In this review of Bosch’s 36” Induction Cooktop Benchmark™ Series (NITP666UC), we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of a having induction style cookware – does the convenience really outway the cost? – and whether or not this model is worth the hype.

Bosch Induction Cooktop Review

Bosch’s Newest Offering in the Benchmark Lineup

Bosch’s new induction cooktop has specs that read like an appliance from a sci-fi movie:

•  FlexInduction™
•  PotSense™
•  SafeStart™
•  ChildLock™
•  PreciseSelect®
•  SpeedBoost™

What a waste of trademark filings.

While most cooktop models have round heating hobs, Bosch has introduced rectangular hobs that interconnect in what the company is calling FlexInduction™ . Basically, this is a typical bridging mode feature allowing you to either use one hob or connect two hobs together to create a larger cooking area and is a cross over feature from their Gaggenau / Thermador technology.

When bridging two burners, traditional induction cooktops may be able to heat cookware from both sides but the heating can be uneven, and can result in hot spots. The two separate hobs will always leave blind spots where heat hasn’t been able to reach your pan fully– a problem that FlexInduction™ works to remove from the picture completely.

The feature works well. It turns the entire rectangle into a cooking area, and it does allow you to use any size cooking vessel so long as it fits within the markings.

Induction: Same Feature-sets, Different Names

PotSense™ does exactly what the name implies – it senses when an item has been placed on the cooktop and heats only that specific area. This is something all induction tops do, however, so this is not really a feature. They could have saved the trademark filing fee on that one.

SafeStart™ , another Bosch specific detail, is a feature that ensures that the cooktop activates only when cookware made from the specified materials is in place. Again, almost every induction top on the market has this “feature:. Bosch, however, does seem to be the first to decide to brand it and market as a revelation.

Control panel layout is confusing mess. Bosch’s eternal struggle with itself.

The list of “amazing” features on this cooktop continues to elicit yawns: from the already mentioned PotSense™ technology, to ChildLock™ , which – you guessed it – locks temperature settings and prevents accidental activation.

Each element on this model can also be locked to specific temperature and timer settings – which means you can cook at least two things in the same pan (using FlexInduction™) that have different heat and cook time requirements.

This means you can cook your pancakes and eggs on the same griddle. at the same time. PreciseSelect® allows you to choose from 17 direct cooking settings; meaning you have 17 different ways to decide how to cook dinner every night. As if picking what to cook wasn’t daunting enough. Feeling like making pasta on a busy Monday night? SpeedBoost™ boils water twice as fast as conventional gas or electric stoves.

Annoyances, Some Minor, One Major

Some of our customers complain of an annoying buzzing sound can be heard on a temperature setting over 8. Now, we must preface this with the disclaimer that all induction cooktops make slight buzzing noise the higher in power they go, it’s just the nature of the technology. Ultimately the sound of whatever you’re cooking at the time may drown out the buzzing entirely, which can make it a non-issue for most users. Wet hands also pose a problem when using these touch controls, as the controls are laid across the front of the cooktop and are easily reset if not careful.

Bosch’s “unframed” variant, which has glass to the edge.

One flaw that jumps out above the rest is in regards to the Flex mode setting. It appears the appliance default setting is to leave Flex mode ON. This becomes annoying pretty quickly as 80% of the time, you’re only using one pot or pan and you constantly have to  turn the Flex mode OFF. Very poor design by Bosch here. This mode should be set OFF by default as the majority of the time, cooking with it on is not needed.

Are there cheaper cooktop models on the market? Absolutely. Will they all essentially cook whatever you want to eat? Of course. Bosch’s Benchmark Induction Cooktop may not be the answer to all your prayers, but if you’re looking for some of the latest features in induction cooking…this may be the cooktop for you.