36" Induction cooktop questions - Wolf vs. Bosch w/FlexInduction
I have never cooked on induction before but DH is set on getting a 36" induction cooktop if/when we ever remodel our existing house. The two choices we are interested in are the 36" Wolf with the bridging between the 4 smaller hobs and the 36" Bosch Benchmark with FlexInduction. Honestly, to me, the Bosch looks like the better configuration but I've seen some older negative reviews about functionality of the FlexInduction hobs and how it defaults to flex and doesn't cook evenly.
Does anyone have recent experience with either of these brands and models? If so, what are your thoughts.
Comentarios (40)
Jennifer Svensson
hace 4 añosHi
We have the 36” Bosch 800 benchmark and love it. I don’t know how it compares to the wolf, we never looked at that one..
shead agradeció a Jennifer Svensson
Jakvis
hace 4 añosÚltima modificación: hace 4 añosBosch (BSH) is probably the leader in Induction Technology so I don't think you can go wrong with one. The Wolf is also a good unit but from the demonstrations I've seen the brigded elements doesn't work as well as the flex induction modules.
shead agradeció a Jakvis
PROStudio M Interior Design
hace 3 añosWe have the wolf unit. The thing we liked about the wolf at the time is that it was the only unit (the contemporary model) that could be flush mounted, and there's still room for a drawer immediately underneath. The clean look of a flush mount is hard to beat. You won't be sorry with either unit.
shead
Autor originalhace 3 añosIt's amazing that I started this thread over a year ago and still have the same question....lol. I'm leaning towards the Wolf at this moment :)
- PRO
Studio M Interior Design
hace 3 añosYou can't go wrong with a Wolf / Subzero. They have 24/7 customer service and it's a higher end name brand. They don't sell through home deport and best buy so if you are looking for a deciding factor, that's a huge one in our opinion. Good luck and enjoy your new induction!
shead
Autor originalhace 3 añosÚltima modificación: hace 3 añosI’m now 99% sure we will go with Wolf. I’m hoping to see it in person before making my final decision. I like the two separate flex zones on the Bosch Benchmark but I’m not sure I’d actually need 2 at once and having a large job on the size seems more ideal.
Dorys Prentice
hace 3 añosI'm in the same boat and I'm just about to pull the trigger on the Wolf, however, I'm a bit concerned about using the touch pad and having wet hands. Anyone have any issues with that on the Wolf?
dotsandstripes 123
hace 3 añosThe touchpad on our Wolf induction is not as responsive to wet fingers, but that is easy to overcome with a quick wipe of your hands.
dcraider
hace 3 añosWe bought the Thermador unit with right side Liberty induction, left side four big gas burners, and oven as electric. Love it. We boil water in largest pot in record time on induction and do most cooking on gas side although I easily go back and forth between induction and gas side.
aspen75
hace 2 añosThank you for this thread. I am torn. I like the layout of the Wolf with the large burner on the right side. I most often use the large burner and think it would be awkward in the case of most induction tops (i.e. Bosch) to reach over anything at the lower right to get to the center large burner. BUT, I also see the merit of my large burner in the middle, under the center of my overhead ventilation, which is a bit undersized at 36" wide for a 36" cooktop. On ALL of the induction cooktops, I am disappointed that the burners are behind the controls, set back quite far. Currently I'm cooking on a very plain-jane range unit and the burner I use most is right in front of me. 1. It seems with cooktops I will be reaching far back to cook, and I'm not super tall. Has anyone found this awkward? 2. Would you be concerned about the right-hand largest Wolf burner not receiving adequate ventilation since it would be at the edge of a 36" hood overhead? I'll be frying, in a great room--the ventilation needs to work!
aspen75
hace 2 añosAnd one more important question! For those using Wolf. If using a large pot on the 4-burner bridge area. Is there an element at the center of those four burners? How does it work if you are using just for argument, a large 14" circular pot? Would you turn on 3 of them bridged and get L-shaped heating under your pot? If you use a griddle on all four burners, is there a cool spot in the middle? Curious how a large pot could be evenly heated. Thanks!
Decor Devotee
hace 2 añosTo answer your first question, I've never found it awkward at all to reach for the large burner. It's the one I use most frequently, too. Regarding your second question, if you have a quality ventilation hood, this should not be an issue, I use my large cast iron pan frequently in that large burner position and my hood handles it very well. I have the Wolf hood.
awm03
hace 2 añosÚltima modificación: hace 2 añosaspen75, I had the same concerns about the large hob placement. I too was accustomed to having a hob directly in front of me. I like to can, and didn't want to place a big heavy water bath canner in the back where it would be awkward to lift, or in the center where it would crowd the cooktop. I got the Wolf 30 inch because the large hob is somewhat close & not in the center.
After weeks of stewing & overthinking about the various brands' merits & shortcomings, now that I have the Wolf, I haven't given one thought about that large hob location! It seems natural & comfortable to use, easy to see into a large pot. Still, I find myself using the corner 8 inch burner most frequently because it's right in front of me.1 good thing: the cooktop arrived & was installed 6 weeks after it was ordered.
1 gripe: the circles that denote the hobs can be very difficult to see.
shead
Autor originalhace 2 añosWe went with the Wolf. I LOVE the large hob being on the right side instead of the middle. As for bridging the hobs, I've only ever done front to back for my griddle. My ONE complaint about the Wolf is that the control panel can be a little finicky sometimes. It locks off after a certain amount of time and you have to press a button to unlock it before turning any hob on. Sometimes it is harder to get it to unlock or respond (damp fingers, etc.) Usually, switching fingers works and I chalk it to up burning my finger pads too many times over the years with a hot glue gun.
Kim G
hace 2 años@shead - the auto lock feature on the wolf can be turned off. Thanks to forum members I read about that here. I am sure it is buried somewhere in my users manual, but I googled it and found the sequence that you can employ to turn the auto lock off. It has simplified my life greatly. I only turn the lock on when I need to clean over the control panel. Not having the auto lock is a great help when I have guests wanting to use the cooktop.
shead agradeció a Kim Gaspen75
hace 2 añosUpdate: purchased the Wolf and it took from June to December to receive (thanks, Covid!). I am super disappointed. Somewhere in the threads here I got the impression the Wolf unit had a 'true bridge' function with extra elements between the burners when you bridge them. NOPE. Two hot spots on the sides and no heat in the middle. Might as well not have a bridge...useless. Sigh. I can't believe I made that mistake! Word to the wise. Somebody set me straight if I'm doing something wrong :P
Decor Devotee
hace 2 añosI have only used the bridge function a couple of times to put a large rectangular griddle across two elements, but it seemed to provide even heat across the whole griddle, from what I remember.
shead
Autor originalhace 2 años@aspen75, I have only done front to back bridging with my oblong griddle pan and have not noticed "hot spots." Here is what the Wolf website says:
https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/wolf/common/induction-cooktop-bridge
"All Bridge(36" Induction Cooktops and 36" Induction Ranges Only) should be used for cookware larger than 12" in diameter.- Cookware smaller than 12" in diameter will not work well. The bridge does not produce an even heat, and may turn off if the cookware is not sensed by one of the generators.
- Use the right rear element for best results when using cookware smaller than 12" in diameter.
- The All Bridge feature will hook the four burners together, but there is no elements between the burners. Each hob will be a “hot spot,” and on each hob, the four coils will heat slightly differently.
- Use a set-on griddle on a vertical or side-to-side bridge to achieve even heat across the surface of the griddle.
- The bridge zone between two burners only will not have the hot spots that the all bridge feature has."
Therefore, a two burner bridge should not have hot spots but an all bridge will have hot spots. I, too, wish I'd understood that better before purchase but I haven't had a need for an all bridge in the last year, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯awm03
hace 2 añosI've been happy with my 30 inch Wolf's bridge feature, but happiness with it is dependent on the griddle & how evenly it heats. I use a vintage cast iron griddle, thinner & lighter than a modern day Lodge. It does a decent job at heat distribution, especially if given a warm up period. Once it gets cranked up, it's pretty consistent. The center is a bit cooler, of course, but still hot enough that foods get done. Not as well browned, but certainly ready to eat. So far no one has complained that their third pancake isn't as evenly golden brown as the other two! I've cooked 4 hamburger patties at once on it and a whole fish -- all fine. I put my turkey roaster on the bridge to make gravy on Thanksgiving. Worked great.
As for the 36 inch's four burner bridge, that would be great for a big waterbath canner. Or for one of these big Lodge skillets: https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Seasoned-Cast-Skillet-Handles/dp/B00063RWVG With growing grandkids & another on the way, I'd love to be able to use two oblong griddles at once.
Re cool spots with the bridge feature: I'm not experienced with a pro gas range, but the few times I've used one (Wolf) in rentals, straddling big cookware over the burners created hot & cold spots too. And I didn't like that the gas burners concentrated the heat in a such small center area of the pan. Don't ask about the heat in the stove area & clean up. I assumed the problem was me not knowing how to use the range well. But still, yechh! I thought my induction cooktop was better with big pots & pans.aspen75
hace 2 añosThank you! I'm hopeful I was using the bridge errantly when I had the hot spot problem! Off to try an oblong griddle. I had a big pan that I set over 1.5 burners...and had heating right over the marked hobs and none in between. Maybe a griddle will perform differently. That would be GREAT. TY!!
kt32race
hace 2 añosFor anyone still considering induction cooktops, we have the Thermador Freedom (installed in Sept) and LOVE it. No hobs, so a pan/pot/griddle of any size can be placed anywhere on the cooktop with even heating.
aspen75
el último año@shead, I clicked your link and it still says there should not be hot spots between burners. But, the proof is in the pictures. SOOOO disappointed we don't see any evidence of elements between the burners when in bridge mode either side to side or front to back. Sigh. Lesson learned to test things out in person rather than just read about things on the internet.
awm03
el último añoYou probably can cook on your griddle just fine as the heat will eventually disperse. I don't have any problems with mine. The "cool" spot is still plenty hot enough to cook on.
kaseki
el último añoShort of quasi-rectangular abutted hob coils, which could have strange field patterns, the images above are pretty representative of what has to happen with a "thin pan" and normal induction cooktop coils. What is needed is a spanning griddle for which the transverse thermal conductivity (in the layer above the inductive metal) is high relative to the perpendicular thermal conductivity from the conductive layer to the food. This suggests a thick copper layer between two steel layers -- choosing a non-complex configuration.
Thick cast iron has high thermal resistance in all directions, but is good at storing heat, so the cooking uniformity is better than, say, a thin sheet of inductive stainless steel. Perhaps some specialty source such as Demeyere has a suitable griddle or pan. I believe they have a 5-layer induction capable lasagna pan.
awm03
el último añoSo here's my Wolf & antique cast iron griddle (thinner & lighter than modern cast iron griddles). I get the hot spots too, but funny thing, the gap later narrowed from two inches down to one inch:
And after emptying the water, I put the griddle back on the cooktop & cracked an egg in the middle. Here is the egg after about 5 seconds, just enough time to pick up the camera & focus. To me, the "cool spot" is still plenty hot enough to cook on:
I can't think of anything that I cook on the griddle where perfect uniformity of temperature is critical. Even if I cook a whole fish, I don't mind if the ends are crispy and the center is slightly less so, especially salmon which I like a bit less done in the meaty parts. Everything else -- sandwiches, sausages, bacon, pancakes, onions, peppers, burgers -- I can flip or stir or shuffle around the griddle if I desire more doneness. But I don't find that I need to do that very much because stuff still gets cooked adequately in the "cool spot."aspen75
el último año@awm03 Thanks for the thoughts. Because I had read here that the Wolf had a true bridge element and didn't just hook the control for two burners together, I had a moment of dashed expectations :} I would have gotten a cheaper cooktop! ;) Anyway, made some pancakes and it's not the end of the world, but the part of the pancake over the hob gets darker and the part further off the center stays lighter. Yes, I can flip around to even it out, but my plug in $25 electric presto griddle has terrifically even heat by comparison. Anyway, done now! I'm sure I'll get used to it. Thanks for your input!
aspen75
el último año@kaseki is this what you had in mind? https://berondi.com/demeyere-cookware/demeyere-pans/demeyere-teppanyaki-plancha.html
shead
Autor originalel último año@aspen75, I have that same griddle that I use on mine. I understand and experience what you are saying and it is a bit of a disappointment. However, it has never hindered my cooking abilities on it. I mainly use my griddle for fish, shrimp, or pancakes (DH sometimes uses it for squash and zucchini) and because the heat ends up dispersing throughout the griddle, I never have issues with the food I cook. Sometimes I might have to move my fish or shrimp around as it cooks, but it still cooks. I'm still very pleased with my Wolf and so glad I went with it over gas, which we had before and which definitely had far worse hotspots. I have not tried a cast iron griddle on mine because I like the ease of cleaning the one I do have. Plus, I have a Blackstone on my patio just off my kitchen and I use it a ton in the spring, summer, and fall when I truly need a griddle ;)
kaseki
el último año@aspin75: Actually, I didn't find that example, only the deeper walled Demeyere lasagna pans, but for griddle purposes, the teppanyaki pan seems ideal, exclusive of the price perhaps. I don't have any experience using that or any other griddle on two hobs, and I don't think my Frigidaire Gallery hob layout is particularly suited for one. I have a coated aluminum slab type electric griddle that works well for pancakes, and hamburgers can be cooked and flipped in large pans over a large hob.
kaseki
el último añoÚltima modificación: el último añoAnd I seem to have missed the earlier question. The Lodge claims to be not induction compatible, but I don't see how carbon steel could escape inductive heating. I"m not an expert on susceptibility of iron phases with or without possible additives, however, so I won't bet against the listed information.
The Cuisinart doesn't say it is induction compatible. But there is a video far down Amazon's page that indicates that it works on induction, and that the heat distribution is fairly even, IR thermometer-wise. And the price is less than demeyere's price. Searching among Amazon's reader feedback comments is advised.
https://www.amazon.com/vdp/12d6d7a9d4bb458298e85087f90d9988?ref=dp_vse_rvc_0
P.S. Be sure it will fit and not overlap control electronics.
kaseki
el último añoP.P.S. For those with inconvenient (for two-hob griddles) induction hob layouts, there exist circular and square single hob griddle pans with low edges for easier spatula insertion than typical frying pans.
Beverly Miller
el último añoDoes anyone have the Gaggenau? i was thinking Bosch but then learned about the continuous cooking surface on the Gaggenau so that pots and pans are heated wherever on the surface they are placed.
shead
Autor originalel último añoI obviously don't but that would be an incredible feature to have! I tried to look up the price of one but nothing is showing online. I wonder how it compares to my $3100ish Wolf.
awm03
el último añoI think the Gagg 36 in. is a bit north of $6K. That makes sense, as the Thermador Freedom 36 in. is about $5.7K, & Gaggenau is BSH's elite brand. Interesting that the Gagg 36 in. only needs 30 amps compared to 50 amps for other brands. At least that's what the web site spec listing says; I didn't double check in the installation sheet downloads. If accurate, then some people wont have to spend extra to upgrade their electric lines.
I paid about $5.5K for my Wolf 30 in. induction cooktop & to upgrade the wiring & add a separate kitchen breaker box. But I think modernizing a house's infrastructure is worth it, especially for resale value.
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Kim G