IMHO, Miele. The individual timers alone would be enough to convince me.

I'm looking too and the timers on miele have peaked my interests. I saw a few brands today and really liked the electrolux with the flex to fit. element conforms to pan sizez 6.9 to 12 inches. I've got more research to do too. Good luck!

I don't have any experience with the GE so I can't comment on that, but I do have experience with the Miele. I have the 36" induction and after using it for 9 months, I have NO complaints. Thumbs up for the combination of induction and gas - the best of both worlds. IMO you'll use the induction more out of the two, but there are some things you can do on gas that you can't on induction, so you won't regret having both.

I am going with induction in the new kitchen and I ruled out GE early in the process due to the amount of clearance required under it. GE wants 12", which would preclude having a drawer underneath.

I traveled to a Miele showroom and played with one in real life, it's a terrific unit. I love those timers--they're a big reason I'm going with the Miele. It requires only inches underneath--can't recall how many off hand but it was only 3 or 4 IIRC. The controls were pretty easy to use and responsive. You can also program the unit to increase/decrease power in half steps, so that you have even more control.

The "Flex to Fit" feature is actually just something that induction does, no matter what brand you buy. The pan becomes the burner--so by it's very nature, the hob is flexible.

Have fun with your remodel!

Cj

Have you looked at the Bosch unit? If so, why Miele over Bosch?

I've had the GE Monogram 30" for 2 years and I love it. I chose it because I thought the burner arrangement was one of the best. The controls are very easy to use. The glass has not scratched despite numerous pan shakings (it's Schott ceran) and cleans easily. I have mine over a drawer cabinet, so the top (10" high) drawer is fake, but then I have two 12" drawers underneath that I use for pans. That meets the GE clearance spec.

What was unexpected? There's no fan noise at all, but most of my pans buzz a little on the highest setting. But I would buy it again: it's been fantastic. No regrets.

Enjoy your new kitchen!

@mls99: could you have made the 10" fake drawer a real one and used that drawer for pots/pans (non combustible items)?

I'm not sure how available it is to you but I loved my AEG 30". I had three drawers beneath it, one thin drawer which I used for table mats and two for pots and pans. Our house unfortunately burnt down but in the rebuild we are doing I'm just going to order the same one. I'm sure Miele's is wonderful but for us the AEG is enough and looks good as well. I found I used the timers less as time went on but they were still useful to have.

Sorry, just saw weiss528i's question: I couldn't have made the 10" drawer a real one for non-combustible items because of combustible nature of the drawer itself. So I should explain: I just have a fake drawer front.

And ooh, I'm jealous of the AEG: I really wanted the AEG zoneless system, but it wasn't available in the US. When I talked to the Canadian distributor, she confirmed that the electrics really do need to be different, so I couldn't even import it myself.

mls99, what do you mean when you say the "electrics really do need to be different"? When I spoke with the rep at Euroline, she told me they absolutely do ship to the US and there is no problem. It is not as if you were trying to use a European model as the ones in Canada are made for North America. I am planning to import one and I emailed with another poster who imported one last year. Just curious.

I like the Miele for it's larger elements, and the the space between them. I wish it didn't have the glossy top.

Another way to evaluate them it to review the user manuals. The Miele's was the best I saw but I don't think I looked at GE. I bought Wolf for its textured top, wish it had the Miele element sizes.idn't l

I've had the Thermador since November and it has matched all the hype I've read about induction. It does have individual timers and I honestly feel the silver mirrored version is the best looking cooktop available, although you are paying a premium for cosmetics only.

jl, with what color countertop did you pair the silver mirrored cooktop? Do you have a picture? It looks neat, but I was planning on soapstone countertops with a black AEG induction, but now I'm wondering...

cyn427, sorry I don't have a picture handy. We have black (nero) granite countertops, with stainless steel appliances, so the silver mirrored matches the other appliances pretty well. We pretty much picked that cooktop first and then designed the rest of the kitchen around it... lol.

MLS99 and CYN427,

I imported an AEG cooktop and two ovens through euroline within the past 6 months. My take on the electrics is 1) I believe that the electric would have worked anyway but 2) euroline says that the ones they have imported to canada are wired for canada... which is the same thing as the us in wiring (or close enough). So they discourage self importing and charge a big mark up to make the switch! LOL. Mine work great but it was... almost half again the price so much more expensive then self importing.

Hi again . I was an induction total devotee with an AEG/ Electrolux 30" [see my earlier post]. My new kitchen is now finished but my supposedly identical AEG cooktop is a disappointment. I'm still in the process of figuring out whether it's this unit or a general problem. I need to run it on 12 on a scale of 1 to 14 to keep it on a good simmer for a pot of spaghetti, previously it was 4 on a 1 to 10 scale. The controls are finger touch on sliding scale only rather than the plus/ minus.If it still has the U [keep warm setting ) I can't find it though presumably any of my lower end would work. I had been told there were no changes in this unit so I'm very frustrated. Has anyone out there had any issues with this unit or have any comments for me?
Thanks,

I've had the GE 30" Induction top since Dec. 2007 and I love it! I doubt you'll use those gas burners at all...

I've had no problems at all, no scratches on the top, it's not noisy. I rebelled and ignored the clearance requirements in the manual and put in a top drawer for spatulas, etc. just beneath the unit. I don't put anything super combustible (paper, fabric) in it, but I do keep wooden spoons in it. Now some would say, don't do that- you risk voiding the warranty, etc. Your choice. I can tell you I did it, I'm out of warranty with no issues, and it doesn't get that hot under the drawer. If I have all the burners going at once, I just open the drawer a bit for some extra ventilation -- that's probably not even needed. I think the clearance requirements are just for CYA.

Anyway, I chose GE because: I didn't want trim around the unit to clean, it was nearly flush with the counter (barely an 1/8" high), the burner arrangement had the large burner in the front - which is the burner I seem to use most and because I'm short I wanted it in the front, and finally - the price was right!

Hope this helps!

I'm considering the KitchenAid 4 burner induction cooktop because I like the look - no silver trim around the edges. Has anyone else bought this one?

I'm curious why nobody considered Bosch... It has true timers, and the 500 series and above offers the direct touch (i.e. you can set the cooking power by one touch and by typing the timer setting instead of using +/- to scroll).

Judy,

My brother has a radiant cooktop, years old, with black trim. The black paint has been nicked off in many places, revealing the metal underneath. I don't know whether the KA has black paint on metal, but you might want to see. Or just don't abuse the cooktop as much as my brother!

I'm getting the Bosch 500 because the only thing the 800 (soon to be discontinued, perhaps) does is that the 800 has a thing to keep the frying temp steady without fluctuation while adding new things to the frying pan. I rarely fry and love the individual timers, the absence of plus/minus or selecting the heat level with one movement, the arrangement of hobs, big in back, and I just like the darn thing. Scientific.

Nevertheless, generally speaking, they all are about the same and in use, will perform just about the same. So you have to move a pan here or there. Nothing monumental. It is a just because decision.