When it comes to picking new kitchen appliances, which features should you pay for, and which ones should you forget?

“If you’re looking for an electric range, don’t even think about buying one without a smooth glass surface on top," says Sharon Franke, Food Appliances Director, Good Housekeeping Institute. "The old fashioned coils are being eliminated because they are so difficult to clean.”

And what are the options for gas ranges?

“Here’s one with a gap around the burner. It comes at a rock bottom price and you can see that spills could easily drip below the surface, either liquids or crumbs. We think it’s worth paying a little extra and upgrading to a sealed burner to make your life much easier in the long run,” says Franke.

“What’s really exciting about the selection that we offer is that we can get something for everyone’s needs,” says Rachel Devlin, Customer Service Representative, Best Buy.

How about upgrading to a self cleaning oven for an extra fifty dollars? “We think its well worth the money to avoid the task of cleaning it up yourself,” says Franke.

There are also options like a warming drawer. “This can add as much as $150 to the price of the range. If you don’t have money to spare, we’d say save it and re-heat things in your microwave oven," adds Franke.

“The least expensive refrigerators have old fashioned wire shelves. That means that spills can drip down. We think it is worth paying a little bit more and getting glass shelves that have rims all the way around the edge to contain the spills. It’ll make your life much easier in the long run.”

And Good Housekeeping says: don’t even consider a refrigerator without an “automatic defrost” feature. For more tips on finding the right appliance for your family, check out the August issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.