I've never used mine but I don't use a griddle on the range. I have an electric one.

I don't have a range, but a Wolf 30 in. induction cooktop. I'm very happy with the bridge & my cast iron long griddle. When shopping for cooktops, some had two 7 inch hobs that bridged. I chose Wolf because it had two 8 inch hobs that bridged, so a little more cooking area. It does have a cool spot in the center, but I find it negligible. Food still gets cooked in the center, but not significantly slower than food over the hobs. For example, sausages directly over the hob will be very well browned, but the sausages in the griddle center will be done & browned too, just not as brown as the ones cooked on the ends of the griddle. The center pancake isn't perfectly & evenly brown, but is still delicious.

My cast iron griddle is a double gate marked antique. It was about $90 on ebay & in need of restoration (I love to rescue old cast iron). It doesn't sit perfectly flat; it rocks slightly from from corner to corner. But it's just a tiny wobble, not enough to be a problem when cooking, and the griddle still works just fine with the induction. I wanted old iron because the casting is thinner & smoother than modern Lodge offerings. The thinness helps with spreading heat evenly over the griddle, and it makes for a lighter weight too. I can easily carry the griddle from the cupboard to the cooktop with one hand. Mine has small raised handles -- good to grasp, don't get in the way of a spatula.

It's the first time I've had a bridge feature (or a long griddle) & I'm finding it more useful than I thought it would be. Very nice for grilled sandwiches, masses of sausage or pancakes for visiting grandkids, caramelizing onions, cooking four hamburger patties (go ahead and spread paper towels around it to catch the spatters). The griddle can be taken to the sink for a quick spray rinse & cleaning, & of course the induction top is a cinch to clean too. I want to try the cast iron griddle in the oven broiler for broiling a whole fish.

@jwvideo: "The Bosch Benchmark models have a bridging area that is (IIRC) something like 9 x 19 where the whole area above it will heat up."

No. The areas that "heat up" are determined by the locations, sizes, and shapes of the inductors beneath the glass cooktop. Joining (bridging) the elements that contain the inductors does not increase the surface areas of the inductors or result in "the whole area above" the cooktop being "heated" up. It just links control of the two, normally separate, elements.

Hmm, I thought I was pretty clear that most "bridging" is indeed simply linking controls for two separate burners that are spaced apart as with the Cafe induction ranges. I don't see where I said that the Bosch Benchmark's FlexInduction zone would "increase the surface area of the inductors" much less heat "'the whole area above' the cooktop" rather than just above the linked elements.

Or, are you maybe saying that Bosch's "FelxInduction" set-up doesn't qualify as bridging under a rectangular griddle?

To be clearer about the Bosch Benchmark "FlexInduction" zone found on the HIIP056u Benchmark ranges, my understanding comes from the user guide (see page 26) and from having seen a test/demonstration. The test I saw employed both a rectangular griddle and and roasting pan and measured surface temperatures with an IR thremometer. To me, it seemed that that the FlexInduction zone was doing what the manual seemed to show, which was using an array of smaller but closely spaced inductors. Depending on the confguration you chose at the moment, it can simulate the effect of large rectangular burner while also allowing up to four separate smaller pans to be used at a time, or three slightly larger pans or two larger pans. Maybe not quite the same as corporate stablemate Thermador's "Freedom Induction" design, but seemed to me to be something of an improvement over the common yoking of controls.

@jwvideo: "I don't see where I said that the Bosch Benchmark's FlexInduction zone would "increase the surface area of the inductors" much less heat "'the whole area above' the cooktop" rather than just above the linked elements."

@jwvideo: "The Bosch Benchmark models have a bridging area that is (IIRC) something like 9 x 19 where the whole area above it will heat up."

@wdccruise

So, you still want to misunderstand what I said, eh? How about trying to focus on substance?

Were you, perhaps, thinking of Bosch's 800 series models rather than its Benchmark series? The 800 series models do only "bridge" (yoke) the controls of two, normally-spaced induction elements.

Maybe you think it would be better to refer to such systems as "burner spanning" rather than bridging? That would be a fair point. It might help the OP in making her choice of an induction range and in deciding whether she will care about bridging features. (One thing to note about spanning with induction: most induction ranges and cooktops have digital read-outs that can make it easier to set two spanned burners to the same heat level than eyeballing knob positions on radiant electric or knobs and flames on gas burners.)

Maybe you recently checked out the Bosch Benchmark "FlexInduction" zone on a Benchmark series cooktop or range? Has Bosch stopped using an array of smaller, closely spaced inductors; has the "FlexInduction" now become only two, normally separate elements? Then, say so. (That would be news we should hear.)

Before this thread goes further off track, let me also clarify that I did not and do not intend to promote the Benchmark as what the OP should choose. As with any range, it is a mix of features, design choices, engineering compromises and budgetary considerations that may appeal or appall differently to different folks. I only intended to cite it as an example of a bridging-type feature that was not the more common control yoking of ordinarily spaced elements.

Thanks for the helpful responses. Lacking experience with induction and how it interacts with pans, I just haven't been sure what parts of my 35 yrs previous experiences with old-school electric coil and gas ranges will be relevant.

But it sounds like results should be fine on a good quality stainless griddle (which conducts well) and maybe also on a heavy cast iron griddle (which conducts more poorly) so long as I give it a little time to heat up.

If so, that's pretty close to what my muscle memory is going to tell me.

Regarding quality stainless steel griddles, one "which conducts well" is going to be a "clad" or "tri-ply" or "multi-ply" model. That is, stainless steel sandwiched around a conductive layer (or layers) of aluminum. IME, 100% stainless is pretty much like cast iron for heat-spreading conductivity and just as heavy. Is there a store near you where you might try lifting and moving them for yourself? Might find that helpful to making a choice of what to get.

Danielle, I'd say with your 35 years of cooking experience, you'll be nervous about induction for about 10 seconds. Then you'll think, "Oh pfft, this isn't anything new! The cooktop heats the pan, the food cooks, just like any other stove." But afterwards, you'll notice how much cooler your cooking area is, & that you didn't get warm or sweaty making dinner, that your pans are delightfully responsive to temperature changes, & that the cooktop cleans quickly & looks brand spanking new for a long time. I hope you'll enjoy induction cooking as much as the rest of us here in the forum have.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...

Bosch 36" Benchmark...

Thermador induction Freedom...

This picture is a bit old but I believe the system is still used.

^ Now that's cool. Too bad Thermador doesn't make an induction range.

What i havent seen answered anywhere is spanning four or more elements of an induction cooktop i have a square (30x30) griddle that i use with 3-4 of my gas burners going (yes, there are cooler zones between the burners). would the same be possible with induction?

@mascibbe: "i have a square (30x30) griddle"

30 x 30 inches(!) or 30 x 30 cm?

Inches

@mascibbe: "i have a square (30x30) [inch] griddle that i use with 3-4 of my gas burners going (yes, there are cooler zones between the burners). would the same be possible with induction?"

Apparently not. The Use and Care Guide for even that $5400 Thermador CIT36XWB Freedom says, "Cookware with a base measuring 3½" to 13½" (90 to 340 mm) in diameter is suitable for use."

@mascibbe

This model appears to be capable of bridging the entire cooktop. It is very difficult to tell based on the lack of technical specifications. In addition it does not appear that it is available in the U.S. The only point of posting this is to show that it appears to be possible to bridge the entire cooktop. Although a cursory search did not yield any units that are sold in the U.S. with that capability.

@mascibbe

Seems like there are four questions here:

(1) can any residential range handle a griddle that large; (Answer: not safely. Anything 30" x 30" is much larger than the surface real estate of residential ranges. Basically, 30"-deep griddle is going to be overhanging the front of a residential range by five or six inches.)

(2) Does your griddle actually measure 30" x 30" or did you possibly just assume that it is that size because you have a 30" wide stove or cooktop? (I ask because all the four-burner-spanning griddles I've seen have been more like 23" x 23" such as the Chef King model in this link: https://www.amazon.com/Chef-King-Gauge-Steel-Griddle/dp/B001BQTH8I 

(3) Assuming you have a griddle that is less deep (like that Chef King), could you use it on an induction range? (Maybe, maybe not. Depends in part on what it is made of. The Chef King is carbon steel which works on induction. Many of the other big griddles I've seen are all-aluminum. That's great for heat spreading over gas but does not work on induction. Also, bear in mind that many induction ranges have differing sized burners and many also have their burner control as touch pads along the front of the cooking surface; a griddle would have to be a less than 20 inches deep --- maybe several inches less --- in order to avoid blocking the control surfaces. )

(4) Do any induction ranges or cooktops allow four-burner spanning bridging with a differently sized and shaped griddle than the one you described? (Maybe. Apart from the Asko cooktop that kevinande found, IIRC, some Wolf 36" induction ranges and and 36" induction cooktops do or did allow allow four-way linking of burners, with some caveats. See this Wolf FAQ page for the company's statements about this: https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/wolf/common/induction-cooktop-bridge.html.)

@Danielle Gottwig I'm in the same boat as in (1) griddle cooking is a major factor and (2) I want induction. Did you pick a cooktop?

@jwvideo You've showed up a lot in my searches. I think your posts are awesome, and your conduct is classy. Thank you!