There are many options for premium induction cooktops.
Sub-Zero has its Wolf brand. BlueStar, Miele, Viking, and GE Café are all products you should consider.
However, two of the most popular are from Whirlpool’s premium brand, Jenn-Air, and Bosch’s premium brand, Thermador.
Both have new products, similar promotions, yet very different features.
In this article, you will learn about Jenn-Air's and Thermador's best induction cooktops, their features, and finally, their reliability.
First, let’s learn a bit about induction.
Induction elements are located under the cooking surface and create magnetic fields. The magnetic fields excite the molecules of the pan, creating the heat source.
The pan, not the glass surface, cooks the food.
With electric radiant elements, the elements heat up, and then those elements heat the glass. The heated glass transfers heat to the pan for a much slower process.
That is the technology between induction versus electric radiant heating, and it creates performance benefits outlined below.
First, let's introduce Thermador and Jenn-Air. Then we'll compare their best induction cooktops side-by-side so you can choose the right one for your home.
Thermador is part of the BSH home appliance corporation, headquartering in Huntington Beach California. They are a German-based company since the 1990s but were founded in the US in 1932.
They are the 3rd largest appliance manufacturer in the world. About 95% of Thermador appliances are made in the USA.
Louis J. Jenn established Jenn-Air in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1947. In the early years, the company focused on a variety of commercial and industrial applications, which inevitably led them to their signature downdraft range.
In 1982, Maytag then purchased and produced all appliances for Jenn-Air but unfortunately neglected the brand due to its internal issues.
Whirlpool in 2003 purchased Maytag and invested 300 million in Jenn-Air.
Highlights
This model offers decent features based on the price, and can also accommodate griddles.
It's effortless to use with its temperature slide controls and can be installed over a single wall oven. The Jenn-Air can be framed as shown or frameless for a flush installation.
Flush Installation of a Jenn-Air Induction Cooktop
The power boost feature stands out as you can boost your main burner while only reducing your adjacent burner by 50%. So both burners can be used at the same time.
It also can be packaged with other Jenn-Air appliances for an additional $1,200 in savings.
Highlights
Thermador Liberty offers three cooking zones, which in turn can give you more flexibility with certain cooking styles. The Liberty has a Teppanyaki feature and can accept griddles.
This model also comes in three different finishes. ( Titanium Gray framed, Titanium Gray frameless, Silver Mirrored frameless).
Like Jenn-Air, Thermador has its package called 1, 2, free. Buy qualifying Thermador appliances and get a free dishwasher and hood.
Overall, the Liberty offers more features than the Jenn-Air model. The Liberty has excellent flexibility with the heat shift model.
Essentially you can cook rice by automatically setting your temperature to 9 which will boil the water then 6 to cook and then finally to 1 to simmer.
However, the Liberty Power Boost will use all of the power, which in turn will take power from any other burner. You will not be able to use the other burner.
The Jenn-Air only takes a little power from an adjacent burner. You can still use it with 50% power.
Highlights
This hot off the presses “new” model offers tremendous flexibility with the three bridge burners at a high output of power.
Unlike other brands, this cooktop can be paired over the top of a Jenn-Air wall oven or steam oven (24", 27", 30” 24-inch steam oven). It also offers slide controls to adjust the power level.
The sleek lines offer a flush installation with Oblivion glass or can be installed just 3 millimeters above the countertop.
The main feature, just like the other Jenn-Air cooktop, is the performance boost feature. You can also buy other modules with induction wok, griddle or gas burners.
Highlights
The Freedom offers the “freedom” no pun intended, to maneuver more freely on the surface. This cooktop gives you more flexibility of moving your pots and pans on the cooktop surface.
Freedom affords you the opportunity to select pots and pans that suit your specific needs at that time. It also gives a six-burner output. The Powerboost and the Panboost features offer faster cooking times and significant control with power level adjustment settings.
The Thermador Freedom induction cooktop is more powerful. It also has better flexibility and features such as My Zone, Heat Shift, and the 6-burner capability.
Unlike the Jenn-Air, the Thermador offers a Teppanyaki feature and a griddle feature. Both Jenn-Air's and Thermador's induction cooktops offer Wi-fi connectivity.
The best feature Jenn-Air offers is their Performance (power) Boost. It takes only a portion of the power of the adjacent burners and reduces their power by 50%.
You will be able to use the adjacent burners unlike the Thermador Power boost feature which uses the power of the adjacent burners, rendering them off.
Our top four most reliable induction cooktops for 2019 are:
We logged 34,687 service calls in 2018. Reliability is measured by service calls divided by sales over 12 months.
Most Reliable Induction Cooktops for 2019
| Service Qty | Shipped Qty | Service Ratio | |
| BlueStar | 0 | 2 | 0.00 % |
| Whirlpool | 0 | 1 | 0.00 % |
| Dacor | 0 | 1 | 0.00 % |
| Samsung | 0 | 1 | 0.00 % |
| Bosch Appliances | 2 | 46 | 4.35 % |
| Jenn-Air | 5 | 72 | 6.94 % |
| Wolf | 13 | 161 | 8.07 % |
| Kitchenaid | 1 | 9 | 11.11 % |
| Thermador | 9 | 36 | 25.00 % |
| Gaggenau | 4 | 15 | 26.67 % |
| Miele | 13 | 48 | 27.08 % |
| Bosch - Benchmark | 21 | 33 | 63.64 % |
| Grand Total | 68 | 425 | 16.00 % |
It’s almost two different cooktops. Both are nice looking and have similar promotions at about $1200 with other purchases.
Jenn-Air is the less expensive and more reliable of the two. Their base cooktop has plenty of output and can be operated with a heat boost without losing power in an adjacent burner.
Thermador is the most technologically advanced cooktop on the market with the heat shift, My Zone, and ability to move the pot and match the settings.
You also have Wi-Fi and can control the cooktop remotely.
So, the question remains. Is reliability, price, and features most important to you or is it other matching appliances?
These brands change by the product category, so an all Jenn-Air kitchen will have different attributes than an all Thermador kitchen.
Additional Resources
Read our Induction Cooking Buying Guide for features, buying tips, and ratings of every available induction cooking product in the market. Well over 580,000 people have read a Yale Guide. Induction is our most popular.
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