36" Build-In Units

Only a few years ago, the availability of induction-cooking equipment in the United States was extremely limited (though worldwide it was expansive). Today, the choices in the U.S. are become many, and even so are growing almost weekly as more and more makers jump into this expanding market. We used to have a single page listing all available units, but we had to leave off a lot of data to make the unit entries all fit in a reasonable space. We have now elected to separate out the listings by approximate unit width; that seems reasonable, as most people looking for a unit know how much countertop space they have available, so it is easier to just look at units of that width (and you can certainly look at every listing page if you're not sure yet what size you need).

This page presents all the units available (in the U.S.) of a 36-inch-width (give or take a bit). To see listings of units of other widths, click on the appropriate size in the list below:

This page presents information only on so-called "residential" units, which are called that to distinguish them from "commercial" units—which latter are made for use in restaurants, catering, and suchlike high-stress environments. While residential equipment is an impossible choice for a commercial environment, the reverse is not necessarily true: indeed, the only barrier to commercial induction equipment in the home kitchen is price, and the differential is often not so large as you might think. (Gas commercial equipment is usually almost impossible in a home kitchen, owing to the tremendous amounts of waste heat given off, plus the grotesque weight of such commercial units; but this is induction—we're out of the stone age now.) If you like, you can also review our listings of commercial equipment (you might want to look at—for one example—the Cooktek line).

Note also that the tabulations on those pages are further limited to build-in units—that is, those set into a cutout in a countertop as permanent installations. There are, of course, also numerous freestanding countertop-type units, and we have a separate page tabulating all those freestanding countertop induction units—again, limited to those for residential use, with the same hint that you might also look at corresponding commercial equipment.

All data presented (except cost-related ones) are taken from either the maker's web site or, if we have it, the maker's manual for the item. Regrettably, that is no guarantee of accuracy, because many makers publish incomplete or, worse, incorrect data on their web sites (and often even in their manuals); we just do the best we can. From this page, clicking on any particular model number listed here will cause a full data page for that unit to open in a new browser window. That page will have a colored box (the colors, incidentally, both for those boxes and for the background of the table here, are keyed to the countertop width of the units) giving a full, standard set of data for the unit, plus a large image or two of it. On the same page will be buying information—usually from several competing sellers—for that unit, meaning its price and shipping costs (if any—many of the units we sell ship free). If you want the unit, you can click on one or another of the sellers' listings and be taken to that seller's page for the unit where, if you then so choose, you can actually buy the unit.

The actual cost and the derived dollars-per-kilowatt figures in the various tables are, in most cases, live, real-time data (that is, never more than 24 hours old) from the retailers we work with; in a few cases, though—those we do not list for sale here for which real-time price data are thus not readily available to us—we use static data hand-entered periodically. Those few cases are all clearly marked out in the table with an asterisk * after the dollars-per-kilowatt figure. Generally, the dollars in the $/kW figure are lowest base prices (that is, shipping, if any, is not reckoned); that's not critical, as it is only when the figures are very different that it matters—small differences from model to model are not that important (and in fact they are each rounded off to the nearest $5).

We go to some lengths to try to assure that the data we present are accurate and complete, but—as common sense should suggest—we cannot warrant these data, which are presented for solely your convenience and guidance; the makers of the subject equipment are the sole and final source of definite data, and the selected vendors of actual prices. So nyah, nyah, all you lawyers.

Finally, remember that we continue to develop all our pages. We're always triple-checking things like dimensions and available on-line documents, and looking for new units (or any obscure ones we might have overlooked), so do check back in periodically.

The listings below are sorted by cost per total unit power (with separate sorts within each sub-category, if any). For some units, the price is unavailable for posting here, usually owing to the maker's restrictions on internet sales as described just above; such units will fall at the end of their sub-category.

The Units

36"-Wide induction Cooktops: The Listings

(Subcategories: five-element units are listed first, then 6-element, then "zoneless".)

Jenn-Air JIC4536XS
36-inch-wide 5-element induction cooktop

10.0 kW total unit power
(requires 50 Ampere circuit)

Jenn-air forbids publication

c. $210 * approximate cost per kW
(reckoned only on base price)

Product literature (click on an item to see it):

·  Use & Care Guide
·  Installation Instructions
·  Dimension Guide
·  Warranty

Notes: stainless-steel trim.

The Induction Site

36" Build-In Units

The Units

36"-Wide induction Cooktops: The Listings