With my slide-in Eluctrolux induction range, I'm fine using pots ~1" larger (or smaller) diameter than the hob its on -- talking about bottom-flat diameter here, not the (normally used) top of the pan. A 12" canner should be OK on the 10" hob; I'm less sure about a 10.5" stock pot on the 8" hob, although they'll fit side by side together (my cooktop width is 28"). Others here are looser about matching pots to their induction hobs; how picky you need to be may depend some on a particular brand and its sensors, etc. Plan on having Clearance on either side of the front of my slide-in range was a problem, because E'lux didn't say they assumed US style face-frame cabinetry rather than the European style frameless cabinets I have. Although both my oven doors are just a touch wider than 30", the top ~2" part of the range, in line with the corian countertop, is 31.5" wide; this tapers down to the oven door. So, your 7/8" clearance will be fine unless the door/drawers get too close to the bottom of your countertop. [Again, I'm assuming the freestanding model is the same as my slide-in E'lux; it may not be.] In my experience, my range was trickier to install than it should have been: e.g., it's picky about placement of the electric outlet in the back wall, and I needed a (free) service call from the local dealer to level it. It would be great to have someone around who's installed this range before. Given that you may need to order these brands online rather than from a local dealer, you might want to feel especially confident you can return stuff and get installation help, if needed.

I think the question is about ranges rather than cooktops. As the posts demonstrate, there is more flexibility with separate ovens and cooktops. It is possible to fit a cooktop over an oven in a lower cabinet, but there can be space constraints because the cooktops are often wider than their their nominal width might indicate. Very few 30-inch wide induction cooktops will actually fit into a 30-inch wide North American base cabinet. There is a discussion of this on "The Induction Site" which is linked below. The cost of going with a separate induction cooktop and electric oven can be a budget buster, and may involve additional costs. For example, it might or might not require some rewiring because of the need for having two separate 240v feeds (one for the cooktop, another for the oven.) Some houses are already set up for this but others may not be. Sometimes it is easy to do, sometimes not. In my old house, I would need have to have a subpanel installed or possibly may have to relocate and replace my house's existing panel with a larger one, assuming I figure out how to shoehorn the assembly in without a complete cabinet overhaul. So, I have been pondering induction range choices, too. I can say that hob layout does matter, but one size does not fit all. You have to think about how YOU cook, how YOUR kitchen functions, and what YOUR personal preferences are. Having the big burners in the back allows for having a touchpad on the control top at the front of the stove. Maytag/Whirlpool ranges do this. Some people like having the big pots in the back for reasons such as keep them away from small children. My own preference is to have the biggest burners in front, but I also want the flexibility of being able to run multiple large pots. The downside to this set-up, is that the controls go on the backsplash. Right now, I've only found three induction stoves which have controls on a front panel, the slide-ins by GE ($2500-$2700) and Electrolux ($3200-$3400) and Viking's induction range ($6700 and up depending on color options). These costs are above the stove budgets for some folks (me being one in that economic boat.) SO, in looking at the less expensive induction ranges, I ran into another set of issues about how well the hobs accommodate pans that are off center. I started a thread with some questions I had, but I'll summarize the point here as an example of how layout and design figure into the choices. This question came up when I was looked at the the new Samsung NE597N0PBSR 30" freestanding induction range. It has two 9-inch square burners on the left side and, on the right, an 11 inch diameter circular burner in front and a 6-inch diameter burner in the back. I took some pans along to get a sense of cooktop layout for the range. What I found was that my 12 qt. stockpot on the back burner gets pushed off center by the backsplash. The front side of the pot overhangs an inch or so over the boundary ring of the front burner. The stockpot's magnetic base --- which is what the induction burners "see" ---- is fine. It completely covers the back 6" burner and does not intrude over the front burner. The problem is that the pan flares wider and the sides overhang the front burner space. When I put one of my large frying pans (around 12 inches in diameter at the top), the stockpot pushes the frypan forward two inches and some. As far as I could tell, the frying pan's 8 1/2 inch base was still within the front burner boundary, but it is off center. I do this kind of thing all the time with my existing gas stove, but I do not how well it will work or not work with induction. The Samsung user manual indicates that it "may" not work with induction. I do not know one way or the other, at this point. So, more to think about. Here is a link that might be useful: The Induction Site

mmme - I'm very sorry you're experiencing disappointing performance for this important appliance. A couple more thoughts - my apologies again if they're too basic and you've already thought of them - just trying to cover all the bases: 1. When I'm boiling any quantity of liquid and I'm in a hurry, I'll often split it between two pots on two burners - if it's water we're talking about, it isn't necessary to wash the second pot so no extra cleanup. 2. A possible way to improve stir-fry/saute performance on a lower BTU burner is to use a cast iron skillet and let it sit on the burner on high for 5 or more minutes till it's really smokin hot. Do not put the oil in the pan beforehand or it may hit its smoke point; add the oil very carefully right before adding the food which will normally cool the pan enough that the smoke point isn't reached. Because cast iron is a great conductor and retains heat well, you can get very good searing/browning during those first 3-4 minutes (after that not as good but a lot of times it's enough to get your desired results). If you happen to be using the oven at the same time the cast iron skillet can be pre-heated in the oven and will then only take a few extra minutes on the burner to get good and hot (please remember not to grab the handle with your bare hand after it's come out of the oven - been there/done that/not fun!) 3. Would you want to consider, down the road & depending on space & layout, purchasing a single induction burner to take care of those times when you really need the extra speed & BTUs? Best wishes - hope at least one of these was helpful. RE Whoever heard of making pasta or corn on the cob with a covered pot of water? You don't have to make the pasta or corn with a covered pot, just use the cover to speed up the boiling process (which is generally what takes the most time and energy). This helps insure that you are cooking with closer to the same amount of liquid you started out with and does also save a little energy & help keep your kitchen from getting as hot and humid in the summer.

Try posting in the Appliance forum or the Kitchen forum. You'll find someone there with that hob,.