To second what laat said, there was a discussion of cracked cast-iron last summer with a recommendation of ramping-up induction when pre-heating cast iron grills, griddles and pans. Link is below. Same thing might also be said, btw, for putting cold cast iron pots over gas burners and in fireplaces, too. OTOH, I've never heard or seen anything about having to ramp-up high heat with other cookware on induction stoves. I've never had any problem going to max heat with stainless stockpot full of liquid. For other kinds of cooking, I don't feel the need to run max-heat and then turn down as some people like to do. I've pretty much always picked my intended heat setting and just used that with induction. For me, it is a practical matter rather than a "thou shalt not" kind of thing. For me, the pans seem to heat up plenty fast enough on induction without my needing to mash the throttle to the floor and burn the tires in a launch from a standing start. mmhmmgood Your question about whether your situation was freakishly bad luck and unlikely to repeat or if getting another KA would be endlessly repeating the thing known to fail? No, it was not freakish bad luck but odds are pretty good that you won't get another cooktop that suffers from infant mortality. You are playing the odds rather than, as Einstein put it, insanely repeating actions known to be useless failures. I say your experiencing the defect and endlessly delayed and poor warranty service was not freakish. First, there are frequent reports and irate complaints about outsourced warranty being absurdly slow and lacking competence. It is a pervasive problem these days for pretty much all brands of appliances. The chances of that happening again are, unfortunately, significant. I can only suggest trying to research service providers in your area and seeing if you can get a different (and better rated) company if something else happens. Second, what happend to you was not freakish because KA has had a higher defect rate that many other brands of electrical stoves and cooktops. According to what I recall from the recent annual surveys of members of Consumer Reports, KitchenAid electric stoves running something like a 15% defect rate, That is about double the rates for GE and, strangely enough, Whirlpool branded electric stoves. (I say "strangely" because Whirlpool owns KA and a lot of the appliances come out of the same productions lines). Some of the high defect rate for KA was undoubtedly from the problems with KA's self-cleaning ovens frying over-temp breakers and circuit boards. IIRC, the KA cooktops ran a lower rate of defects, around 8%, which is only marginally higher than for other major brands (which ran about 6% or 7%). If the rate for induction cooktops is the same as for other KA electric cooktops, then roughly 1 in 12 owners have serious problems but the other 92% do not. Chances are pretty good that a new KA cooktop will be fine for you for the next few years. Of course, statistics like this are of no comfort when you are the one who gets whacked with a double whammy. But,, what do really have to lose --- that you would not be losing anyway --- if you are unlucky enough to get a second frail unit? Since, you were happy with the KA unit when it worked, and really want another induction unit without shelling out for an upgrade to a new unit, I say the odds are in your favor. Get the replacement and let us know things work out. Here is a link that might be useful: crackedcast iron griddle on induction This post was edited by JWVideo on Sat, Sep 14, 13 at 14:44

She is my husbands step daughter. She is in another state so the chances of getting her help are slim. She calls him every day upset about the loss of her mother. I find the behavior strange. I have lost my mother and grandparents. I focus on the happy times with them and do not dewell on the sad times of them sick or not being with us anylonger. Also I mentioned before how she sits around with her children and talks about their grandmother. She passed away from complications from gastric bypass surgery and liver cancer. They all focus on her when she was sick and loosing all the weight. She went from close to 350 lbs to 85 lbs in less than 10 months. They talk about how bad she looked when she was so thin and seeing her dying in bed. I have never heard them talk about the good things. I know it makes my husband crazy because he puts alot of the blame on himself for letting her have the surgery. I feel for him, as long as she does this it continues to bring back all his feeling of remorse. thanks again for listening

I wish my state allowed for me to place my child in rehab, but our laws state that at 17 years old, the person is an adult and unless they agree to go to rehab, there is nothing a parent can do. I so wish I was able to be brave as you are when my daughter needed more help at 17. She is now 20 and still in complete denial with legal, moral and financial woes from her addictive personality. If I had been able to place her in a facility, as you have done for your son, I know I would have all the same feelings you are experiencing....but I also would have hope for the future. Something I have less and less of, because my daughter refuses any help. So, hang in there and know you are a good parent, jiggreen. Being a good parent is the hardest thing we will ever do.......

Mary, I'm so sorry for your loss. My husband died suddenly in his sleep in May 2011 at age 53. He wasn't sick, but he wasn't too healthy, either. He had terrible sleep apnea that he didn't treat and his heart stopped at some point during the night. I found him on the couch the next morning, looking very peaceful. For several months I really didn't believe it - it was like he was just away somewhere. The tragedy of it all slowly started to sink in. I went back to work in the weeks following and that took my mind off it a little, and I had to make a living too - I couldn't stay in bed if I wanted to - my employer was understanding and said to take all the time I needed, but if I don't produce I don't get paid so I had to move forward at least at work. I think, at least for me, that getting my mind into work kept me from going off the deep end of despair. I don't remember a whole lot about last summer, though. Widow Brain, they call it. I had and still have great support from my two children (he was their much loved stepfather), and friends and family that call me and take me out often. But I miss him terribly! He & I also had plans for the future - the kids were just out of college and on their own, and we thought we were starting our next chapter. Now it's just me. I get out and around other people, but I also spent (still do) a lot of time at home by myself so I can cry all I want. It's a very physical release not just emotional. My heart actually aches. But for me it is very cleansing to wail and howl and let it out when it comes. In the month or two after the funeral it was so hard for me to write the thank you notes -- I cried so uncontrollably that I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the cops. I never did find a support group except forums online, so I don't know how it is for everyone. I'm getting through. The holidays were difficult of course, but as the new year progressed I was getting a little bit better, maybe not crying so much. And then, Valentine's Day. It's not like G ever made a big deal of it, but he was my Honey and when someone at work said "Happy Valentine's Day" to me I lost it and I did not expect that to happen. I was a sad mess all day long. You just never know what will set you off. I'm comparatively young in the widow world, and I know that I'm lucky that I always was an independent person and that I can afford my house if I'm careful, so I don't have to move right now. I'm a naturally positive thinker and not prone to depression and I think that helps a lot too. From what anyone who has been through this tells me each person handles it their own way and no way is right or wrong. Some people might "get over it" soon and some maybe never. I don't know if I'm any help to you but I want you to know that you are not alone. Jean