Induction Cooktops

[palo]

Not to get into nit picking, but my feel is that the unit doesn't shut down when there's no pan, but rather that energy is still being generated but just unable to transfer it as the pan is at the sink - we'd have to find a way of measuring the energy produced in both cases.

 

Thank you for the compliment on my buying acumen - as I said upthread, I'm happy with it

 

p

[afs]

5 hours ago, palo said:

I have a Max Burton ProChef-3000.

...

I would add this to anyone's shopping list for a high-power induction stove for residential use or commercial use (comes with a 1 year warranty for both commercial and residential use)

Hey @palo you got me interested in Max Burton so I just googled a bit.

 

It looks like the Max Burton Digital Pro Chef-3000 induction cooktop is now discontinued.

A NY Times Wirecutter article says:
"Aervoe, the company that makes it and the Max Burton 18XL (mentioned below), announced in late 2022 that it will stop manufacturing consumer cooktops."

Aervoe themselves lists the item as a CLOSEOUT item (their emphasis, not mine).
https://www.aervoe.com/product/digital-prochef-3000-induction-cooktop/

I see a bunch of these still available in the market.  They might be a good value for people looking to pick up a high-power induction stovetop.  The manual doesn't specify the plug type, but I assume it's a 6-15 style plug.  The 220 volt spec (rather than 208V-240V or 220V-240V) confuses me a bit, especially since the wattage on these things often scales with voltage--and since U.S. standard voltage is nominally 240V these days rather than 220V.  Here's a copy of the manual on that discontinued Max Burton for anyone who would like more info.  [A good find, @palo!]
https://aervoe.com/_files/techdata/6535 IM.pdf

Edited February 12, 2023 by afs
added link (log)

[afs]

33 minutes ago, palo said:

Not to get into nit picking, but my feel is that the unit doesn't shut down when there's no pan, but rather that energy is still being generated but just unable to transfer it as the pan is at the sink - we'd have to find a way of measuring the energy produced in both cases.

 

Thank you for the compliment on my buying acumen - as I said upthread, I'm happy with it

I do have an oscilloscope, a data acquisition unit (multi-channel digital multimeter) and a few real-time energy meters in the little test kitchen here, so we could have some fun finding out.

From my experience measuring induction cooktops' energy usage so far, the coils are effectively shut down with power generation shut down when a pan is removed.  You make a good point that the coil is still searching for a pan, and that does take a little bit of energy through the coil (albeit perhaps in very small amounts, and pulsed at intervals).  Wireless charging pucks for our phones do something similar.  Power that's being generated has to be transferred or converted to another form of energy--so if the induction stoves kept generating a lot of power when pans were removed they'd basically have to "burn off" that energy as waste heat, something we'd notice very quickly.

Anyway, sans pan, the coil power should be de minimis.  When I measured the power consumption of my Vollrath 4-series yesterday, for instance, the power consumption dropped like a rock when I removed the pan.  It was basically just using a little bit of power to run the fan and keep the touch-enabled display going, and using a tiny bit of power to watch for the pan to return.  Just a few watts of power.

[KennethT]

31 minutes ago, afs said:

The 220 volt spec (rather than 208V-240V or 220V-240V) confuses me a bit, especially since the wattage on these things often scales with voltage--and since U.S. standard voltage is nominally 240V these days rather than 220V. 

The reason you can have an input voltage range is because the coil itself is run on high frequency, so there's a switching power supply that is powering the coil.  Most switching power supplies are made to accommodate a range of input voltages - just like your phone charger can typically use between 90-255V or something like that.  At low power, it's much easier to deal with a wide range of input voltages, at high power, it's still done but not with such a wide range.  But 208-240 covers most country's high power circuits.

[afs]

2 minutes ago, KennethT said:

The reason you can have an input voltage range is because the coil itself is run on high frequency, so there's a switching power supply that is powering the coil.  Most switching power supplies are made to accommodate a range of input voltages - just like your phone charger can typically use between 90-255V or something like that.  At low power, it's much easier to deal with a wide range of input voltages, at high power, it's still done but not with such a wide range.  But 208-240 covers most country's high power circuits.

 

That makes sense. And you make a good point!  I suspected that the electronics were doing some conversion because they also accept either 50Hz or 60Hz AC as input.  The thing that confuses me is the "220V 3000W" spec. 

The reason the spec is a little confusing to me is because I don't know if that means that I'll get 3000 watts of power at 208V and 220V and 240V -- or if I'll get 2836 watts of power at 208V, 3000 watts of power at 220V and 3272 watts at 240V.  Or something else completely.

Maybe it's regulating the power to exact output wattages.  In contrast, my Vollrath unit outputs around 3300 watts (16A) at 208V and around 3800 watts (16A) at 240V.  The wattage they quote is based on 240V, and then it scales down from there.  At 220V (which is what Aervoe/Max Burton uses in their spec), I suspect that the Vollrath unit would output around 3520 watts.

In any case, that Max Burton unit appears to put out quite a bit of power.

[afs]

@KennethT -- have you seen this induction cooktop?

 

Equipex Bioline 3600

https://equipex.com/shop/bric-2500-3000-3600-bioline-panther-countertop-induction-cookers/

It's made by a company in Rhode Island in the U.S. (apparently using a design made by a longstanding induction cooktop company from France?).

 

It's 3600 watts, and they claim that it has good pan temperature control.  After seeing under the glass (in the video below) I'm guessing that the pan temperature accuracy is probably similar to my Vollrath (i.e. not very accurate).  But there are some other really interesting features.

For instance, they demonstrate:

• Control by wattage (instead of %) or by temperature
• 11 inch coil (which they show in the video), reportedly the largest in the industry; it appears that they've loosely wound a coil, and made its diameter bigger.  They call the unit "super heavy duty" or something along those lines.
• "Pan quality" measurement: you can turn the cooktop to 3600W and then hold down two buttons and it'll tell you the amount of wattage it's willing to put in that pan.  The higher the number, the higher the pan quality (their words, not mine).  It sounds like they have put some thought into the feedback loop, for pan safety.
• They'll also show you the current temperature reading if you hold down a series of buttons while the cooktop is warming.  I wish that were displayed all the time like on the Control Freak--but it's still a nice feature to have even if it's hidden away.

I don't know if the unit pulses power on/off when it warms or not.  I can't justify spending $1800 to find out.  But it's certainly an interesting option, and presumably in the same league as Hatco or Vollrath when it comes to the heavy duty gear.

 

 

 

[KennethT]

3 hours ago, afs said:

 

 The thing that confuses me is the "220V 3000W" spec. 

The reason the spec is a little confusing to me is because I don't know if that means that I'll get 3000 watts of power at 208V and 220V and 240V -- or if I'll get 2836 watts of power at 208V, 3000 watts of power at 220V and 3272 watts at 240V.  Or something else completely.
 

When a specification is listed as such, it means that it has a maximum power draw FROM THE WALL OUTLET of 3000W at 220V.  It's not really a measure of the power you see going into your pan.

[TheAvidHomeChef]

Has anyone here used or bought Vollrath MPI4-1800S 4-Series Induction Range 120v ? It seems like a slightly cheaper alternative to Breville Control Freak. I have had One top by Cuisinart and Hestan Cue. The experience was not great. And wanted to try some of the higher end ones.

[afs]

21 minutes ago, TheAvidHomeChef said:

Has anyone here used or bought Vollrath MPI4-1800S 4-Series Induction Range 120v ? It seems like a slightly cheaper alternative to Breville Control Freak. I have had One top by Cuisinart and Hestan Cue. The experience was not great. And wanted to try some of the higher end ones.

I have a Hestan Cue, a One Top, a Vollrath HPI4-3800 and a couple Control Freaks here.  I'll share my experience.  Your results may vary.

The Control Freak is a different class of device than the others.  It has really tight temperature control and it measures the temperature of the pan with a contact sensor.  It works really well for precision cooking, using small and medium-sized pans.  Compared to anything else in the 1800W class, I haven't found anything else which compares.  Breville got a patent on their design a decade or so ago, and I suspect it will be a while before we see anything which competes well against it.  I just wish they'd make a high-wattage version with a large coil.

The Vollrath is a nice induction unit but, unlike the Control Freak, it does not have a pan-contact temperature sensor.  If you ramp up the power ("temperature") slowly and you have quite a bit of thermal load in the pan, the under-glass temperature sensor might work for your application.  And if you're cooking something with a temperature probe sticking into the pot, the Vollrath might also work for you. 

Just be aware that the Vollrath units' temperature accuracy/precision claims are almost surely related to the temperature probe, not to the pan temperature control.  The first time I tested my HPI-3800, I put an induction-compatible copper pan on it and set it to a medium temperature and it quickly shot up to temperatures that threatened to warp the pan (500F+, 260C+) but didn't realize the pan was above the set temperature.  I think the product is designed for and marketed towards commercial kitchens, rather than precision-cooking chefs.

Edited May 15, 2023 by afs (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I hate to sound like a broken record* but why, why, other than a slightly low maximum wattage rating because of the US 120 volt plug, would anyone want any other induction cooktop but the Paragon?  Precise control set by pan temperature.  Precise control set by immersion probe temperature.  Control set by wattage.  Works day in by day out.  A joy to use.

 

 

*OK, for some things I enjoy sounding like a broken record.

 

[afs]

45 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I hate to sound like a broken record* but why, why, other than a slightly low maximum wattage rating because of the US 120 volt plug, would anyone want any other induction cooktop but the Paragon?  Precise control set by pan temperature.  Precise control set by immersion probe temperature.  Control set by wattage.  Works day in by day out.  A joy to use.

That's one unit I don't have.  I believe it's discontinued?  I think it's pretty similar to the Vollrath unit, but perhaps with a smaller less powerful coil and some of the controls moved to the smartphone?

I appreciate your passion for affordable quality induction cooktops.  Some of us cook differently (i.e. using precise temperature control), and cooking on a Control Freak is a whole new ballgame for some of us.  But there are lots of ways to cook things, so the (potentially significant) extra cost doesn't make sense for everyone.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

why, other than a slightly low maximum wattage rating because of the US 120 volt plug, would anyone want any other induction cooktop but the Paragon?

Maybe they want one that’s available for purchase?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, afs said:

That's one unit I don't have.  I believe it's discontinued?  I think it's pretty similar to the Vollrath unit, but perhaps with a smaller less powerful coil and some of the controls moved to the smartphone?

I appreciate your passion for affordable quality induction cooktops.  Some of us cook differently (i.e. using precise temperature control), and cooking on a Control Freak is a whole new ballgame for some of us.  But there are lots of ways to cook things, so the (potentially significant) extra cost doesn't make sense for everyone.

 

No evidence that the Control Freak is more precise than the Paragon.  The only additional function of the Paragon app is to show percent charge of the Bluetooth battery.  Everything else is controllable via the front panel.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

58 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Maybe they want one that’s available for purchase?

 

I have two unopened factory sealed Paragons.  Available for a few thousand dollars to a good home.

 

[afs]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I have two unopened factory sealed Paragons.  Available for a few thousand dollars to a good home.

 

 

A $300 cooktop for a few thousand dollars.  That's a good collectable to have on hand, at those margins

 

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

No evidence that the Control Freak is more precise than the Paragon.  The only additional function of the Paragon app is to show percent charge of the Bluetooth battery.  Everything else is controllable via the front panel.

 

As far as accuracy goes, it would be pretty quick to measure that.  Put a 28cm induction-compatible copper pan on the Paragon and one on the Control Freak.  Place a probe thermometer on each.  Turn them both to 150C and then chart the temperature that they reach on an X-axis of time.

As far as precision goes, the same test would apply--but watching the temperature variation over time to see if the same spot on the pan stays within +/-1C of the target temperature after pan temperature is reached.

I should note that the Control Freak measures temperature at the center of the pan, but the coil is of course round.  So the pan temperature when heating the pan can overshoot a little bit on highly-transmissive pans (because the pan temperature at the center trails the pan temperature at the coil by a couple seconds while the heat dissipates throughout the pan).  It's not the perfect solution for temperature control, but it's the best all-around cooktop I've found for accurate precision cooking.

I've spent $1000s buying and testing quite a few induction cooktops, and I haven't found anything which comes close to the temperature control capabilities of the Control Freak.  I'd love to find some alternatives (both more affordable, meeting similar specs and usability--and also ones with larger coils and more wattage).

[JoNorvelleWalker]

39 minutes ago, afs said:

 

A $300 cooktop for a few thousand dollars.  That's a good collectable to have on hand, at those margins

 

As far as accuracy goes, it would be pretty quick to measure that.  Put a 28cm induction-compatible copper pan on the Paragon and one on the Control Freak.  Place a probe thermometer on each.  Turn them both to 150C and then chart the temperature that they reach on an X-axis of time.

As far as precision goes, the same test would apply--but watching the temperature variation over time to see if the same spot on the pan stays within +/-1C of the target temperature after pan temperature is reached.

I should note that the Control Freak measures temperature at the center of the pan, but the coil is of course round.  So the pan temperature when heating the pan can overshoot a little bit on highly-transmissive pans (because the pan temperature at the center trails the pan temperature at the coil by a couple seconds while the heat dissipates throughout the pan).  It's not the perfect solution for temperature control, but it's the best all-around cooktop I've found for accurate precision cooking.

I've spent $1000s buying and testing quite a few induction cooktops, and I haven't found anything which comes close to the temperature control capabilities of the Control Freak.  I'd love to find some alternatives (both more affordable, meeting similar specs and usability--and also ones with larger coils and more wattage).

 

Water would take a long time to reach 150C.  For your experiment are you using oil, or are you heating your pan dry?

 

[afs]

13 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Water would take a long time to reach 150C.  For your experiment are you using oil, or are you heating your pan dry?

 

 

Superheating water sounds like a fun challenge

 

For the experiment, I'm not adding any variables to the equation.  Just testing the cooktop's accuracy and precision.  I'm heating the pan empty.

On the Control Freak, I cook with little to no oil.  If I cook with oil, it's usually a very tiny bit that I apply and then mostly wipe off with a paper towel (and only for things like eggs, to prevent sticking).  A typical tablespoon of oil has about 100 calories in it, and those calories have a sneaky way of getting in there and adding up over time.

On the Control Freak, I actually heat my pans empty 99% of the time.  With precision induction cooktops, there's no need to put a thermal load in there to keep the pan from overshooting its temperature by a mile and little to zero risk of damaging the pans in the process.

[palo]

4 hours ago, afs said:

But there are lots of ways to cook things,

The proof is in the pudding 🥸

 

p

[TheAvidHomeChef]

On 5/15/2023 at 5:19 PM, afs said:

I have a Hestan Cue, a One Top, a Vollrath HPI4-3800 and a couple Control Freaks here.  I'll share my experience.  Your results may vary.

The Control Freak is a different class of device than the others.  It has really tight temperature control and it measures the temperature of the pan with a contact sensor.  It works really well for precision cooking, using small and medium-sized pans.  Compared to anything else in the 1800W class, I haven't found anything else which compares.  Breville got a patent on their design a decade or so ago, and I suspect it will be a while before we see anything which competes well against it.  I just wish they'd make a high-wattage version with a large coil.

The Vollrath is a nice induction unit but, unlike the Control Freak, it does not have a pan-contact temperature sensor.  If you ramp up the power ("temperature") slowly and you have quite a bit of thermal load in the pan, the under-glass temperature sensor might work for your application.  And if you're cooking something with a temperature probe sticking into the pot, the Vollrath might also work for you. 

Just be aware that the Vollrath units' temperature accuracy/precision claims are almost surely related to the temperature probe, not to the pan temperature control.  The first time I tested my HPI-3800, I put an induction-compatible copper pan on it and set it to a medium temperature and it quickly shot up to temperatures that threatened to warp the pan (500F+, 260C+) but didn't realize the pan was above the set temperature.  I think the product is designed for and marketed towards commercial kitchens, rather than precision-cooking chefs.

 

Thanks for the reminder on the pan contact temperature sensor. Vollrath almost got me. Being under the glass is definitely going to make pan temperature sensing a lot less accurate. Also, I noticed the Vollrath only has the temperature setpoint and doesn't tell you the actual temperature.

 

I already have a Control Freak and wanted to buy another one. But was wondering if there're any alternatives out there. So far I haven't found anything close. However, Breville has it's own drawbacks too. Like the programming part is so outdated and rarely used. Ideally, I would like it to have some sort of recipe guidance like the ones on Hestan Cue and One top. I heard they planned a 2nd generation with WiFi but scrapped it according to a FCC record.

 

How was your experience with Hestan Cue and One Top? I had those too.

[afs]

1 hour ago, TheAvidHomeChef said:

 

Thanks for the reminder on the pan contact temperature sensor. Vollrath almost got me. Being under the glass is definitely going to make pan temperature sensing a lot less accurate. Also, I noticed the Vollrath only has the temperature setpoint and doesn't tell you the actual temperature.

...

How was your experience with Hestan Cue and One Top? I had those too.

Please don't let me be the one to keep you from buying a Vollrath unit.  They make some nice stuff.  It's a different kind of induction cooktop than the Control Freak, with different strengths and weaknesses.  I like my Vollrath unit, mostly because it's 3800 watts and boils water incredibly fast--but also because the "pan still heats when it's lifted a little bit off the surface" feature is kind of cool.

One thing that I didn't realize I loved about my Control Freak--until I got my Vollrath unit--is the smooth glass top.  I frequently rotate pans and slide them a little bit to one side or the other on the Control Freak.  The Vollrath unit has more of a grippy top, so I need to lift a pan to move it.  I assume that's an intentional design decision, and it may be useful for keeping pans from sliding off on uneven surfaces and perhaps has other benefits as well.

Regarding One Top, well, it's a roughly-$100 budget induction cooktop with a small induction coil and a smartphone app.  So as long as one goes into it thinking about having an extra burner or is looking for a very budget solution then it could be a good choice.  Its temperature control is along the same probe-in-food line of thought as well; I haven't been able to get pan temperature control to be accurate.

Regarding Hestan Cue, it feels like a higher-end cooktop than the One Top.  It doesn't get much use here because it basically only works with the Hestan Cue pans.  Those pans are reasonable middle-budget pans (not cheap, but not high-end), not too dissimilar from some of All-Clad's offerings.  My first-world problem is that I have induction-compatible Falk copper pans (and also Demeyere Proline/Atlantis pans, etc.) in the kitchen, so I never find myself reaching for the Hestan Cue pans.  I'm still glad that I have one, in case I ever see a Hestan Cue recipe I want to try out.  For people learning how to cook, picking up a Hestan Cue cooktop and a Hestan Cue pan (or maybe even two) is not a bad idea.

Each of these cooktops has its place, its pros, and its cons.  My daily workhorses are the Control Freaks and my water boiling monster is the Vollrath 3800W unit.  But the others have their place too, and I'm glad that there are a lot of options out there.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On 5/16/2023 at 12:15 AM, afs said:

 

A $300 cooktop for a few thousand dollars.  That's a good collectable to have on hand, at those margins

 

As far as accuracy goes, it would be pretty quick to measure that.  Put a 28cm induction-compatible copper pan on the Paragon and one on the Control Freak.  Place a probe thermometer on each.  Turn them both to 150C and then chart the temperature that they reach on an X-axis of time.

As far as precision goes, the same test would apply--but watching the temperature variation over time to see if the same spot on the pan stays within +/-1C of the target temperature after pan temperature is reached.

I should note that the Control Freak measures temperature at the center of the pan, but the coil is of course round.  So the pan temperature when heating the pan can overshoot a little bit on highly-transmissive pans (because the pan temperature at the center trails the pan temperature at the coil by a couple seconds while the heat dissipates throughout the pan).  It's not the perfect solution for temperature control, but it's the best all-around cooktop I've found for accurate precision cooking.

I've spent $1000s buying and testing quite a few induction cooktops, and I haven't found anything which comes close to the temperature control capabilities of the Control Freak.  I'd love to find some alternatives (both more affordable, meeting similar specs and usability--and also ones with larger coils and more wattage).

 

I tried to make a pretty graph for show and tell, but I lost patience.  Anyhow with a thermocouple at the center of a 28cm induction compatible copper pan on the Paragon set to 150C, the temperature stabilized between 136-138C.  I did not measure the temperature under the coil area.

 

[afs]

6 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I tried to make a pretty graph for show and tell, but I lost patience.  Anyhow with a thermocouple at the center of a 28cm induction compatible copper pan on the Paragon set to 150C, the temperature stabilized between 136-138C.  I did not measure the temperature under the coil area.

 

Pretty graphs are indeed a pain.  Thanks for taking the time to test that out, graphs or no graphs.

We should probably use the same thermocouples, the same pans and the same environmental conditions to measure.  But for this test, I think we're okay having distinct environments.

I placed a 28cm Falk Copper Coeur frying pan at room temperature (~22C) on an 1800W Control Freak (US version).  I turned the temperature up to 150C, to match the Paragon's setting.  As a stress test (i.e. to induce initial overshoot), I used the high-wattage (fast) ramping setting.

I applied a Pro-Surface Thermapen (0.4C accuracy, type K thermocouple) to approximately the center of the pan.

The temperature rose quickly and overshot by 10C or so (largely due to the ramping speed, the copper pan composition and the fact that the induction coil is a ring a few inches from the center of the pan).  The Control Freak regulated its temperature down and then back up, using a feedback loop to determine how to maintain a 150C temperature (+/- roughly 1C) with my pan and configuration.  The temperature initially stabilized to 150C +/- 4C while it was working through its feedback loop (and it seemed to be working extra hard to figure things out, possibly exacerbated by the surface Thermapen).

The Control Freak then settled the pan center into a controlled temperature at 150C +/-1 C.  My Thermapen (with spec accuracy of 0.4C) measured 150C or 151C for more than a minute.

This was an interesting "minor stress test".  A few notes:
1. The Control Freak has a medium-sized coil and is spec'd for pans "up to 26 cm".  This pan is a frying pan, so its base is close to 26cm but it is indeed a "28cm" pan so it's technically oversized.  I usually use pans in the 14cm to 24cm range.
2. With highly-conductive pans (like the Falk Copper Coeur and the Demeyere Atlantis), I generally use a slower ramp speed to warm up the pan with minimal overshoot.  So it was interesting to see the machine figure out how to ramp temperature quickly and then adjust to the power+temperature feedback loop.
3. The Control Freak's display shows its contact temperature reading at the center of the pan.  That temperature reading was always within 1-3C of my Thermapen's reading and generally within 1C.  It is measuring the bottom of the pan and the Thermapen is measuring the top, so that's an interesting observation.

BTW, I hardly ever cook food at temperatures over 100C on the Control Freaks.  60C (for warming), 70-80C (for most cooking) and 95-100C (for steaming and some cooking) are where I usually use it.  I know it's designed for temperatures up to 230C or so--and there are presumably some good "quicker cooking" applications for that--but given that the chemistry in most foods changes in the 40-100C range (i.e. "cooks") I usually cook with precise temperatures and don't go above 100C.  When I boil water, I usually do so with a setpoint just a few degrees above 100C--but of course the water cools itself at 100C until it gets superheated.

Also, I did measure the pan temperature at the edge of the pan out of curiosity.  This is more of a note on the pan than on the Control Freak (since the pan is both oversized and also because it's a pan optimized for a narrow gradient of temperature rather than a tight temperature across the whole bottom).  With the pan stabilized at 150C at the center (and the machine set at 150C), I measured around 138C at the edge of the pan.

Edited May 22, 2023 by afs (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

The thermocouple I used is a ThermoWorks K-020 Heavy Duty Surface Probe.  I have a Surface Thermapen but the battery needs to be replaced.  The pan I used was a Falk 28cm.

 

Using this same pan I have previously noted the surface gets much hotter under the induction coil.

 

[TheAvidHomeChef]

On 5/17/2023 at 1:37 PM, afs said:

Please don't let me be the one to keep you from buying a Vollrath unit.  They make some nice stuff.  It's a different kind of induction cooktop than the Control Freak, with different strengths and weaknesses.  I like my Vollrath unit, mostly because it's 3800 watts and boils water incredibly fast--but also because the "pan still heats when it's lifted a little bit off the surface" feature is kind of cool.

One thing that I didn't realize I loved about my Control Freak--until I got my Vollrath unit--is the smooth glass top.  I frequently rotate pans and slide them a little bit to one side or the other on the Control Freak.  The Vollrath unit has more of a grippy top, so I need to lift a pan to move it.  I assume that's an intentional design decision, and it may be useful for keeping pans from sliding off on uneven surfaces and perhaps has other benefits as well.

Regarding One Top, well, it's a roughly-$100 budget induction cooktop with a small induction coil and a smartphone app.  So as long as one goes into it thinking about having an extra burner or is looking for a very budget solution then it could be a good choice.  Its temperature control is along the same probe-in-food line of thought as well; I haven't been able to get pan temperature control to be accurate.

Regarding Hestan Cue, it feels like a higher-end cooktop than the One Top.  It doesn't get much use here because it basically only works with the Hestan Cue pans.  Those pans are reasonable middle-budget pans (not cheap, but not high-end), not too dissimilar from some of All-Clad's offerings.  My first-world problem is that I have induction-compatible Falk copper pans (and also Demeyere Proline/Atlantis pans, etc.) in the kitchen, so I never find myself reaching for the Hestan Cue pans.  I'm still glad that I have one, in case I ever see a Hestan Cue recipe I want to try out.  For people learning how to cook, picking up a Hestan Cue cooktop and a Hestan Cue pan (or maybe even two) is not a bad idea.

Each of these cooktops has its place, its pros, and its cons.  My daily workhorses are the Control Freaks and my water boiling monster is the Vollrath 3800W unit.  But the others have their place too, and I'm glad that there are a lot of options out there.

Do you have a built-in cooktop at home? I one time saw GE profile has a model that has precision temperature built-in. But only one burner comes with a glass top temp sensor. It also advertises that you can connect it with the Hestan Cue app via bluetooth for guided recipes. Wattage wise, it has one burner capable of 3700W. The rest are 2500W. I wonder how many people have bought this. Seems like precision cooking is the future. I don't currently own the house I live in. So a built-in one is out of question...

 

The Vollrath one...hmm I think another Control Freak would make more sense. But I'm still waiting and shopping around.

[afs]

3 hours ago, TheAvidHomeChef said:

I one time saw GE profile has a model that has precision temperature built-in. But only one burner comes with a glass top temp sensor.

I believe that the GE Profile cooktop has a regular induction burner (no temperature sensor), but that it has Bluetooth and Hestan Cue pan compatibility.  In other words, it would use the built-in temperature sensors in the Hestan Cue pans to report the pan temperature.  If you love the Hestan Cue pans, that might be a good match.

The main built-in cooktop I've seen with a pan temperature sensor is this one from Miele.  It has an IR (non-contact) sensor on one hob.  I'm not sure how one calibrates it, how well it works with pans that don't have clean bottoms, or how easy it is to clean.  But it has me intrigued

https://www.miele.com/brand/en/tempcontrol-28475.htm