Need a new Electric Cook Top

[larry_stewart]

I have / had an Electrolux electric cooktop.
Its 10 + years old and just crapped out.
I didnt price out fixing it, its past warranty ( of course, it always is) and to be honest, I just want a new one.

We called the appliance dealer we dealt with when we redid the kitchen.
He has all our records still so we asked for his opinion on a replacement.

We are limited to a 30", electric flat top that fits the footprint of what we had so no alterations need to be made to the countertop. We also gave him a list of what we liked, didn't like about the old one along with any other preferences.

The 2 models suggested were a Bosch model and Thermador Model.

I did a little research and it seems Thermador is just another brand name for Bosch.

So my question is, from a brand point of view, is there a general preference Bosch vs Thermador?

Cook top layout is basically the same, features are similar but there is a $500 difference in price ( Thermador being the more expensive).

Cost is not an issue, I just want a good reliable product.

I was happy with what I had til it crapped out.
The one thing my wife hated is the old one had a raised stainless steel trim that was difficult to clean, so she insisted on a complete flat top.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Have you thought about an induction cook-top[. You get all the benefits of a gas cook-top, as in instant temperature control, plus easy cleanup, and higher efficiency. And there is no indoor pollution generated as with gas. Just another option.

As far as your question goes, I wish I could be of more help. But I have never owned either a Boch, or Thermador cook-top. Sorry. I knmow that Bosch makes great spark plugs.

Seeeeeya- Chief Longwind of gthe north

 

[DaveSoMD]

I have / had an Electrolux electric cooktop.
Its 10 + years old and just crapped out.
I didnt price out fixing it, its past warranty ( of course, it always is) and to be honest, I just want a new one.

We called the appliance dealer we dealt with when we redid the kitchen.
He has all our records still so we asked for his opinion on a replacement.

We are limited to a 30", electric flat top that fits the footprint of what we had so no alterations need to be made to the countertop. We also gave him a list of what we liked, didn't like about the old one along with any other preferences.

The 2 models suggested were a Bosch model and Thermador Model.

I did a little research and it seems Thermador is just another brand name for Bosch.

So my question is, from a brand point of view, is there a general preference Bosch vs Thermador?

Cook top layout is basically the same, features are similar but there is a $500 difference in price ( Thermador being the more expensive).

Cost is not an issue, I just want a good reliable product.

I was happy with what I had til it crapped out.
The one thing my wife hated is the old one had a raised stainless steel trim that was difficult to clean, so she insisted on a complete flat top.

Consumer Reports gave the 36" Thermador an 81 Rating. Even thought Bosch bought Thermador, I think they are still more high-end than Bosch. I didn't see a 30" Thermador on CR but the 30" Bosch got a 76.

 

[larry_stewart]

Have you thought about an induction cook-top[. You get all the benefits of a gas cook-top, as in instant temperature control, plus easy cleanup, and higher efficiency. And there is no indoor pollution generated as with gas. Just another option.

As far as your question goes, I wish I could be of more help. But I have never owned either a Boch, or Thermador cook-top. Sorry. I knmow that Bosch makes great spark plugs.

Seeeeeya- Chief Longwind of gthe north

I did think about induction.
In my first place I had gas, and loved it. That was for only 4 years
then everything else Ive had since then were the electric coils ( which I hated)
about 10 years ago I went to the smooth cook top, took time to get used to, but now its what I consider normal.
I did do some cooking on induction, but because Ive been doing the smooth top for so long, Its what im used to, so Im going to stick with that.

And because of the current situation, the whole buying process has to be online. the store is open and theoretically considered essential, but the less I go out, the better. Im not crazy about people coming here to install it, but not sure I want to cook out of a hot pot and microwave for an extended period of time, and I just dont trust my current stove top situation. Its working now, but could crap out at any time.

 

[larry_stewart]

Consumer Reports gave the 36" Thermador an 81 Rating. Even thought Bosch bought Thermador, I think they are still more high-end than Bosch. I didn't see a 30" Thermador on CR but the 30" Bosch got a 76. View attachment 40500View attachment 40501View attachment 40502

. I was leaning towards the Thermador, for no other reason than it just felt right, but the consumer report does help. Thanks for providing it.

 

[pepperhead212]

Since my experiences with induction have come about - with the burner in my house, and the ranges in other's homes, I have said that if I were ever to have to switch to an electric range (this would be in a move, as this gas range will outlive me!), it will definitely be an induction range. The instant on and off reaction is something you don't get in other electric types. And the cool cooking area, quickly after you remove the pan, is something to think about - this coolness also keeps things from burning on, like what happens on regular glass tops.

 

[WhateverYouWant]

Larry...

You might want to give this a little more thought. I've used a Frigidaire ceramic top for many years (and always liked it)... but last year I bought one of these for about sixty bucks for use with a generator during all of PG&E's outages.

It was a game changer...

1.) Instantaneous heat.
2.) Thermostatic control.
3.) Way more efficient.
4.) Auto off with no pan.
5.) Little to no residual heat (way more control).

Now I use it exclusively for fish and other delicates. Unless you have cabinets full of non-ferrous cookware, I'd seriously recommend you reconsider induction.

 

[larry_stewart]

I actually purchased a portable induction burner about a year ago when I was initially planning on replacing the cook top. I figured the small investment would give me a real life opportunity to try and see if I like before making the purchase. To be honest, and maybe its cause ive been cooking on the electric for so long and got used to it,My mind is pretty much made up as far as going electric instead of induction. Still have the single burner should I have the desire to cook induction. But, I appreciate all the input ive been getting.

 

[Silversage]

I'm going to be the outlier here on induction. About a year ago I bought a KitchenAid induction range, and my reviews are mixed.

The instant hot/ instant cool is great. But I don't like the controls. THe portable burners have temperature settings. The range only has 1-10. There's no more control or understanding than the controls on an electric range.

I often used my range as extra counter space or a safe place to set a hot pan. I can't do that with the induction range. If I set a metal pan on a turned off burner, it starts beeping at me. If I set a large pan across two burners, it beeps at me. If I remove a pan for a minute without turning off the burner, it beeps. The controls are built right into the glass, and if you move the pan and accidentally cover an part of the controls, it shuts the whole thing off.

I won't keep going. The new house we are moving in to next month has gas! Yeah!

 

[A-Spec_Reviews_YT]

Silversage, I have always thought that a great idea would be "fly-by-wire" digitally controlled gas cooktops. This would give you the control of gas, plus the features of portable induction cooktops.
With an electronically controlled gas valve, you could get the food cooking how you want and just hit a button to hold it there precisely. Features such as pan protection (where you could only increase pan temp to a certain point before the cooktop would beep at you and the burner would start turning itself down) would also be possible.

 

[taxlady]

My parents bought a house that was about a year old in 1959. It had an up-to-date built in gas cooktop and built in gas oven and broiler with a rotisserie. That stove had a thermostat on one of the burners. It worked well. It had a dial to set the temperature, like on an oven. It was great fun, as a kid, to watch the way the flame went up and down. The stove top also had one burner with a timer that would switch off the gas for that burner.

I have often wished I had both a cooktop and a built in oven and broiler like those.

 

[A-Spec_Reviews_YT]

My parents bought a house that was about a year old in 1959. It had an up-to-date built in gas cooktop and built in gas oven and broiler with a rotisserie. That stove had a thermostat on one of the burners. It worked well. It had a dial to set the temperature, like on an oven. It was great fun, as a kid, to watch the way the flame went up and down. The stove top also had one burner with a timer that would switch off the gas for that burner.

I have often wished I had both a cooktop and a built in oven and broiler like those.

Nice! It seems as if modern technology is perfectly capable of doing this, however no one else has even thought of this. With electronics, you could be able to have direct control OR hold the pan temp. However in "direct" mode, you could tell the computer what type of pan you were using. If you were using nonstick cookware, the computer could forcefully override your input if it'd heat the pan above about 475 degrees (destroying the Teflon coating on the pan)

 

[TomDavis]

Hi, I was compiling this article about best electric cooktops, and found this forum, I want to make the best and the most comprehensive review of them on the web, could some of you help me do that by writing about what you liked/didn't like about your cook top and model? Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnDB]

The one thing not mentioned about induction is the magnet/coil size.

Most have a 6" coil....which means that the center of the pan gets hot and any other part of the pan doesn't. So if you are cooking omelets you are in great shape but if using a 12" pan for pancakes....nope. the price increase for the larger coils is astronomical...like $3k. And considering the laws of physics a central hot spot, that heats like a gas stove will heat it, will warp even a large heavy duty cast iron pan. (Not good)

I do like the other features though....instant controlled heat without an open flame, timers that turn off the eye, holding temperatures for long term cooking, and other things....

But between the high price (and power needs) of larger coils for larger than 9" pans....nope. not gonna recommend induction yet.