Not So Sure About This One
Submitted by Smokie -
3/8/2016
I've used this cooktop for 2 months now. 1st off, know that you will need to buy new "induction" capable cookware if you don't have that from the previous cooktop you owned (meaning "magnetic" cookware). And you need to buy good stuff (like All Clad), not cheap. So there is a huge cost off the top. If that is good for you (it was for us) and you do buy this cooktop, you need to know about the "bridge" feature. It is a feature that Kitchenaid and most likely whatever Kitchenaid dealer sells it to you, will tout. The "bridge" feature is that two "surface cooking areas" of the same size on one side of the Cooktop will form a "bridge" connecting said two areas together when this feature is on, so you can use a griddle or grill on it. Nice idea, but the problem is the two surface cooking areas, when combined using the "bridge" feature, equals an oval shaped surface cooking area that is 15.25-inches by 7.25-inches. There is no induction capable griddle or pan made in the world that fits that size, plus griddles and grills usually come in a rectangular shape. I called Kitchenaid to ask if "they" made a griddle or grill that fits this "bridge" feature. Made sense, right? After some hold time, the agent came back and said that they did have one griddle that would fit the oval shape, but it was not "induction" capable. Huh? What good is that information to me? Nice. Not. So then I asked if the grill or griddle could be larger than the surface cooking area since most griddles or grills are bigger their "bridge" feature (and rectangular, not oval). She told me "No." Some info on size is found in 2 places in the owners manual. One place says, "The diameter of the pan's base should be equal to the size of the element. If the pan is too small, the burner does not sense the pan and will not activate" The other place says, "Choose the correct pan size for each surface cooking area. The diameter of the pan's base should correspond to the size of the surface cooking area." There is nothing that says that if your cookware (in this case a griddle or grill) is bigger than the surface cooking area, then the burner will not sense it and thus not activate. My question now is, "Was the agent wrong when she told me that if the pan was bigger, the burner would not work?" I have since written an email to Kitchenaid to ask this same question because the agent I spoke with seemed very tentative in her knowledge of "induction" cooktops. At the end of our conversation I then pressed the agent saying, "So, Kitchenaid created a "bridge" feature selling point, which our Kitchenaid appliance representative used with us, that cannot be used in "bridge" mode due to the fact that no one in the world makes an "induction capable" grill or griddle that fits the exact size of the "bridge?" And because of this, the "bridge" is useless, but useful to Kitchenaid (and the dealers of Kitchenaid Induction Cooktops)as a selling point." She sounded kind of sheepish as she told me, "Yeah, I guess." I added that it was really odd to me that the Kitcheaid Innovation team would create what at first seems like a really nice feature, but then not even tell the Kitchenade Cookware department about it to ask them to make a grill or griddle that fit. It actually would have been nicer if the Kitchenaid Innovation team had checked the standard size of most griddles/grills and made their "bridge" feature to fit. Hello! I'm still waiting to hear back from Kitchenaid, but in the meantime, they have sent me an email asking me to write reviews on the FIVE major appliances we bought from them. You'd think with us having bought FIVE, they'd be quick to respond especially since the email says,"We value your opinion and would love to hear your feedback." Really? I would not recommend any Kitchenaid Induction Cooktops with the "bridge" feature because unless they fix the problem, it's a waste of your money!
No, I do not recommend this product
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