What is the difference between a drop-in range and a slide-in range?
Start with the standard freestanding range. It has the controls at the back of the cooktop on a panel that sticks up several inches, a cooktop, an oven, and a broiler or storage drawer below the oven. A slide-in range differs from this in that the top surface is completely flat, and the controls are mounted on the front of the cooktop. A drop-in range is similar to a slide in, except you lose the storage or broiler drawer from underneath the oven. This makes the bottom of the oven line up with the bottom of the cabinets, and a cabinet kick panel fills the gap below the oven door. Don’t confuse a drop-in range with a drop-in cooktop, which is simply a cooktop with no oven that sets into the countertop.
