While many cooking enthusiasts favor gas cooktops, induction cooktops certainly have their advantages, and in the induction cooktop vs gas cooktop debate, it all really comes down to personal preference and cooking style.
Induction cooktops are safer, especially with small children in the home. Even when turned to high heat, burners remain cool to the touch and only transfer heat directly to pots and pans. Induction cooktops are also highly efficient, with no heat lost to the surrounding air.
For those in search of the best induction cooktop, we’ll share our induction cooktop reviews with a little side-by-side comparisons of some of the top brands available.
Viking Professional Series VICU All-induction Cooktop
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We’ll start with the Viking, a brand known for its power and professional-level quality. The Viking induction cooktop features six burners varying in size from 6″ to 8″ and in power from 1,400 watts to 3,700 watts. Viking’s Power Management System ensures fast boiling as well as fast simmering.
The durable surface is easy to clean, as are most induction cooktops. However, whereas some of Viking’s competitors offer smooth touch controls, Viking sticks with its large metal knobs. The knobs are removable for cleaning.
Bosch NIT8665UC Induction Cooktop
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Next, we highlight the 36″ induction cooktop from Bosch, another widely respected brand in the luxury appliance market. Like Viking, Bosch boasts fast boiling time, which it achieves through its trademarked SpeedBoost function. Bosch claims its induction cooktop boils water twice as fast as conventional electric cooktops.
Bosch also offers several other advanced features to make cooking efficient and foolproof. Individual timers for each cooking element help you keep track of all the different dishes on your stove. Bosch’s PotSense feature senses the size of the pot and tailors the heating element to those particular parameters. While induction cooktops are already relatively safe, remaining cool to the touch even when on a high heat setting, Bosch takes safety a step further with its overflow detection. In case of spillover from a boiling pot, an alarm sounds, and the heating element shuts off.
Bosch outdoes Viking in power with its 11″ 4400-watt center burner.
KitchenAid KICU569XSS Induction Cooktop
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The KitchenAid 36″ induction cooktop shares many of the same features as the comparable Bosch model. For example, the cooktop features five heat elements with pan-size detection. A performance boost brings water to a boil exceptionally fast, and a “Melt & Hold” feature allows you to keep melted butter or sauces at a low temperature until you’re ready to add more ingredients or serve.
The KitchenAid cooktop also features a dual element that operates as both a 9″ and 12″ burner with either 2,500 or 4,800 watts of power.
One feature completely unique to KitchenAid is the bridge element, which combines the heat from two 7″ heating elements in order to allow users to cook with griddle, grill or roasting pans.
Jenn-Air JIC4536XS Induction Cooktop
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Jenn-Air’s five-element, 36″ induction cooktop offers many features similar to those from KitchenAid and Viking. A sensor boil feature brings water to a boil rapidly, alerts you that the water has reached a boil by beeping, and then automatically adjusts the power level to minimize spillover risk. Similar to Kitchen-Aid’s “Melt & Hold,” Jenn-Air offers a “Keep Warm” function to keep sauces warm without scorching.
Like Viking, Jenn-Air offers a separate timer for each heating element, so you can set unique cooking times for each dish.
Comparison
When it comes to style, we think Bosch is the front-runner with its simple black surface and sleek controls. When it comes to features and versatility, we think KitchenAid is the winner. However, all four cooktops perform well and offer their own unique combination of helpful features.
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