Founder, tester and writer
About Sarah Simon
I'm a mom of four in Tampa, Florida, and I've cooked every family dinner on induction for 9 years. I test every cooktop on this site in my own kitchen, then tell you plainly which one I'd buy.
- 150+cooktops and burners tried
- 9 yearscooking on induction
- 13product categories covered
The short version: I’m Sarah Simon, a stay-at-home mom of four in Tampa, Florida. I’ve cooked on gas, on a radiant electric glass-top and, for the last 9 years, on induction. I run Best Induction Cooktop Guide on my own: I pick the cooktops, cook real family dinners on them, write every word and keep each guide up to date.
My story, in short
- 1987I was born in 1987 and learned to cook standing on a kitchen chair next to my mom. She still cooks with me, and these days she helps me test cooktops too.
- 2012I got married at 25. Our first apartment had a radiant electric glass-top that took forever to boil water and stayed hot long after dinner was done.
- 2014We moved into our house, which came with a gas cooktop set into granite. I loved the flame, but in a Florida summer it turned the kitchen into a sauna.
- 2017I switched to induction. An electrician ran a new 240-volt circuit, our granite installer widened the cutout, and a Frigidaire Gallery went in. I never went back.
- 2024I swapped the Frigidaire for a Bosch 800 Series myself, in the same cutout. It’s my everyday cooktop and the one every test cooktop has to beat.
- 2026I started this site to put nine years of answers, and every test I run, in one place.
Why I switched to induction
Two things pushed me. The first was the heat. Florida summers are long, and a gas burner running for an hour of pasta and sauce made our kitchen the hottest room in the house. The second was safety. With a toddler on my hip and another one pulling at the cabinet doors, open flames and front-mounted gas knobs made me nervous every single night.
A friend showed me her portable induction burner. Her pasta water was boiling before I’d finished my coffee, and she put her hand flat on the glass right next to the pot. That was enough for me. I bought a portable burner the next week, and the built-in Frigidaire Gallery not long after.
I’ll be honest about what I gave up, too. When a hurricane knocks out our power, I miss gas. I wrote about that trade-off in my induction pros and cons and induction vs gas guides.
Why I started this site
Once our neighbors and the moms at school pickup saw me cooking on induction, the questions started. Will my pans work? Do I need an electrician? Is the expensive one really better? I answered them in long text messages for years.
When they went shopping, they found spec sheets, salespeople and reviews from people who had never cooked a week of dinners on the cooktop they were reviewing. I wanted to give families straight answers from someone who actually cooks on these things every day, so they can make the switch without wasting money. That’s why this site exists.
What I actually do here
I pick topics from the questions people really ask me. I buy most of the cooktops I test, borrow a few, and sometimes a brand sends a sample. I say which is which, and none of it changes my verdict. Then I cook on each one for days or weeks, take notes and photos, and write the guide myself. There’s no ghostwriter. When a model changes or a better one comes out, I go back and update the guide.
My test kitchen
I test in my own kitchen, not a lab. Here’s what I use:
- A temporary plywood test counter with its own 240-volt circuit, so I can swap built-in cooktops in and out
- My everyday Bosch 800 Series, as the benchmark
- A probe thermometer for simmer and oil-temperature checks
- A plug-in energy monitor for portable burners
- The same set of pans for every test, each checked with a fridge magnet
- Our travel trailer, its inverter and campground hookups for RV and camping burners
Every cooktop gets the same timed boils, low simmers, flour browning, a griddle test and real family dinners. The full method is on my How We Test page.
Who checks my work
Daniel Reyes, licensed electrician. Daniel wires every built-in cooktop on my test counter, and he reviews every article about wiring, circuits, breakers and installation, both before it’s published and whenever I update it. If something I wrote could get you in trouble with code or with your breaker panel, he catches it.
When I quote safety, energy or rebate figures, I link the source, such as ENERGY STAR or the Department of Energy. My editorial policy explains how I handle corrections.
My rules, in five lines
- I only say “I tested” when I have the numbers to back it up.
- No brand pays for a spot in my rankings, and no brand sees an article before you do.
- Every buying guide names the cooktop I’d skip, even when it’s a popular one.
- I update guides when models change, and each one keeps a change log.
- If I’m not sure about something, I’ll tell you.
How this site makes money
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It pays for the cooktops, pans and electrician visits, and it never changes which product I recommend. The details are in my disclosure.
The personal bit
I’m a full-time mom and homemaker, and cooking is the part of the day I look forward to most. My husband is my official taste tester and, most nights, the dishwasher. The kids grade my Saturday pancakes out of ten, harshly. Sunday means a big pot of tomato sauce simmering for two hours, and a few times a year we pack the travel trailer and go camping, induction burner included.
Best of all, my mom still cooks with me. She’s in her seventies now, and she’s the reason my guide to induction cooktops with knobs exists.
Say hello
Have a question about your kitchen, or a cooktop you want me to test? Send me a message. I read every one, usually with a kid asking what’s for dinner.
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