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Induction Cooktop Choice - Miele v. Bluestar

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

We're selecting appliances for a new construction home, and have hit an induction dilemma. We'd planned to put in the new Bluestar 36" induction cooktop and were very excited about the combination of induction and actual knobs. I just got an email from our appliance store letting me know that since we're getting Miele ovens and dishwashers, with the MIele promotion it will actually cost us about $600 less overall if we get the Miele 36" induction.

So, tell me about your experiences with Miele induction. Worth it to get it over the Bluestar for the cost savings? And if we get the Miele induction, should we also be looking at their ventilation that connects to the induction? Or is that gimmick?

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Comments (11)

charpell
5 years ago
I’ve been using my Miele 36” induction cooktop (along with wall oven, speed oven, and coffee station) for six months now. I love them all. The touch sensitive controls on the cooktop can be a bit finicky - but I’ve adjusted. If my finger is wet it can be difficult ... but I’ve learned just to dry it off and try again. Not the end of the world.

I didn’t get the Miele vent hood that communicates with the cooktop - just went with a vent-a-hood insert, so I can’t speak to that.
Kristin S
Original Author
5 years ago
Vent-a-hood is what we were planning, but I saw the feature listed on the Miele induction page and got sucked down the rabbit hole, so to speak. I rarely remember to turn the fan on, so having it happen automatically does have some appeal.

Thanks for the info about your Miele. I really would prefer knobs for the wet finger reason, but not sure that's worth an extra $600.
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sherri1058
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I have a Miele and am very happy with it. It doesn't seem to mind my wet fingers on the controls either. I have a Vent-a-Hood insert for ventilation.

I bought the Miele because it had the features that I was looking for at the time. I can't speak to the Blue Star, as I've never cooked on it, but if you have done your research and like the features of the Blue Star, I'd go with it. $600 amortized over 5 or 10 years isn't enough for me to give up the main reason I picked something in the first place!
sonni1
5 years ago
Been using the Miele cooktop for 4 years. Takes a bit of learning to adjust to touch controls, but hasn't been a problem for me. Have had no problems, use it multiple times daily.
Jerry Jorgenson
5 years ago
Bluestar has knobs, so wet hands and spills won’t be an issue the way they are with touch controls.
Kristin S
Original Author
5 years ago
That’s what attracted us to the Bluestar, Jerry. Now it’s just a question of how much extra we would pay for knobs. I’m hoping to get a chance to go back to the showroom and play with a live Miele induction to see how I feel about the touch controls.
stevep2005
5 years ago
The push button induction drives my friend's wife nuts. Every time they come over for dinner and he helps out on the Bluestar (gas) she wishes they spent the money to run propane. They probably would have been happy with induction had their range been knobs - funny how the little things sometimes are the deal breaker.
Rita / Bring Back Sophie 4 Real
5 years ago
Gagg offers knobs for their induction cooktop too just in case you wanted one more option.
Kristin S
Original Author
5 years ago
Rita - I’d love it, but I suspect that would drive the budget up even more :-)
dan1888
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Bluestar has 9 levels with 2 additional below 1, a 150* and 201* as Keep Warm plus a 10 minute Boost. Manual The controls on one side will make it more difficult for two to cook together.

Miele has 17 levels with the touch controls across the front lower right. Manual Timers are available.
Kristin S
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Interesting point about the knobs on the side Dan. Though as I think through our workflow, we don’t both try to use the cooktop at the same time. One person takes cooktop duty while the other handles oven, rice maker, etc..

as someone new to induction, I’m not certain how many levels we’ll need. Nine sounds like plenty, but perhaps it’s not? We’ve always had cooktops with continuous controls, rather than levels, so that piece is an adjustment.

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