Greetings I just answered similar questions in an email this morning. You may be a different person so here goes. The Bosch is not picky at all. I used a 6" pan on the 11" hob without any problems with pan sizes being too small for the hobs. You may encounter problems with pans that are too large though. I haven't tried that. Enjoy Carol

I have the 30 Bosch 500 and it is perfect. No messing with plus or minus at all. The heat goes to 9 with half stops along the way. So I start my scrambled egg omelet thingy at 7. If I wanted to go to 4.5, I would just press 4.5. Boils fast at 9 plus boost, but they all do. I can use the smallest hobs for a larger pan if I need to. I am pretty sure, altho untested, that I can use a smaller pot on a larger hob and it will work just fine. Also, I have no rattling, noise, vibration, except yesterday I remembered to listen for bothersome noises. I put my head, ear close to the pan and very fainly felt or sensed a slight cycling but when I raised my head to it's normal position, there was nothing. I have read that noises can result from inexpensive cookware but I have very low priced, for the most part, induction pots. Many are from T.J. Marshalls, Home Goods. Chefology did not work on my induction but my Macy's works very well. I am thrilled with my Bosch. Haven't learned the timers yet. Just haven't done a lot of serious cooking as it's summer and we are empty nesters and grill outside. Boiled pasta water, scrambled hamburger, eggs in the am. a kiss for my Bosch mmmmm.

Free standing 36" Gas (not dual fuel) 4 burner plus griddle convection oven/range. Monster. There were thermadors I had experience with that were 15 years old and never a problem. So, during a remodel of my current home, I bought another one. Loved it, bought it, regret it now. Of course, I didn't do my research before jumping and buying another Thermador. That was my big mistake, and boy am I wearing it. Boyyyyyyyy am I wearing it. . . . . . Come to find out I'm not the only one now with a very, very expensive "heap." (grin) Guess I'm now one of thousands and thousands of people who made this mistake. Don't get me wrong - monster wonderful range. Awesome centerpiece. . .when it works! Does everything with amazing speed, and wonderful lines, beautiful style, a dream to cook on! But gawd forbid if you need service. You are in for a terrible, terrible experience. And of course, when you need service is when you are under pressure. Like ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, thanksgiving? (grin) That was just the latest adventure. Delivery damaged it. They "crushed" it like a tin box with the straps (unboxed it to get it through the only functioning door.) Getting replacement panels was a horrendous problem. Months and months. That was my first indication that there were going to be issues. Then one board went, then another circuit board went, and now another board seems to have gone out. (I suspect the same circuit board, again.) No "certified" technicians in the area, either. Search on their site, and there aren't any qualified service people within 120 miles. Search for dealers, and there are 12 within 25 miles. Have a sub zero fridge (known cooler issue), and a bosch dishwasher (known motor problem, fixed immediately). When both needed service, I had not a single problem. Quick, knowledgable, efficient. The complete opposite of my Thermador experience. Had I known, I would have gone with a Wolf or a Viking. All options being about equal in that price range, I liked the lines and style of the Thermador better and went on prior experience. Just understand, if you choose Thermador, you are rolling the dice. Want to know what is really angering? As I was sarcastically laughing last time about the $700.00 circuit board, saying that I should have gone with a Wolf or a Viking, the repair person told me that Viking and Wolf parts are readily available here, at a fraction of the cost. He even told me Viking parts are available from Sears. Pouring salt into an already open wound. Ohhhhhhhhhhhwuh! Thanks a lot! (grin)

Pretty much everyone makes a 30" induction cooktop. That's the good news. Over on Appliances folks will tell you which brands they like. The 4 that come to mind are Bosch, Miele, Electrolux and Wolf. Each of these has specific requirements for power and clearance below due to heat build up and the kind of power the top generates. The only way to be sure -- and you need to be if it's to work properly -- is via the specification sheets. Those have diagrams and we've all struggled through sitting down and studying them. But it's a must. If you post links to your choice here folks can help you second guess. The deal with induction is that it needs a certain amount of amperage coming in and a certain amount of clearance below, which you know. It also requires magnetic cookware -- anything a magnet will stick to. Assume you're aware of that. I started looking at them with the idea of switching out our electric radiant to induction. I also have the drawer below which I love and would never give up. So don't! Under counter allowances vary from brand to brand. One brand requires 12" below and another requires only 4". Trick is to find the brand that suits your situation. And, since you're in a condo, do ask the electrician to be absolutely sure before you buy the thing that there's enough amperage for it -- again that info's on the spec sheet. It might not be an issue in a home but in a condo it might be and you don't want complications in that regard. And look for a new place to buy. That appliance store, as someone said, doesn't know squat. I sure wouldn't want them providing service on the unit after it's in. Here is a link that might be useful: The Induction Site This post was edited by rococogurl on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 9:10