I just received a BellaCopper heat diffuser/defroster plate (10") that I hope will address the cooking challenges you mention.

I have one just like it, but only 8" square. I am not really sure it helps as a "flame tamer", but it does even out the temperature under the entire base of the pot. I also use it for defrosting, on a paper towel to absorb condensation. Thanks for your comment! - Sandy

Look at anything that has a separate "simmer burner". Most high powered cooktops have one. Wolf, Gaggenau, (both high end) and likely others also have dual burners that can be high heat or simmer heat.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I have looked at those stoves online. I cannot see much in person locally. Most simmer burners are in the back and I am a short person, so that is not good for me. The other issue I am running into is that the burner caps on most of the sealed burners have too large a diameter for small pots and pans. Most of the time I am cooking for two people. Gaggenau would work, but I am a bit nervous as to how you could clean semi-open burners and also the ones I have seen can't be lit manually in case the igniters don't work ((a common issue to all stoves) or a power outage. Bertazonni might work, though lighting them seems to be an issue with the new type ignitors. An open burner would work, but I really don't need that kind of power and would like to just refurbish, and not replace,my existing downdraft (not a pop up). I need the gas for canning in the summer. I am now leaning toward a gas and induction modular system, though I am nervous about the reliability of induction and high repair costs. Sorry for being so long winded. I have done much research and realize my cooking need are not typical. Thanks! - Sandy

Sandy, don't worry. Most of us who hang around here don't have typical cooking needs. In California, we have a Gaggenau distributor, Purcell Murray (one in the Bay area and one in SoCal), who would know about the cleaning. The downdraft is a big red flag, however. Downdraft and flames aren't friends.

What some of our members have done when they wanted to change to induction is get an induction cooktop, and use an old turkey fryer on the porch for a pressure canner, or have a Summer kitchen attached to the barn with a cheap stove and fridge, just for processing and canning. I don't know if any of that would work for you.

I have a 15", two burner gas domino, and a 24" induction cooktop, with the 11" double ring and two smaller elements, full power that one would get in full sized cooktop, so even though I don't can, I can relate to your thoughts.

Any electronic kitchen appliance is going to have a limited life. Motherboards die. But for all of that, I've seen a lot more issues with induction ranges, which are complex and have heat issues. Separate cooktops are pretty reliable. If you're worried about it you might consider an extended warranty, but keep in mind that a four year warranty only covers you for highly premature failure. The number I see most often is that the average life of electronic appliances is about seven years. What I don't know is what the average life for high quality ones is, as opposed to this floating figure that we have no methodology to check up on.

Someone always gets the one that goes pffft far too soon which balances the one that lasts forever, so I can't really say more about your longevity concerns. Simple gas cooktops are hard to kill. The ones with electronic igniters aren't that hard to repair. Neither is idea with a downdraft--and induction would totally solve your simmer issues.

We had a discussion before where someone gave info on how to light a range cooktop manually. The electronic igniters aren't really the problem. It's that some ranges (for sure the Whirlpool group (inc. Maytag and KitchenAid) have an electronic gas shut off valve to prevent you from cooking while the self clean is running, but can't tell the difference between that and any other power outage. That shouldn't exist for a gas cooktop rather than range. Do check to be sure, but I think the answer was that some require you to hold the knob at a certain place to engage the valve or something.

I'm sorry this is long and disorganized. You might be helped with a pro/con list to get a good sense of the order of priorities of your requirements, then you can do a spreadsheet or something of which units fill them. I'm sure there's a good answer out there for you, even if it's unconventional.