When you're designing a kitchen, sometimes it pays to think outside the range. A separate cooktop can afford lots of flexibility, in both design and how you use the kitchen. “A cooktop gives you the opportunity to break up the workspace into separate stations," explains designer Lucianna Samu. If there are multiple cooks in your household or you do a lot of entertaining, a cooktop lets you customize work zones and install them where they best fit into the traffic pattern. Some models have modular units that can be tailored to your cooking style. Built-in modules—such as a wok, deep fryer or steamer—or interchangeable ones, such as a grill and griddle, give you greater cooking flexibility and make cleanup easier.