You got an excellent bargain on the oven. Do call Gaggenau and see if they'll honor the warranty. Congrats! Mine was FedEx'd from England. I think it was $70 U.S. duty, plus $5 for FedEx to handle the paperwork. Since you'll be carrying yours as luggage, you should be paying (if it hasn't changed) according to the following equation, with the price in U.S. dollars of your cooktop being X: duty=.03(X-800) That should be a lot less than import duty. That is, assuming that there isn't special duty on hand carried electronics or some such. If there's VAT in Germany, ask the store if you can have it waived since you're taking it out of the country. I don't know if you've seen the caveats. For your self-imported cooktop, you should get a letter from your insurance company saying that they know it's European rather than UL approved and that that doesn't affect your policy (mine said so long as it was installed by a licensed electrician). Also, you should make sure your building codes don't specify UL. If they do, you'll need a waiver. The Euro certification is just as good as UL, but you want to make sure that you have all the bases covered so they can't use a technicality to weasel out of the help you'd be given if there's a fire or something (like from a lightning strike). I'm also in California but local codes and inspectors vary. Do check with the airlines about the measurements they allow as well. It should be fine. My cooktop would fit, with its original box, into my old large pullman suitcase. I'm not sure about the newer ones, but it's the three dimensions added together they go by, with a maximum diagonal, so I think that part will be fine. Actually, if you have an old large pullman case, you might consider taking it, with some old towels or rags, and bring home the cooktop in the case, with the cloth for padding, instead of having to get an outer box and peanuts. Worse comes to worst, you can always send it FedEx. :)

I think you'd be pleased. I've used the cooktop on hers and it is awesome. She bakes a lot. She cooks a lot. Her whole family cooks. Constantly. It's like a religion for them. Everyone loves the Whirlpool. It hums a bit more loudly than my Bosch cooktop, which barely makes a sound. But it is only a hum and last time I asked her about it, she gave me a blank look. She had ceased to notice it. But I think the two ranges are about the same -- go to AJMadison and download the manuals for both and you'll see what I mean -- so you should choose based on looks and price, I think. I am just glad to see good induction ranges at this price point.

A 10" round pot over two 7" induction elements isn't likely to work well, and likely won't hit both pot sensors as well, so literally wouldn't work. Check the manual for whether you can bridge the elements with a double griddle. I'm guessing that you probably can. Also, make sure that each element has at least 17 power settings (1-9 with half steps). I've heard that some ranges only have 10, and that's not sufficient for a good cooking experience. Even more important than size is power output, and also power sharing since you're talking multiple pots. Make sure the outputs will work for you. A great big pot will work on a smaller element, but it'll have a hot spot. If you have thin enamelled steel, or carbon steel (which is usually only found on shallower pans), you're more likely to get rapid response. Next would be a high quality designed for induction clad steel. Are all of your big pots good on induction? You might have to invest in some new ones anyway. I LOVE my 11" element. My cooktop is 24" wide with the 11" double ring, a medium sized one and a small one. The only time that's not big enough is when I have a couple dozen guests and the chicken soup in one stock pot with the matzah balls in another, and I have one on the 15" gas cooktop. For spaghetti, for the family, a three quart pot on my medium induction element is fine. I have a few pots that I make spaghetti sauce in, but they're all the size of the ring at the base. I'm more likely to package it up for the freezer, and change to a smaller pot to heat the portion for dinner, however, so I don't have to deal with more work later. So... I think you'd be fine simmering your sauce in your big pot, and perhaps using an 8" steel pot for the pasta. Or something like that. Compared to the price of a new range, a couple hundred dollars for a few necessary cookware additions doesn't sound tragic. For boiling pasta, however, if you can get your current pot on the element without banging into your sauce pot, even if it's a little off center, it should be fine. It's not like you're cooking something on the pot where hot spots really matter. You're just heating the water that's cooking the pasta. Every new piece of cooking equipment, whether it's a cooktop or oven or small appliance, has a learning period. Each has its quirks. Adapting to those is necessary. Relearning your timing is essential. It's not hard if you don't resist it. Just be mindful and notice how things are working for the first month or two. It'll turn out fine in the end.

I have the new Cove dishwasher which is of the SubZero/Wolf family and I am in love with it. It is the best cleaning and quietest dishwasher I have ever owned. I would not recommend the Thermador range/oven (I had the 48" oven/steam oven combo installed November 2019) as the noise from the oven fan is the worst I have ever experienced. It is so loud you can't hold a pleasant conversation in the kitchen while it is running. And it will run for 45-50 minutes after shut-down to properly cool the ovens. Many on Houzz are having the same issue - and I've read some on other boards. We are hoping Thermador comes up with s "fix" for this - because as it is, I am loath to run this oven. I had a DCS 36" range with oven and a half before and am kicking myself for not staying with that brand. My new kitchen also got Dacor side-by-side fridge/freezer towers and they are a DREAM - love them! With the solid glass shelves I never lose or forget about anything in there and the door shelves are nice and deep to hold larger items.