If I am looking to get a new induction cooktop today, I would give Miele a good look.

• With its powerflex bridge hob, it will accomodate double burner griddle and grill pan, useful for some.
• Miele also has twin booster feature where it can output quite a bit more kW per hob compared with most other domestic induction hob products.
• If I am not mistaken, it can be set to do half step heat control making giving user a fine control over the range.

GE and Bosch are good and lesser priced than Meile.

A ''10 year report'' on the Kitchen side would be nice for those just entering the process. Newbie always need to listen to how something lives long term to understand why the forum emphasizes functionality so much.

So sorry to hear about your cooktop. You're one of the people who convinced me to go induction. :) So thank-you!

There are all the features we obsess over-- direct controls rather than central, true timers that control each element (count down and turn the element off), fry control, "zoneless", etc.--are nice but not mandatory. As far as I'm concerned, power is important. I use my most powerful rings for everything, and boost is a good thing. After that, find what fits your counter.

I haven't heard of a big quality gap. Usually the price differences are in power, looks and features, rather than workability.

You might give Permatex Ultra Black RTV gasket silicone a try as a temporary repair until you can get it replaced. Apply and then smooth it with a single edge razor blade and allow an overnight cure. It's high temp. Any auto parts store.

Since you imported your unit, you could consider a 36" Miele 6388 with a centered control configuration like the 42" 6377. The US Miels 36" units have a different configuration. Too bad AEG doesn't have a zoneless unit in 36". 80cm. The US available Bosch Benchmark 36" has a large center zone flanked by two flex zones.

AJ Madison shows it at 37 x 21-1/4 with a 34-7/8 x 19-7/8 cutout.

Although Pillog mentions these as nice but not mandatory, I'll say for me, direct control of power levels and individual hob timers are mandatory for me (now that I've had them on my Bosch for 2+ years). (OTOH, I don't even know what "fry control" is LOL).

LOL!! I hear you, SJ! When I was looking for a new car, I refused any that didn't have self dimming mirrors. But I learned to drive before any such luxury, and can still. :) That's what I meant about the features. It seems to me that fitting is the most important criterion in this case.

Fry control is when the cooktop has a sensor specifically for deep frying that gauges the temperature of the pan and is supposed to keep it at an optimal and constant temperature. I don't have that, but it's supposed to work really well. I deep fry about once a year on average without it. :)

Kaseki, if you knew me you would know that I will research this to the nth degree lol. Nothing will be left to chance. That said, the current cutout is 90cm x 49 cm or 35 1/2" x 19 5/8" IF it was done to the specs. That we can only know for sure when the old cook top comes out..

I went to ABT today. Hugely disappointed. That store is just too big. They had a Bosch and a Gaggenau which weren't hooked up, a Wolf which was, some Jenn-air, GE, KA and Thermador models but no Miele.

I am sending dh to the Miele showroom in the Merchandise Mart to have a look although even they tell me they only have one "live" unit, the rest are for display only.

I love the individual controls and timers for each hob and don't want to give up these. Haven't had a bridge mode so it would be a bonus but not sure yet how important it is too me. This puts the Wolf out the running as it doesn't have individual timers. Gaggenau is out of our price range and Thermador's service record takes it out the running.

Your thoughts and suggestions are all great. Please keep them coming.

Thanks

From notes I took last spring when I had to replace my Kenmore (Electrolux) cooktop, the cutout dimensions I know about are listed below. Note that examples I looked up of Kenmore/Frigidaire/Electrolux, Thermador/Bosch, Dacor, and Miele were nominally too large in one dimension or the other.

The biggest issue is that it is unlikely that any manufacturer will support installation into a too-large cutout, even if the cooktop is large enough to not fall through. Some reinforcement may be needed in such cases.

ref: current cutout 35.5 x 19.625 from message above

• Wolf CI365 35. x 19.5
• Jenn-Air JIC 4536XS 33.125 x 19.25 (top overlaps cutout but support area may be too small requiring some added steel or wood support)
• Fagor IFA-90BF 35.44 x 19.5
• GE PHP960DMBB 33.875 x 19.125 (see Jenn-Air comment)
• There may be newer models that have better fitting dimensions.
• Electrolux and clones have common installation cutout dimensions of 36 x 20.5. These allow for air ventilation at the edges, a ventilation scheme they once used but which is not used on the present Frigidaires. Some contraction of the cutout size might be acceptable, but gaining a whole inch front-to-back seems unlikely.
• Thermador/Bosch have common cutout dimensions of 34.875 x 20. I don't know if the width would allow squeezing into 19.5 inches. The top is 37 inches long so it will overlap adequately. Added support at the ends may be required depending on how the device is designed.

If you can tolerate the Mother of all Messiness, you could have the granite cut in the kitchen. In such a case masking all the cabinet hinges, drawer glides, and other moving mechanical items in the area is one of many steps necessary.

kas

Thanks, Kaseki. Would you know how to add reinforcement if it is required? What do I ask for?

Dh and I have decided to get the Miele. Trimmed or trimless? What is the major difference in functionality. Is one easier to clean than the other? Does the stainless scratch?

Just a word of caution: I've had two companies come through my kitchen and make granite cuts without prior warning -- our entire downstairs was covered with a layer of granite dust...twice! I don't know if pro Joseph Corlett (AKA Trebuchet) ever frequents this forum, but he once did mention (and works with) a cutter with some sort of super vacuum. Most recently, when our fabricator told us he would need to cut our tops on site (the overhangs were off/inconsistent by 1/2"!), we had to put up floor-to-ceiling plastic that walled off the kitchen from adjacent areas. Good luck!

Stainless steel can scratch whenever scraped by a harder material, such as cast iron, aluminum oxide (sapphire), etc.

Can't help with trim but doubt that there is any functional difference other than possible edge chipping resistance.

For Miele and other reviews, you will need to scour this forum's archives.

Reinforcement will depend on the need, size of the gap, and where one wants to bring the supported loads to. Hardwood should be sufficient for front-to-back gap filling; a steel section could be used in the long direction if needed. In some cases a hardwood filler piece supported from underneath by a T or L shaped steel section would do, with the load carried to cleats on the cabinet walls. You are just removing some load from the Ceran edge. Bonding of granite to granite using epoxy may also be sufficient.

I didn't work this out for my case because I went with a replacement cooktop that fitted the cutout. I think there are a range of structurally-sufficient approaches possible.