Best Overall
Bosch FlexInduction NITP068UC
The Bosch FlexInduction NITP068UC is an induction cooktop with powerful burners, plenty of space for cooking, several safety features and a feature that helps prevent over- or undercooking food.
Best Value
Frigidaire FGIC3067MB
Frigidaire FGIC3067MB is more affordable than any cooktop we looked at. It has great features like features that adjust the size of your burner to your pan and shut off if it detects no pan is there.
Most Cooking Power
KitchenAid KICU509XSS
KitchenAid KICU509XSS has burners with the widest range of cooking watt power to cook a wide variety of food with precision. It comes in two color options and all the essential safety features. This is a great choice for a big family.
Best Overall
The Bosch NITP066UC is an induction cooktop with a variety of advanced features and a design that sets it apart from other cooktops. The four burners range in power from 1,400 watts to 3,300 watts.
Additionally, this Bosch induction cooktop is one of the few on our lineup that provides power-boost capabilities on all four burners. By increasing the power on the burner, the power boost lets you heat water at a faster-than-normal rate. However, while all four burners feature the power boost, the burners are split into two groups, and only one element can use the power boost at a time.
In contrast to other cooktops, which typically have one big and three small burners, this cooktop has three large and one small. The burners range in size from 6 inches to 11 inches in diameter. The 11-inch burner is one of the largest heat elements we saw on this type of device. The design of the heat elements increases this cooktop's capabilities. Two of the circular heat elements combine with a rectangular element bridge to create a space for a griddle.
The Bosch’s advanced timer functionality includes a separate timer for each element. When the timer for a specific element is done counting, the cooktop automatically shuts off each element in turn when they are done cooking. This is a standout feature. There is also a setting to keep food warm.
You have 17 settings to choose from, which gives you plenty of variety and includes settings that prevent food from being over- or undercooked. It has standout safety features, such as a control lock to ensure it’s not on when you don’t want it to be, and a pan detector, which will shut off the burner if it detects there is no pan on the burner.
Pros
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It has 17 temperature settings to choose from, including a setting that prevents over- or undercooking.
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Each burner has separate timers and will shut off automatically at a set time.
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It has several safety features, such as a control lock and pan detection.
Cons
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All four burners have power-boost capabilities, but you can only use the power boost on one element in a group at a time.
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This cooktop isn’t as easy to use as some of the others in our lineup.
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Its parts and labor warranty is just average.
Best Value
Frigidaire FGIC3067MB
The Frigidaire FGIC3067MB has a simple, easy-to-use interface, dedicated controls for each burner, excellent cooking capabilities and an advanced feature set at a reasonable price. It is the best value of any cooktop we looked at.
The touch controls are excellent and easy to use. It has some nice features that enhance its use, such as pan size detection, which detects the size of pan you’re cooking with and adjusts the heating element to match it. A warming feature is designed to keep your food warm without overcooking it. There are nine heating temperatures and a power boost feature, which raises the temperature for 10 minutes if you want to do things like boil water fast.
This Frigidaire induction cooktop has four burners that range in power from 1,450 watts to 3,400 watts, which is plenty of power to cook food of all kinds, but it is an average range of power for these appliances. The burner sizes are also about average, ranging from 6 to 10 inches. This cooktop does have a bridge element option that allows you to sync two heat elements to create one large element for cooking on griddles and other oversized cookware.
A touch display lock will ensure no heat elements are turned on without your knowledge. However, this feature is only available when the cooktop is turned off. The pan detection ensures that if a pan is not made from the right material, positioned correctly or the right size, the heating element automatically turns itself off within three minutes. This is an excellent feature that prevents the heat element from being left on without your knowledge.
Pros
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It has a bridge element for griddles.
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A pan size detection feature adjusts the burner to fit your pan.
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It turns off automatically if it senses there is no pan present.
Cons
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Its cooking wattage is about average.
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It comes with an average parts-and-labor warranty.
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The size of the burners are just average.
Most Cooking Power
KitchenAid KICU509XSS
The KitchenAid KICU509XSS has outstanding performance, cooking and safety features. This cooktop has four individual heat elements ranging from 6 to 11 inches in diameter.
The 11-inch heat element matched the largest that we saw on any induction cooktop. It also has a bridge element, which means you can connect two heat elements into one larger element – ideal for when you use large pieces of cookware such as a griddle. Pan detection and control lock functions ensure the heat elements are on only when you need them.
The power range on the cooktop is 1,400 watts to 3,700 watts, which is the widest of any induction cooktop we looked at. This lets you cook food the way you want, whether you're simmering vegetables or searing or frying food. There are also 12 temperature settings to allow you to cook with greater precision. This cooktop has a melt feature specifically for melting things like butter and chocolate without overcooking. There is not, however, a warming feature to let you warm food without overcooking it.
The KitchenAid cooktop has touch controls to easily adjust settings. It has safety features to prevent fires and other accidents. The control lock prevents it from being turned on accidentally. You can disable all controls when the cooktop is powered on. But when it's powered off, the control pad does not work. If a burner is kept on after a pan has been removed, it gives you a one-minute warning and then signs off. An H lights up on the cooktop to let you know when the surface is hot even if you are done cooking and the burners are turned off. KitchenAid also has excellent customer support.
Pros
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It has the widest power range of any in our lineup, along with 12 temperature settings for precise cooking.
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Each burner automatically turns off if no pan is placed on it.
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It’s the only cooktop in our lineup to offer two color options.
Cons
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There is no warming feature to keep food heated without overcooking.
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The control pad does not work when the cooktop is off.
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The warranty period is just average.
Easiest to Use
The GE Café CHP9530SJSS is one of the best induction cooktops in our comparison when it comes to cooking performance. Its four heat elements range from 1,800 to 3,700 watts of power.
The lower power settings are good for melting and simmering butter and the higher settings for searing meat and boiling water. It has great safety features and is one of the easiest cooktops to use among the ones we evaluated.
The Glide Touch controls let you slide your finger in a circular motion to your desired temperature. The visual elements make temperature adjustment as easy as can be. One of its few omissions is power boost settings that would provide even more power to decrease cook times. The safety features include an alert that lets you know when a heat element is on and a hot-surface indicator light for each heat element. This is a high-functioning induction cooktop with all the features most people need.
Pros
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It has great safety features and is extremely easy to use.
Cons
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It lacks power boost settings.
Best Warranty
The Wolf CI304 C/B is an induction cooktop with a lot of nice features like a control-lock option, power boost capabilities, a bridge element and indicator lights to alert you to a hot surface. However, the cooking capabilities are only average.
The power ranges from 1,400 to 3,150 watts. By contrast, the most powerful cooktops in our lineup have an upper range of about 3,700 watts. The Wolf still gives you enough power for most of your cooking needs. It also has nice safety features like a control lock and visual alerts to let you know if a burner is on. This cooktop has one of the best warranties of the cooktops in our lineup, with parts and labor coverage for two years. Most of the cooktops, even the higher priced ones, only have one-year warranties.
Pros
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This cooktop has a two-year parts and labor warranty.
Cons
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The range of power is not very wide.