Daven, I'm a convert, too! No, it's not a 220V, but I figure that 1.8KW is about the size of the smallest burner on a "full size" cooktop, so it's a fair trial of the technology. And it beats the living daylights out of ANY burner on my 11 year old Jennair smoothtop electric range, even the 'biggest' one. Can't wait for the remodel now. I like that it's so quiet, too. You can hear the fan, but it's not at all loud. Cj

As far as the frame goes, is it common in the history of unframed cooktops to chip the edge? Because I like the unframed ones, but if something is breakable, I'll break it. To sort of answer a question instead of asking more, it appears that different manufacturers have different ventilation requirements beneath them with GE (Profile and Monogram) being the most demanding. But even the GEs will permit an oven beneath. As far as oversized pans, my experience is limited to shopping for a new model (so only what I've read) and using a fairly old model (so not necessarily applicable to new models). I use a 15" skillet and it's fine. I do let it preheat. My oversized pans are cast iron which holds heat pretty well so there aren't any cold spots (for about a half hour after I finish cooking, actually). I suspect a flimsy stainless pan might not do as well on the edges. I think the nicer stainless pans will probably be fine. BUT, I don't know if a modern cooktop will permit it--they have safety features and might cut off power if things get too hot. So I can say the basic technology plus correct pan will work, but whether or not a particular cooktop will work is another question. Oh, LG has a bridge element in a 30" cooktop. No idea if it's a good cooktop, but it's the only one with the bridge. So, uh, if your 12" pan were sort of oblong... There doesn't appear to be a big difference in controls (except Gaggenau which only is in 36" anyway) except where they are located on the cooktop. Sure, some have more levels (insert Spinal Tap joke here), but what bugs me most is that you can't just pick 5. You have to go taptaptaptaptap to get to 5. Nobody complains about it except me and I've never used it so it probably is just fine. I think they are all too new to speak about reliability, but again I can verify that the technology itself has the potential to hold up. Mine was installed around 1983 and works well enough I might not replace it when I remodel. Have you visited theinductionsite.com?

Let me try to put you mind at rest on cookware. On flaking of enamel from enameled cast-iron, you'll need to check on specific brands. I recall (but cannot find) a chowhound discussion of this last winter. The gist of it (IIRC) was that the less expensive brands were more likely to experience enamel flaking and the most typical offenders were Martha Stewart, Mario Batali and Rachel Ray brands. You will find some reports on Tramontina and Lodge pots, but most folks seem happy with them. The Tramontina 6 qt. dutch oven model was running about $50 at Wall Mart. The most recent Cook's Illustrated magazine (May-June 2013) says it performs nearly as well as brands costing five times as much (e.g., Le Creuset and Staub). There is also Lodge's own line of enameled cast iron dutch ovens which cost more than the Tramontina line but are still less than half the cost of Le Crueset and Staub. A friend of mine bought one of the "Kirkland" enameled dutch ovens from our local Costco for (I think) about $80 last winter. I do not know if that pan is made by Tramontina or Lodge, but it seems to be work very well and has not flaked on the interior. (She's using it on an old coil burner stove, btw.) So, plenty of alternatives to LC. On non-stick: the stuff is inert when it flakes. Internet research will turn up a lot of paranoid (and mostly fact-free) raving about non-stick just as there is with induction, itself. Did you know, for example, that induction cooks food in half the time of other stoves because it works like a microwave but does not contain the "low frequency radiation" which makes induction dangerous to your health, and that it may send current into your body if you use a metal spoon? That must be true because somebody posted this on the 'net! :>) To be sure, there are some real problems with NS coatings, even though poisonous/toxic flaking is not one of them. The actual problems with non-stick coatings are: (a) the chemicals used during the manufacturing process can be hazardous to the factory workers (e.g., toxic and/or carcinogenic). Those chemicals do not get passed on to the consumers who buy the finished products, but the potential risks for the workers may make your conscience uneasy about buying NS products. (b) getting a NS pan too hot (as in over 650F) will cause the coating to decompose and the resulting fumes reportedly can cause "flu-like" symptoms in people, Those fumes can be toxic to birds (but then, so can the fumes from a self-cleaning oven.. Considering that 650F is hotter than the melting point of lead, and that temps over 500F will generally degrade the slipperiness of teflon (i.e., diminish or ruin the non-stick-ability), and that that most of us would sear meat at around 450F (and wouldn't use non-stick pans for that purpose, anyway), and that most cooking oils have smoke points in the range of 350F to 400F, you can safely use NS by simply recognizing the limits and respecting them, if you like NS pans. The problem with NS on induction comes from failing to recognize how quickly induction brings a pan to heat. This will be especially problematic for those in the habit of cranking a burner to maximum, walking away for several minutes, then adding oil or whatever, and then reducing the heat. Do that with induction and you can have your empty NS pan at the melting point of lead before you know it. Heck, do that with a cast iron pan and the too-rapid rise in heat may crack the pan; there was a thread here discussing this point last summer. Get a cast iron pan to 600F and your are burning off the seasoning, as well. So, just set the NS pan to the temp you want to use, it will be at temp pdq, and you will be fine using it. As for stainless steel and ease of cleaning, that depends somewhat on the pan construction and on technique. Something thin and light is apt heat unevenly and burn food just as it would on any other stove. A more substantial pan will heat more evenly and be less likely to burn. The trick is usually said to be to get the pan hot, then add oil, and wait for ripples to appear (or wisps of vapor from the oil) before starting to cook. When you are done, you can put that SS pan in the dishwasher. For what is not cleaned it completely, a quick scrub with a sponge and some Barkeeper's Friend will easily and quickly polish it back up. Costco also has a number of decent induction capable cookware sets for less than $200. The selection seems to vary from season to seaon. Last year, I bought a 7 pot set of Circulon "Premier Professional" for $179. (2 sauce pans, a 6 quart stock pot, 3 fry pans (8" to 12") and a 3.5 qt. saute pan, plus lids.) They have anodized aluminum bodies with magnetic bases and non-stick interiors. The pans have worked very well for me on both induction and gas burners. I think there is a comparable "Kirkland" set on sale at Costco, now.) This post was edited by JWVideo on Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 14:50

We went to a Thermador induction demo a couple weeks ago and I recall that they said that the timer could be set to turn off the burner. Perhaps the timer can serve both purposes? I do recall that they said this because I've read of cooktops where the timer only lets you know that a certain amount of time has passed and I liked the "turn off burner" feature.