You can absolutely boil 3 pots at the same time.

Double oven induction ranges: Whirlpool/Kitchenaid WGT92COBS & KFID500. Samsung Chef Collection Slide-In NE58Hxxxx has a divisible oven. The older model Electrolux EW30 Wave Touch slide-in has a "baking drawer" -- depending on your viewpoint, it is either a warming drawer on steroids or a glorified toaster oven.

I'm not sure I understand the question about three pots boiling on burners. Is this a question about room on the stove top? If so, induction ranges are no different than any other major brand freestanding and slide-in ranges. How many pots at once --- well, that depends on how big they are.

Is this a question about maintaining a boil in three or four four pots at a time? No problem. Once you get the water boiling, you'll probably be dialing power back.

Or is this a drag racing question rather than a power to maintain boil question?

If so, realize that there is a difference between using power-boost functions and regular high-power. You do not need "boost" to boil water any more than your car needs a nitro-injected boost to pull away from stop sign. Boost just makes things happen faster.

Here's an example. Say, you've got three 6 quart pots of pasta water. Maybe your old stove (with, say, a 2500 watt burner) took 15 minutes to bring it to a boil. An unboosted 2500 watt induction burner will likely be a bit faster, say, 13½ minutes. Boost that induction burner up to 3700 watts and maybe the pot now comes to boil in 11 minutes.

Does this clarify things for you or have I completely missed your point?

Thanks guys - I don't need three burners on Boost, but I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to maintain a boil on three burners at the same time. I think I misread someone's explanation about the power being reduced to other burners when more than one is on "high." Like you said, I don't need three burners to boil in record time. I just need them to stay boiling together.

Check into the requirement for a freestanding range requirement. A slide-in is usually always possible and gives a more built-in look with more quality choices.

>>>"I think I misread someone's explanation about the power being reduced to other burners when more than one is on "high."<<<

Okay, here's one more curve ball the marketeers have thrown at us.

Some makers no longer use the term "boost". You've got your power settings that go 1, 1.5, etc. up to, say, 9.5 and then you to "10" or "high" or "speedboil". If they don't call it boost, then the topmost setting is usually a boosted power.

Basically, boost is when you have power from a zone of two burners --- that is usually a zone of a front burner and back burner --- you can feed more of the zone power to one burner leaving less available for the other burner. Boosting is pretty much an all or nothing thing. There is no modulating boost. You go from max rated regular power to one big jump of boosted power.

The way you can tell if there is boosted power is that the specs will often (but not always) give two numbers for the power rating. For example, you might see burner specs reported like this: "right front
burner: 10" 2500/3800 watts.; right rear burner 6" 1300/1500 watts," That means at regular full power, you are
running the front burner at 2500 watts and the back one at 1300 watts. Both power levels are sufficient to bring water to boiling in sacepans and regular stockpots. Boost the front burner and it throws 3800 watts into that pan, basically leaving nothing to run the back burner while that is happening. Boost the back burner to 1500 watts and, while that is going on, you've "only" got 2300 watts for the front burner --- which is enough to keep a good boil in saucepans and not-so-large stock pots.

If you see specs that only list a single max power number --- if the biggest burner is rated at 3500 watts or more --- that stove has boost functions even if the maker does not call it that.

You have to dig deep in the User Guide/Owner Manual to find out that running on "high" (or whatever they call it) may reduce power to a paired burner.

Ain't marketingspeak wonderful?

Thanks, I feel better about being able to boil on three burners. I would love a slide-in, but he said something about my cabinet for the range ins't going to work. But with other things going into the house, I'll have to scale it back a little this round. Maybe in 10 years when my new range dies I'll be able to get a sweet slide in with a slight remodel. I'm pretty much down to the GE freestanding induction, or back to electric smooth top with the Samsung Flex Duo with the dual door. I'm leaning induction still, as I'm sure I use the cooktop more than I would a second oven, but it seems so awesome to have a second oven as well. Thanks!

If you go with the induction/single oven freestanding range, can you use an Advantium OTR? That setup gives you the full size oven, induction cooktop, and a secondary oven that is also a microwave and speed oven.

Thanks Seb & JW - I am going to look into both of those great ideas! Either might be just enough to free me from being hung up on the double oven for the 5-10 days a year I'd probably really need them.

I'd like to revive this thread with a related issue. I'm currently remodelling my kitchen and would like to install a slide in induction range. I'd also like the range to be a double oven.

Based on my research there is currently only one (yes, one!) slide in induction double oven range: the Samsung NE58H9970WS.

http://www.samsung.com/ca/cooking-appliances/electric-range-ne58h9970ws/

I've seen this range in person and looked and the specs and love everything about it except one thing (which I'll get back to). It has induction cooktop, a large 5.8 cuft oven with a divider that effectively makes it a dual oven. I also really like the looks and it seems to get solid reviews.

The problem is the cooktop arrangement. There is one large 11" hob, two 7" hobs on the left side and one small 6" hob kind of in the middle at the back (the large 11" hob is so large that the small one can't fit directly behind it and is offset).

While an 11" hob is nice, I actually find that bigger than required for all but the largest pots. A 10" would do. And making it 11" reduced the size available for other hobs and the next size down is a pretty small 7". I regularly cook large quantities of spaghetti sauce and soup where I have two stock pots on the stove simmering for a while. These two pots each have a 10" base and I suspect that a 10" base pot on a 7" induction hob would not work well. I read somewhere that up to 1" bigger pot than hob works, but that's it.

My question therefore is twofold:

1) What is the largest size pot that can be placed on the induction hob and still cook effectively? Does anyone have any experience cooking with large pots on smaller hobs?

2) In the case of this stove, the two 7" hobs are very close together. I'm wondering if it might be possible to straddle a large pot over both of them and use them both simultaneously?

Thanks in advance for any input.

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.

Thanks for the info. To clarify, I often cook large batches of sauce and soup so have two large stockpots on the go simultaneously. Yes that might work with a 7" hob but I suspect there'd be a hot spot in the middle.

I checked at the store and the Samsung induction range does only have 9 temperature settings. Not a deal breaker for me though.

It's really a shame but when I'm spending $3,000 on a new stove, I don't want to compromise. This means waiting until Samsung releases a new line of stoves and hoping that they change the cooktop arrangement. No idea when this might happen though...

In looking at the cooktop there seems to be wasted space at the front; unsure why. The picture is deceiving and makes the front left hob look bigger than it actually is. It's a 7". Other cooktop manufacturers manage to fit a 7" and an 8" in the front/back arrangement so I'm unsure why Samsung couldn't here.

If it sounds like I'm being too picky about only 1 inch diameter size difference, an 8" hob is actually 31% larger than a 7".

Those nine power levels should be a deal breaker. I've cooked with those. None of the settings is ever quite right. Even the old coil stove had half steps. People complain bitterly about that and regret using induction, as if it's the fuel's fault. You need better controls, especially for your two big pots.

You might really want to consider doing a little redo and get a separate, larger, cooktop and oven.

Hmmm OK yes I'm somewhat regretting not getting a separate cooktop and oven, but the cabinets have been ordered already and I don't have space for a 36" cooktop now :-(

Thanks for the input plllog

I have the KA slide in and it fits perfectly into the freestanding spot. It does not have the glass lip that fits over countertop (Bosch does) so is an easier install. But still the Bosch will fit in freestanding spot.

The burner size was a big issue for me too, but I'm really happy with how this is working. Or course I am waiting for more cookware to arrive (so I only have one large pot to work with right now), but Ive been putting my large pot of sauce on a 7" burner just so it is on back of range away from kids, and I then I can use big burner for pasta. The 7" is working just fine to simmer my sauce. I think the Bosch may have two large burners, like 8" and 10" but don't quite recall.

I have 9-10 settings. 9 regular steps, then high power (boost?). I'm finding it easy to use and perfectly sufficient.

I purchased the Samsung, but then canceled the order. I just didn't like the quality very much, the feel of the door etc, then discovered it had no meat probe so that was a deal breaker.... it's the little things. I leaned toward the Samsung because it's one of the very few with knobs but I am now so happy with KA slider controls, it's super easy to use, and no cleaning around knobs.

It is always good to check the specifications of a particular product and verify if it matches the need.