Wow, what a showroom! Here is what I found at the Bosch/Thermador/Gaggenau showroom in Irvine: The black induction cooktop is black. No special mirror coating. The frameless is very nice. The edges are beveled all the way around and it's completely smooth--no stainless frame around controls either. It also has a unique look to it. It's not a deep black like Bosch or Miele. It's hard to explain except that it appears to have a graphic element across it that would make finger prints and scratches less noticeable IMHO. I was very impressed with the "Freedom" cooktop, too. If you have $5000 and really need a bridge-type element, this is the way to go. It also only requires 40 Amps if that's a concern. The regualar 36" requires 50A. I have read that their current warranty is two years, but I doubt it covers pot collisions.

Buyer beware - if you need support, you won’t get it easily from Thermador based on my experience. They charged me about $750 for a replacement part for a fridge. The part arrived in approx. sept. 2021. For two months they have been unable to coordinate two techs (the number needed) to come install the part for my fridge. On the first visit, despite my reminding them in advance that we needed two techs, only one came and couldn’t do the job. He rescheduled for a month later. On the day, no one came (not a typo). Instead, Theramdor claims I cancelled the appointment…why would I do that? Now it’s the third visit —11/29/2021. Despite advising them again that we needed two techs, they coordinated only one. I called today (11/28) confirm they would get two out here, and there was literally nothing they could do to confirm one way or another. I’ve asked to speak with supervisors on multiple occasions. I keep being told a supervisor would “call me back.” No one has ever called me back. For a company selling high end (ie, very expensive) appliances, you would think they could treat their customers with a smidgen of respect. Definitely the last time we by a thermador product. It’s just not worth the headache in my opinion, particular with an appliance that is only about 5 years old.

Hi Schwester5, Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents about Miele dishwashers. I have the Diamond, not the Futura, but apparently they're really similar except for a few bells, whistles and extra cycles, and the Diamind comes with a 5-year warranty (here's a helpful link on the difference between Miele DWs): http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0510233530587.html Anyway, I'm thrilled with the Miele dishwasher. Even though I did have a frustrating problem with a bent prong on a connector, but Miele sent a Master Miele tech 8-hours round trip and he fixed it. It cleans like a dream. My lipstick is kind of a sticky pink gloss that sticks like crazy to the rim of mugs and glasses. My previous DW (Kenmore Elite) didn't even touch those lipgloss marks. With the Miele, everything comes out perfectly clean. I adore the cutlery tray, and although the Miele appears smaller than some, you really can pile up dishes like crazy--I load bowls on top of each other in a big stack--and they all come out perfectly clean. I love all of the wash cycle options, although I like to use the longer Pots and Pans cycle. It looks great, it's quiet, and the overall operation is great. FWIW, I'm also the very happy owner of a 36" Wolf (DF Range) that I love. It was clear from peaking with the appliance people during my research on Wolf, Thermador and Viking that Wolf had the best repair record, was the heaviest (as in well-built, quality steel, etc.), and was favored by a lot of serious cooks. Thermador would've been my second choice, I love the star burners with all that BTU flexibility. Good luck!

Re: cornmeal and ants. Have been having a problem with ants on my sunporch. They seem to be living underneath and coming up through cracks in the tile floor. There's no way for me to get to where they live to spray (and I don't like sprays anyway). So I mixed up some cornmeal and borax in a little deli container lid and left it near where they've been arriving. It's been about a week, and the problem has considerably slowed. BUT they seem to be 'burying their dead' in the cornmeal mixture. I've actually seen a live ant dragging and leaving a dead one there! and there were several little carcasses last I looked. But hey--if it works, without dangerous chemicals, or smells that will give me respiratory problems, I'm thrilled.