@Kim G

For example I might boil seaweed soup while cooking a steak. I am not sure how I will be usually all zones on high heat, probably at least one low heat setting. But I know for sure there will be likely chance I would usually need to cook multiple items on a high temperature. I also prefer to cook some ingredients separately, but still at the same time, because I do not want the flavours to mix. Only when I actually eat I want the flavors to mix. It's a specific kind of taste. Just like The restaurant will have the sauce on the side and you add it when you are ready to eat it.

From the above - I think any induction that allows you to cook on the High (not boost) setting across all hobs will work for you. Once you use the boost setting to get to a boil - you would want to decrease the heat to maintain a boil (not boil over). When I cook pasta - I use the boost to get to a boil but once I have my boil I turn it to high and add the pasta and use level 7 or 8 to maintain that boil. If I continued to use boost then I would have water all over my cooktop.

As a note - I use the boost for just for a few minutes at a time. It is not a mode you would need for a lengthy interval.

@Kim G

Do you have any experience with bosch, will it be similar to your wolf stove top?

Induction cooktop elements ("burners") are grouped into zones. If you "boost" (maximize) the power of one element in a zone, the power to the other element(s) in the zone will be reduced. Usually the "boost" is timed; after, say, 10 minutes the boost will be turned off.

When no element is boosted, you can use all the cooktop elements simultaneously at their maximum, non-boosted power.

That $5000 Thermador Masterpiece cooktop is no different. You can only "powerboost" one element in each zone at a time as described on page 19 of the Use and Care Guide.

You might consider GE Profile induction cooktops which are reasonably priced and readily available.

As far as the Bosch cooktop - I considered the Benchmark with the flex zones. I did not like how you had to select a burner and then a level. I prefer a one touch operation - some call it “direct select”. I did not look at other Bosch cooktops as I wanted a cooktop with bridging capability. Bosch makes a very good induction top and many on this forum have been pleased with them. I did find Wolf has better pot recognistion on the large burner. I can put my smallest saucepan there and have it recognized - not so with the Bosch benchmark on the larger burner. That is not a big issue as how often would you put that small of a pan on the large burner. If you use a lot of smaller cookware - the flex units will allow you to put more than one or two on the flex/bridged space if they fit and are recognized. Same with my large burner. Say I want to keep 2 or 3 sauces warm and can fit them on my large burner - I can put them all there and use a low setting to keep them warm If I wanted to. There have been several new entries to the market since I was looking 5+ years ago. I did take my pans to a showroom with live units and tried out the interfaces and layouts to see what would work best for me.

I saw the Thermador at a showroom yesterday, it's finished in gray glass-gorgeous! But yes, the price tag does give one pause : (

The 36-inch Frigidaire (also Electrolux and Kenmore, I assume) has 5 hobs in 3 zones. A zone is where power boost on one hob limits the maximum power on its paired hob. The largest highest-power hob is in a zone by itself.

For more technical data, see "the Induction Site" on the internet.

For countertop cut-out sizes, download the installation instructions for the candidate cooktops.

I should add that only the largest conceivable pot would require power boost to keep boiling. On the largest hob, the pot would have to radiate 3400W from the pot surface at boiling temperature (less heat of vaporization heat loss, which varies with how forceful the boiling is). Considering that at 210F, the radiant exitance is only 0.7W per square inch if the emissivity is equal to one -- unlikely with a polished metal -- a 30+ square foot pot surface would be needed. Most pans and pots can maintain boiling at half-power, depending on how full they are, how strong the boiling, pot wall thermal conductivity, and household line voltage.

I love my Bosch 36" 800 induction cooktop (I didn't need the bridge elements) and like others have said I can have all 5 burners at a high enough heat (not boost which as mentioned is just for getting water boiling quickly). I have found I almost never need the top setting for cooking, frying, stir frying, etc. I find level 8 is almost too high at times. (It goes to 9+)

I also love that each burner has its own timer so if I'm making pasta, and it needs to cook for 5 minutes for example, I just set the timer for that hob at 5 minutes and it turns off after 5 minutes, and beeps to let me know. Great for oatmeal, rice, etc too.

The Bosch has 17 levels of power adjustment. Check other units. That control is helpful. Others may have 10.