36" Induction cooktop questions - Wolf vs. Bosch w/FlexInduction
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4 years ago
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36' vs. 30' bosch 800 series induction question
Comments (7)Hi. We installed a 36" 800 Bosch in November. The cost to upgrade our service from 40 to 50 amps was $450 - BUT that included the electrician putting in one new outlet in the kitchen plus installing a ceiling light fixture in the family room (both were run from existing outlets). His estimate for putting in the 50 amp line & breaker originally was $500, but it ended up to be less -- always a plus! We went for the 36" because we did just what others have suggested here: consider how we cook and what and how many burners we use frequently. We discovered that we often use three burners at a time (pasta boiling in one pot, sauce being prepared in another -- often a skillet -- and veggies cooking in a third). So we wanted some room to do that and the right sized burners to match the pans we use. Also, since we were going to use a downdraft (again) instead of a hood, we wanted at least one of the larger burners near the back. Additionally we liked that the Bosch had only one of the small 6.5" hobs -- some brands had two. That's a hob we knew we wouldn't use much. All in all, we have been very pleased with our choice. Oh, yes, we did have to cut back the cabinet sides a bit. BUT, since prior to this cooktop, we had a 36" Thermador radiant cooktop, the cabinet had already been cut. It's lasted for 14 years with no problem. We expect to get 14 yrs from this one!...See MoreInduction-Bosch Benchmark vs Wolf - 36"
Comments (15)Ours came from Thermoworks. They had one for $39 before the holiday but DH always wants the best. He bought one with the circle IR and a probe. We didn't need the probe because we have the Thernopen also. I use my TP all of the time. The IR was a Christmas present this year. I don't think it would work for oven temp but others might know the answer. You just point to an object and get the temp of the object. Whichever induction you buy, you will love it. There is a learning curve. I generally preheat my pan for 1-2 minutes before sautéing and with my new toy, I can verify the pan temp. No matter which unit you purchase, there will be noises but even gas makes noise- just different noises. One GWer said there induction did not buzz and posted a YouTube video - it made noise just like mine. With the fan running, it is hard to hear the noises. Pans- if the magnet sticks- they work. I have an eclectic collection of pans for my induction. All Clad, CIA, LeCr, ScanPan, Staub and more- but only one of each size except for 2.5 qts- I have 2 of this size. Here is a link that might be useful: IR laser...See MoreBosch 36" FLEX Induction Cook Top or Thermador 36" induction cook top?
Comments (4)I had the non-stainless version of the Bosch 36" installed about a month ago. It looks pretty cool; except for the lines that delineate the hobs, the cooktop appears almost completely black. Those tiny lines that appear to be grey filling the background aren't as light as they look on their web site. For performance, boost is the bomb; boiling water for pasta takes only 3.5 minutes now! The number of settings (.5-10 in half stops) is great and response is good (going from high directly to low or vice versa). The two flex zones work well. Some have complained that they come up in 'combined' setting by default, but I like that. The only reason why you wouldn't want that is if you regularly put something on the front and back of the same side with different settings. Since I almost always only have two things going on the entire cooktop, that isn't an issue. What it means is that I can slap my 2nd pan anywhere I want on the side and I'm good to go (and move it around too). At xmas I had 4 things going at different settings and I didn't have any problems. My most used pans are a dutch oven with a 12" base (my pasta pot) and a 12" omelet pan. When I got the cooktop installed, I was concerned when I found that those 12" bases overlap the side burners. It has turned out to not be a problem. I like having timers that turn off the hobs. I've used that a lot. You can set the cooktop to default to child lock when you turn it off. That's a godsend for someone who has a cat that walks around on the cooktop when its off. (Ahh...for anyone who has that situation...not me...just sayin'). Previously I had a 36" gas on glass 5-burner cooktop. I greatly prefer this cooktop over my old one. A lot of that may be using nice stainless cookware with that I can put in the dishwasher (with watch-it-cook lids!) instead of non-stick. Luckily I learned how to use the stainless properly before getting the cooktop. I think it would have been a mighty frustrating experience had I not. What don't I like? When you want to do something fast, it may not happen so much. To change the temp on a burner, you touch the burner's icon, then touch the setting. After it acknowledges which the burner, acknowledging the setting is fast; what is slow is acknowledging the burner. I don't know if it doesn't respond fast on purpose, if I'm not pressing in exactly the right place, or what. Those burner icons are the only ones I have an issue with responsiveness. That's why I think it may be a personal problem. I would probably prefer a cooktop that has separate power controls for each hob (like the Wolf). Those controls are tinier though, so I might not. You know darned well what you've chosen with this one since the scale is so long (what, 1/2 the length of the cooktop?) and each setting is the size of your finger. You also have to touch the hob icon to see the time left on the timer for that hob. That's annoying. I'd rather have to do that than not have the timer at all or have the timer not shut off the hob....See MoreNew kitchen in progress - 36" Wolf vs Miele induction cooktop
Comments (15)Thank you all for great info! Wolf's cold spots in the middle is a little bummer. I wouldn't expect this kind of design on 5 way bridge cooktop. The elements suppose to be made by French company Jaeger Hiflux. Their Crescendo model is quite different from what I have ever seen in induction cooktops. Check this out.. http://www.jaeger-sas.com/#!induction-en/cl7w Anyway since Wolf has no flex in bridge mode then we might take another look into 36" GE Cafe model which was #3 on our list. It has only one no flex bridge mode, but it's much cheaper than Wolf or Miele. That model has many positive reviews including #1 on CR rating (99 out of 100). On both GE & Wolf we like simple, clean interface. GE is better with 17 vs 10 levels on Wolf. On GE minus side is power sharing (not quite sure how much problem is that in real use) and only 1 year warranty vs 3 year on Wolf. However much bigger problem on GE Cafe is SS color. My DH says that specific color is clashing with our choice of Silestone Kensho countertop (light gray). I don't see it as bad but we might loose it on that argument. No question the decision between Miele vs Wolf vs GE Cafe is giving us more headaches than any other appliance....See MoreStudio M Interior Design
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