Hillbkr_comcast_net: How often are you pressure canning and what size pressure canners are you using? Are you doing production canning with huge pots with 20 to 40 quart capacities? If you are doing larger volume canning sessions, there are no induction capable substitutes. (Frankly, at that size, you pretty much have to use aluminum because ferromagnetic versions would be too heavy to lift when full.) OTOH, if you have been using one of the smaller models (say, a 10½ quart All American or 15-quart Presto), there are some good induction-capable options such as the 10 qt. models in several of Fagor's product lines lines. Fagors are set up to make it easy to vent off air as the pot comes to heat. Last time I checked, Costco.com had the 10 quart Fagor Rapida model with a canning kit and instructions for under $100. Kuhn Rikon has a 12 quart model which is very easy to use and also works for pressure canning but is very $$$. Plus, for pressure-cooking beans (and pretty much anything else), an induction-capable, stainless steel, spring-valve model can seem like a huge improvement. Not only easier to use (IMO), but also having no worries about any acidic ingredients causing "off" and metallic flavors in your beans. Frankly, if I were doing enough largish spates of production canning that would make it worthwhile to have a 20 quart or larger All American type pressure-canner, I would skip a hybrid range/cooktop. Instead, I would get a full-induction range and look into a couple of other options for running the big pressure canners during those times I needed them. One option would be using a commercial 2500 watt portable burner like the ones from Cadco. Something to consider, thugh: can you easily install a 20 amp/240v outlet in the kitchen or an alternative workspace, such as garage. The other alternative would be one of the propane-fueled portable campstoves with the stands and 30k-btu burners. These will easliy hold pots up to 14" in diameter and will get the pressure-canners to heat quickly. The brands I know of are Coleman and Camp Chef. A two burner model should be under $100. I saw a 3-burner model at Costco last week for about $149. They use the same 20 gal. propane bottles that are used for gas grills. Pull them out for canning season, fold them away when you don't need them.

if it's an actual scratch that you can feel with your fingernail there is nothing you can do but live with it.

I saw the newest Wolf induction cooktop and I was impressed with its versatility. Specifically, I am speaking of model CI365T/S. I really like the burner layout with the four burners that can be bridged on one side and a larger oval burner on the other side. It offers what seems to be the most flexible layout. There are other induction cooktops with "flexible" zones but they are in a layout that is less versatile, most commonly with a large round hob in the center and the flexible zones on either side. My building does not have gas so when I upgrade, I will be looking at induction. As of now, I think the Wolf is my favorite but I am a year or two out and something new may change my thinking.

@r, I thought I would chime in here to just say that I don’t think you are “obsessing“ at all regarding the use of knobs in this case. One of the most crucial variables in any kind of industrial design is the way we interface or interact with whatever the product is. Most of us utilize capacitive touch controls or infrared type touch controls on a constant basis with everything from iPads, smart phones, as well as any number of house appliances. But I would suggest that your instinct regarding cooktop or rangetop controls makes a lot of sense. Consider the difference in using a wall oven versus a cooktop. Most cooks in the kitchen can get the opportunity to wipe their hands in order to use touch capacitive controls on a wall oven. Of course, the case could be made that turning a simple dial, can be more intuitive, then going through a series of menus to get to where you want to go, since in the end, the mission of the wall oven has not really changed very much since our grandparents time which is essentially to bake the cake or roast the chicken. The reason I suspect that cook tops and range tops, as well as ranges are a particularly good candidate for knobs is due to the fact that the controls are often placed on a horizontal plane. Many people, especially those who are new to induction appliances for example, have learned a hard lesson as the very sensitive touch controls do not always take kindly to steam, water, droplets, and oil or gravy splatters. It is not hard to imagine why this is problematic because if you put any of these liquids on top of your smart phone screen, you would discover that the touch controls that works so beautifully such as the ones I’m using right now on my iPhone to create this post do not take kindly to having these substances on top of them. There are lots of examples of folks who have touch capacitive controls on these horizontal locations where the entire appliance is either shut down or thrown off its game. Of course, the majority of modern products that have knobs do not use the analog/mechanical controls of knobs of the past, but are in fact, “knobs“ that interface with micro control boards behind them. Still, there is an entire field of design that studies user interaction, and I do think that, at least, in some instances, such as with cooktops, knobs actually, do make a lot of sense. One can certainly debate where the best location for those knobs would be to avoid getting splatters on them since Cleaning knobs is not exactly, a fun time for most folks. Some people would assume that installing Touch Sensitive controls in all sorts of consumer products that once used knobs, levers, and buttons, is simply a design trend, and I’m sure there is truth to that. But a little voice inside also suggests to me, that one of the reasons they have moved away from knobs and especially the electromechanical kinds used in the past, is due to the cost of manufacturing. I do not have a data set to support this theory, but if you consider the labour and the bewildering amount of copper wiring that went into something such as a 1950 electric stove, some of which had lots of extra features, you can begin to imagine the cost savings of having a micro “motherboard“ taking the place of all that complex analogue electrical structure. I truly enjoy all of the benefits and possibilities that I have with my smart phone, laptop, iPads, etc. But I do think your instincts for knobs are not without merit, because sometimes, appliance designers attempt to answer questions that no one ever asked. My two. Cents 🤔.