Every cook needs a reliable stove. But Consumer Reports finds big differences in reliability based on its survey covering more than 67,000 gas and electric ranges bought in the last five years. Popular brands such as KitchenAid and Jenn-Air have proved among the most repair-prone.

"We do this survey every year, and while we don't have repair histories of individual models, we've found you're much less likely to need repairs if you buy from a brand with a good record of reliability," said Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman of Consumer Reports.

Among the most reliable electric ranges are Hotpoint, General Electric, and Whirlpool. The most reliable gas ranges include Hotpoint, GE, and Kenmore.

Pro-style ranges can cost thousands of dollars. Consumer Reports surveyed more than 500 of its readers who own one.

"The repair-rate is significantly higher for these expensive ranges. Of those bought in the last five years, more than a third needed to be repaired. And nine per cent of them needed to be repaired three times or more," said Kuperszmid-Lehrman.

Repairs for pro-style ranges averaged $100 more than repairs for standard stoves. It was also harder to find a qualified repair person for the pricier ranges.