• Keeping gas burners clean ensures they function properly.Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
  
  Professional and home chefs generally prefer gas cooktops to electric ones. Gas cooktops tend to be more responsive and enable you to control the heat application better than you can on an electric cooktop because gas cooktops supply direct heat with a radiant flame, not a heating coil used by electric ranges to heat pots and pans. A flame creates instant heat, so food cooks faster and evenly. Gas cooktops contain several components to supply heat for cooking.
  
  

Grate

• Metal grates sit on top of the cooktop surface over drip pans and burners. They hold pots as they are heated by the flame from the burner below. Each burner has its own grate that accommodates most conventional size pots and pans.
  
  

Drip Pan

• Directly beneath each metal grate is a drip pan. Drip pans fit around the burner, so they don't disrupt the flame. They catch food debris and liquid spills from reaching the interior heating element and impacting the cooktop's performance while cooking.
  
  

Burner

• The burner supplies heat to the pots and pans above. It provides radiant heat at various flame levels based on the temperature control setting to cook food. Most conventional gas cooktops have at least four burners.
  
  

Burner Valve

• The burner valve controls the amount of gas emitted by the gas cooktop when it's turned on and off. As gas is released from the valve, it supplies energy to the flame. Depending on the temperature control setting of the burner, gas is dispensed in varying amounts to manage the heat applied to pots and pans.
  
  

Spark Switch and Igniter

• The spark switch and igniter are located near the burner valve in the gas cooktop interior. They produce a spark used to ignite a flame when gas is dispensed from the burner valve. The spark switch and igniter automatically turn on when the cooktop is turned on by the burner knob.
  
  

Burner Knob

• The burner valve, spark switch and igniter are all controlled by the burner knob. When you turn on the cooktop, the spark switch produces a spark that ignites a flame as the burner valve continuously disperses gas. Most stoves have multiple burner knobs that allow you to control the heat of each individual burner on the cooktop by turning it to different temperature settings -- low, medium and high. Burner knobs are typically located on the front side or top of the cooktop.