lighter as there seems to be no working pilot light. I have also tried to find 'flame deflectors' without success so as to cook gently. All help on this topic is very valuable to me and greatly appreciated.

Thanks
moonlace