I have not tried the flex induction but might be able to give you some useful information. Though Bosch rolled these out in Feb, my appliance store told me that a production issue slowed delivery till May. For the stores to display the units, I was told Bosch made them remodel an area of some particular size, further slowing our opportunity to touch the units.

From what I've read, the flexinduction and the 800 models are particularly easy to use, with directly selecting the heat rather than having to repeatedly press up or down arrows.

I think it must have been easier in the past to buy appliances - no reviews so you just got what you got. Not that I want to go back, but I do find myself obsessing over negative reviews when it might mostly reflect someone having a bad day.

Here is a link that might be useful: the problem with reading reviews

I just had my 30" bosch benchmark FlexInduction delivered last weekend, and I expect to have it up and running by Christmas (fingers crossed). I will gladly keep you posted on answering some of your questions.

I too would like an update on anyone who has a Bosch Benchmark FlexInduction Cooktop and/or the 30" Benchmark side open oven. I really want to add these to my new kitchen remodel and would love feed back from anyone that has these.

Thank you for posting...I haven't bought mine yet so I would very much like more updates from you after you have had a chance to use it for more cooking. Not getting hot enough would be a concern. I did read that if you are using a cast-iron pan that it may need a few minutes to heat up before use, then works well. What pan did you use and what is the highest setting on the cooktop?

Thanks. I really hope you like this cooktop. I bought a portable Induction cooktop to use during our remodel and absolutely love it. It boils water faster than I've ever experienced and the lowest setting is like a keep warm feature without burning the bottom of your food for a few minutes. I hope you will keep posting your experience with this cooktop and hopefully this will encourage other owners to do the same.

We purchased the Bosch Flexinduction 30" in December. We started our remodel in October, so I used a portable induction in the interim, to get used to it (we switched from a gas range). The Bosch is terrific! It heats water very fast, is flexible, going from a boil down to a simmer in seconds, and can manage 4 pots at once, well. It makes a humming noise when the water gets close to boiling on the highest setting 9, but goes away as soon as I turn the setting down to 4 or 5. It's not obnoxious, but I can certainly hear it. I have had a LOT of trouble learning to use my pressure cooker on it, so I have been over- and under-cooking food for the last few months. I canned some stock this weekend, and the pressure went down so quickly after I turned off the heat, I worried the heat was not high enough so I reprocessed. Also, I noticed that the back left burner shuts itself off, so I will be calling Bosch this week to find out why. It's under warranty so I am not too worried. When I turn on the Flex side, it makes rapid clicking noises for about 2 seconds.

Thanks again for this review. Very informative. I hope you get the left back burner fixed without any hassles. Did you also get the Bosch Benchmark side opening door oven? I plan to order that also. Would love to hear how it's working.

We got the Bosch 500 series 30" oven. We had considered the side open, but in the end the features weren't worth the price, for us, as I am not a huge baker. The 500 is GREAT! My favorite feature is the meat probe and the subsequent prefect roasts and meatloaf I have been cooking lately. We also got the Bosch DLX 800 dishwasher which I just LOVE.

Thank you! I am ordering this week and am planning on doing the 36" FlexInduction. Quick question for you -- do you have the stainless trim or did you leave it bare? I was thinking bare would be easier to clean - no trim to catch incidental crumbs - but I recently read that another Bosch user (not flex induction) felt the trim kept the edges easier to clean. hmmmm (I aesthetically prefer no trim. But easier to clean will win the day.)

Thank you for the thread! I've got the 30" 800 series on order for my new kitchen and while we're currently using a portable induction hob in our temporary setup, we were wondering how the numbers aligned to temperatures. This is so helpful!

I'm trying to decide on induction cooktop, 36". Any updates from you guys on your Bosch? thanks!

marcmargolis926:

How is your Bosch FlexInduction? Anymore comments on ease of use, convenience?

Are you happy with the untrimmed version? Thanks!

I am tempted to buy a Bosch Flex Induction but heard that they are horribly noisy...that the buzz they create is intolerable. Has anyone had that experience? I also heard that the noise can depend on the type (heaviness/quality) of the cookware you are using. Thanks again for any insights!

Every induction cooktop makes a little noise on the high settings. The amount can vary based on your cookware. I haven't heard anything about the FlexInduction that would make it stand out from other induction cooktops noise-wise.

My Hario buono water kettle makes buzzing noise on Speed Boost, only after it's reached a boil. It doesn't do it when I first turn it on. The bottom is pretty thin, though, since it's a water kettle. Sometimes, it shakes a bit and moves off the hob. Keep in mind that I am near and watching it because on Speed Boost it boils in less than two minutes, and as soon as it boils, I turn it off. None of my large pots make a noise that I have noticed, but I will pay attention and report back if I do. My pots are le creuset and Fagor, with thick bottoms.

I have an untrimmed version and it's very easy to keep clean. If I had the trimmed version, which I don't, I could see where the edges of the trim might pull on my paper towel while I am wiping the top, since it sits about a 1/4 inch off the countertop, I just wipe across in big swoops. An edge would get in the way, I think.

Thanks for your reply and for including the type cookware you use. I was concerned about the previous comment about the noise level. I do think the cookware will make the difference in the buzzing. I'm using a little portable induction now and it does make a humming sound all the time it is on but I hope the Bosch doesn't.

My kitchen remodel is now going to take place in Jan 2016 so I'm still very interested in any experiences anyone has with the Benchmark 36" model. I too am planning on the untrimmed version. Most trimmed versions I've been around do catch edges of paper towel when cleaning.

I have a Bosch induction cooktop (not the Benchmark version) - it buzzes at the outset on occasion (not often) but never all the time it is on. I use a combination of Tramontina all-clad, IKEA 365+, Lodge and Le Creuset cast iron, and various non-stick (calphalon and ceramic) pans.

I have the flex induction. Mostly I like it. Haven't noticed excessive noise and don't think it would be the cooktop that makes the noise anyway, it would be the pan. I much preferred the controls on my grey market De Dietrich (in my previous home). Not a fan of having to select the zone each time I want to change settings on another zone. De Dietrich had a great control system. I guess I'll get used to it but it's cumbersome.

I just found a great video describing the features on the Flex Induction, it's instructive if you don't own one yet, or are a new owner.. In the video, she is using a 36" but the feature are the same on my 30". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DDsyeWPQUc

I really want to purchase the bosch Teppan Yaki pan that fits over the Flex Induction area, but I wonder if I can get the same results with my 11' viking salute pan. I really want the grill pan, too, but Le Creuset makes one. Has anyone used either of these pans on their Flex Induction?

gail0202, thanks for the comment about having to select the zone each time you want to change settings on another zone. It is a concern for me, particularly when I know that my DH will only use the cooktop on occasion and it needs to be easy!! Do you switch the flex off for most of your applications or do you just leave it on? I went to the Bosch/Thermador/Gaggenau gallery for a demonstration and found it a bit confusing. Even more confusing (the demonstrator had problems with this one) was setting the timer for a couple of the hobs. I'm sure that it's easy with practice, but not sure how intuitive it is??

We have had our NITP666UC for about a year now. We love it. Only issue we have had is that our large Le Crueset French oven, which we use on the large burner in the middle, sometimes causes an error code P6. Haven't figured that out yet. Otherwise, no issues. Love it!

cagesjamtoo: Thanks very much for your comments on chipping -- very helpful. I'm in the frameless camp for my Fall purchase of a 36" indux. cooktop, unless I read otherwise by then!

Has anyone had issues with evenness of cooking, especially on the flex zones? My question specifically is whether, for example, you could put a 9 or 10.5 inch (bottom diameter) pan on the flex zone (which is only 8 inches wide, I think, on the 36") and cook an omelet evenly. I'm assuming this can be done on the middle 12 inch hob but have my doubts about the flex zone. I would love to be able to use two 10.5 inch pans at the same time and have them cook evenly!!

I don't personally believe that the induction field, even when matched to the pan size, heats the pan base uniformly, particularly at the center. It can not directly heat the pan base portion that extends outside the induction hob coil. I suspect this is also true of gas burners, but to a lesser degree due to flame spread.

Near uniformity of interior pan base temperature results from including in the pan base a layer of metal with good radial thermal conductivity. The most practical metals are aluminum and copper. Most quality induction-ready pans include this layer. Thin 400-series stainless steel pans, such as RevereWare once made, are good for heating or boiling liquids, but not for uniform temperature frying.

On the other hand, many chefs use thin steel pans, but I'm unsure of their results on induction.

Japanese cooking entails lifting and allowing egg to flow under the relatively thin cooked portion which is rolled up. I don't think that cooking style requires temperature uniformity.

kas

Thanks for your response, Kas! I ask because I was really impressed with the Thermador Masterpiece 5 Hob. I used a 12 inch base diameter nonstick pan on their 13 inch hob and it made a really evenly cooked pancake (yes, very large 12 inch pancake!). I also used a 10.5 base diameter pan on their 9 inch hob and was impressed that pieces of meat were evenly seared throughout the pan (ok, I confess, it was Spam!) -- and I laid the Spam all the way to the edges of the pan. I was using Demeyere cookware for the Spam test and a Scan Pan for the pancake test. I did these tests on the Miele and it did not perform as well as the Thermador. So....I was wondering what the results would be on the Bosch Flexinduction but sadly there isn't one live that I can test out.

Interesting. What was different between the hob configuration of the Thermador Masterpiece and the Miele?

Not a huge difference in hob configuration (I think Miele has 2 9 inch hobs vs Thermador's 9 and 8 inch). It's just that when I cooked pancakes (12 inch pan on 12 inch hob) and spam (10.5 inch pan on 9 inch hob) on the Miele the cook was definitely less even on both.

Eliasgrace - which induction did you end up choosing? And if you combined it with gas or teppanyaki module, which hood did you choose?