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Thermador induction cooktop questions

minu
16 years ago

Does anyone have the 30" induction cooktop from Thermador, either the hybrid or all-induction? If so, are you satisfied with the performance? Would like to get the all-induction because of the large burner, but am also considering the hybrid so that some old cookware can be reused. Would appreciate your responses.

Comments (38)

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    We have the 30" all induction. This is wonderful to cook on. I would not recommend the hybrid, to save old cookware. The hunt for some new pans is fun, and you will be very disatisfied with the old burners once you have cooked with induction. My wife found several inexpensive but well constructed pans (Tivoli in particular) that she likes. She also purchased some Demeyere pans that are very high quality, very well made, but are somewhat expensive.

    We have been very satisfied with the performance of the cooktop.

    Good Luck.

  • mls99
    16 years ago

    In my research on 30" induction cooktops, I found out that the Thermador 30" hybrid had been recalled this Fall. Only the hybrid.

  • minu
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the responses - I had seen the recall for the hybrid as well and was concerned.

    Carguy60: how much clearance do you have below the unit? Do you have drawers directly underneath? I hope to be able to use the top shallow drawer for utensils etc. and the bottom 2 for pots and pans. Any pictures that you could share?

    Thanks!

  • klaa2
    16 years ago

    I have the 36" hybrid and love it. In retrospect, I would rather have purchased the full induction and bought a hotplate for the cookware that I did not want to replace. It was only a few teapots and such. I only use the radiant hobs when the others are all full.

    I recommend Demeyere cookware.

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    I installed the cooktop on a standard 3 drawer base cabinet.
    It has a normal shallow drawer on top with two large drawers below for pots and pans.

    I skirted the issue of the "heat shield" mounted on the bottom of the cooktop, by mounting the heatshield in the shallow drawer pointing up. In that way it comes within 1/16 inch from the bottom of the cooktop. I also put a piece of weather strip on the bottom of the cooktop, that the heatshield rests against when the drawer is closed.

    By doing this, I was able to have a fully usable drawer and still provide the functionality of the heat shield.

    So far it has worked fine, and I believe that it was a good solution to this clearance problem.
    If I had mounted the heat shield on the cooktop, the shallow drawer on top would have been unusable. This was not an option.

    Good Luck

  • minu
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Carguy60:

    Thanks for the detailed description: hopefully my installer will be able to do something similar.

    The Thermador website does not list the 12" burner in the specifications for the 30" cooktop, but the picture
    clearly shows a large burner. Could you please confirm that indeed one of the burners is 12". How do the burners perform with pots/pans that are smaller in diameter?

    Thanks again for all the replies: you all have been extremely helpful. Will probably go for the all-induction one.

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    The large burner is 11" across.
    I do not know where the sensor is that detects that a pan is on the burner. I would suspect that it is near the center. We have not had any difficulty with pans smaller in diameter than the burners, but I doubt we have been much smaller.
    BTW. I personally believe that the weather strip that I mentioned in my previous post is overkill. If you get the shield within 1/8 inch, I think that it will do it's job OK. I put it on because I am an overkill kind of person.

    You will love the cooktop.
    It still amazes me how it will boil a teakettle full of water in less than three minutes.

    No more tea with microwaves running around in it.

    Good luck

  • tamjo44
    16 years ago

    minu-I have the Termador 36" and we have been using it for 2 weeks now. We love it. It is a breeze to wipe off and the instant control is amazing. We definitely wanted the larger burner in the middle. I've found a variety of cookware that works well on it. I would recommend it.

    carguy60- can you please elaborate on your heat shield solution? We ended up cutting down the depth of the drawer directly under the cooktop. I can put a knife holder in there or flat items, but not the spatulas, ladles etc that I was planning. Kind of a disappointment.

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    1. measure the distance from the bottom of the cooktop to the drawer.
    2. cut a piece of wood,(I used cabinet filler wood) to a thickness, that when added to the height of the heat shield, will come within 1/8 to 1/16 of the distance measured in step 1.
    3. Measure the distance from the front of the cabinet to the heat shield when mounted on the cooktop.
    4. remove the heat shield from the cooktop.
    5. fasten the heat shield, with wood strip attached to the inside of the drawer so that the heat shield is at the same distance from the front that it was when mounted to the cooktop.
    The heat shield will now move with the drawer, and the drawer becomes usable.

    Post your EMail addr, and I can send you a picture.

    Good Luck.

    removed the heat shield from the cooktop, and mountid

  • jgirl_2007
    16 years ago

    Carguy - Can you please post a picture. I'm in the same boat and would love to have a usable drawer under the cooktop. I'm meeting with the cabinet maker tomorrow so timing is perfect.
    Thanks.

  • minu
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Carguy60: please do post a picture. I think I understand the steps you described, but it would help tremendously to have something to show to the installers as well. If you prefer email, please email me through the "My Page" link.

    Thanks for all your help.

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    jgirl, minu

    I will take some pictures, and post them as soon as I get home from work.

  • piasano
    16 years ago

    What is this thermal induction?

    I am wondering about what kind of stove to put into the house we are building. I don't think I have heard of this kind! Someone posted that it senses when a pan is placed on it, and boils things faster?

    Hmmm...

    Looks like I have some research to do!

    Barbara

  • mls99
    16 years ago

    Barbara, take a look at the site below, which has a lot of information. Basically induction cooktops induce heat in the pan rather than in the cooktop using electromagnetism.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Induction Site

  • tamjo44
    16 years ago

    Thanks Carguy, the photos do say a thousand words. Now, if I can get my drawer back, I will be a very happy person.

    By the way, did you come up with this brilliant solution yourself? Do you think doing it this way will void any warranty?

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    It was my idea. When I realized how intrusive the standard heat shield was, I considered several options before settling on this one.

    It shouldn't void any warranty, since it is more effective than the standard mounting.

    It is also easy to remount for any needed warranty service.

  • minu
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Carguy: Thanks so much for these pictures - they really help. I notice that you have quite a few plastic tools in that drawer. How warm does it get in there when the cooktop is operational? Thermador should include this installation option in their specs:-)

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    It does not get warm in the drawer.
    We do not cook on 4 burners simultaneously very often. (maybe never)
    But we do cook on 2 burners quite often, and 3 burners sometimes.
    We use power boost only at startup or to quickly boil something.
    We believe that we have heard the fan come on 1-2 times in 4 months.
    I am not worried about too much heat in the drawer.

  • rocksinhead
    16 years ago

    Carguy - What size is the cabinet beneath your cooktop? 33" or 36"? We are planning a 33", with framed cabinetry, and so I wonder if your heatshield trick will work. I am guessing the internal dimension of the drawer will be 28 - 29".

  • try_hard
    16 years ago

    bump

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    Try_Hard

    My base cabinet is 36". The shield is 28.25 inches.
    If you were to install the shield in a smaller drawer, you might want to cut some air holes in the sides of the drawer, to provide a place for the air to go.

    You might also want to consider another solution that I think might be a better way to accomplish the goal of the shield.
    The purpose of the shield is to isolate the air cooling intake and exhaust ports of the cooktop.
    There are 2 small fans that are near the rear of the cooktop and a rectangular grate near the front.
    The shield sits between these ports.
    I do not know which ports are intakes and which is the exhaust.
    It really doesn't matter to the heat shield.

    The other method that I considered was to duct the rear ports through the drawer to the lower airspace.

    By cutting a couple of 2" holes in the bottom of the drawer and fastening some tubes (like plastic pipe)to the bottom of the drawer to act as ducts, a very effective separation of intake and exhaust air spaces is accomplished.
    You could then simply leave the heat shield off.


    Good luck, You will love cooking on induction.

  • try_hard
    16 years ago

    Carguy60,

    If I understand you correctly, the purpose of your heat shield was to prevent the air related to the ports at the back from mixing with the air related to the port at the front. For simplicity, let's assume it sucks the fresh air in at the front and blows hot air out at the back. So - the shield ensures the front port pulls in cool air rather than sucking in the hot air that's blowing out the back.

    To apply this to my GE Profile cooktop I'll just need to look at the bottom of the appliance and see if the exhaust and intake ports are set up in a way that allows me to use a heat shield like this.

    And then I could also drill holes in the drawer(s) under the cooktop to allow for more air circulation.

    This makes sense. And it's not a major project. I like it.

    Thanks for taking the time to explain.
    try_hard

  • carguy60
    16 years ago

    Try_Hard

    I believe the separation is the goal of the shield in my case. I have not looked at the GE. I know that they require more space between the cooktop and anything combustible. I have no idea what heat they are venting.
    The cooktop does not generate much heat that I have detected, the ventilation air vents on the Thermador appear to be for keeping the electronics cool. I think that the chimney method through the small drawer would be fine for exhaust ports. It effectively moves combustibles away from the air flow. If you can identify exhaust ports, I would go for it. The utility value of the drawer right at the cooktop is high.

    I will look at online GE docs to see if I can tell. (I enjoy these kind of things)

    good luck

  • lovemcm
    15 years ago

    bump

  • lmalm53
    15 years ago

    bump

  • jeanne70
    15 years ago

    I was told the heat shield keeps the electronic controls cool.

  • jr33176
    15 years ago

    I guess I am very late to this topic, but thought I would report what we did to save our drawer. We had the cabinet maker trim down the side walls (if that makes sense) of the drawer so that the heat sheild could be installed and the drawer can move freely. Of course, this means, I can only keep utensils in the very front of the drawer, but I wasn't comfortable filling up that drawer anyway. I didn't want to block air from circulating.

  • whidbey
    15 years ago

    bump

  • lmalm53
    15 years ago

    Bumping this post for Erick85. Has good info for how to install a storage drawer underneath a thermador induction cooktop. Look for the posts by Carguy60.

  • yottaflops
    15 years ago

    Is it possible to install a wall-oven underneath the thermador induction cooktop?

    I know that most induction cooktops don't allow that, but I looked at the user's guide and the installation manual, and they don't appear to say that you can't. But then they didn't say you can either.

  • mississippirose
    15 years ago

    Everyone's comments on the heat shield are very good and informative. The pics are great. I have 2 small drawers under the current electric cooktop and will be installing a Bosch 30 inch (same company makes Thermador & Bosch) induction on Monday. The heat shield will be a problem. The 2 drawers do not go back to the back end of the cabinet when fully closed so there's a 4-6inch space. There's empty space that is between the drawers and of course underneath as well. The purpose of the heat shield is to prevent exhaust air from being taken in and the mixing of air. I have to ask, is the heat shield really necessary if there's plenty of air space? I could see if you are using 3-4 burners at max output and the vent fan runs it may be necessary but for 1-2 burner use I doubt it seriously. I would think a flexible heat shield (i.e. silicone) would be a great idea if you could make one. I really hate to have to cut these drawers. BTW if you have chosen to install/modify the heat shield other than how the company recommends installation, you have voided the warranty.

  • lilyfreak
    14 years ago

    I just posted under a different post but found this previous thread (thanks, weedmeister). I went to see the Thermadore 30" induction stainless steel cooktop today and the look is amazing. What I asked on my other posting was about the functionality of it. I was told by the salesman that if you want to raise or lower the heat, you actually have to turn it off and then press higher or lower to what the original heat setting was. Is this true? The GE Monogram stainless steel unit has +/- controls but doesn't look quite as sharp as the Thermadore. Please let me know how you find the functionality of this unit. The Thermadore and GE Monogram are my top choices, so far!

    Thanks

  • jl_1978
    14 years ago

    lilyfreak,
    I also live in Canada and we just put a deposit on the silver-mirrored Thermador for our new house which will be ready this summer. We paid $2650+tax. It was actually a couple hundred dollars cheaper last year, but I guess prices have gone up with our dollar dropping. I haven't actually used the Thermador, but I've read the user manual. Unlike some cooktops, changing temperature is a two-step process. You have to select the burner that you want to change the temperature on. Then you have to slide the temperature up or down within 5s. If you don't, the burner will turn off. So the burner doesn't actually turn off if you change the temperature (sliding back to the same temp should be ok as well). I linked to the user manual if you want to have a look at it for clarification.

    To be honest, I didn't do extensive research which I guess isn't that smart for an appliance this expensive (the silver-mirrored finish is about $500 more then the black version!). But in my opionion, it is the best looking induction cooktop out there (I think the finish is nicer than the silver Monogram) and it will be the centerpiece of the kitchen. Hope it works as good as it looks!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Thermador user manual

  • lilyfreak
    14 years ago

    Thanks for that, JL_1978. I'm leaning towards the Thermador as well, because of how sharp it looks and also all the good comments on this forum. The GE is a close 2nd only because of the easier changing of temps.

  • lilyfreak
    14 years ago

    I went to an appliance store today where I was offered a stainless steel 30" induction cooktop for $2,220 CAD, regular price approx. $2,700. There is one hitch, it was on display at a recent home show so no longer in the box. I've seen it and it looks in fine shape. Other than ensuring I have the same warranty as one out of a box, is there anything else of which I should be aware? This seems a really good deal for this unit. Please give me your advice! Thanks so much.

  • lilyfreak
    14 years ago

    oops, in my excitement, I forgot to mention that it is the Thermador 30" SS unit.

    Thanks

  • try_hard
    14 years ago

    Earlier today I wrote a short review of my GE Profile 36" frameless induction cooktop, which I love!!! The link is below.

    try_hard

    Here is a link that might be useful: Try_Hard's appliances, one year later

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