I tested it
Built-in · 36-inch
GE Profile PHP9036DTBB
Best for: bigger families and anyone with a 36-inch opening who wants power and a griddle-friendly layout. If I had a 36-inch opening, this is the one I'd install.
My verdict
My verdict: Buy it if you cook big meals on a 36-inch cooktop. Skip it if your panel can't take another 50-amp circuit; check the Bosch NIT8661UC (40 amps).
My test results
1 quart boiled in 2 minutes and 35 seconds; 6 quarts in 12 minutes and 20 seconds; simmer about 7°F up or down; fan quiet.
| Boils 1 quart in | 2 min 35 sec |
|---|---|
| Boils 6 quarts in | 12 min 20 sec |
| Simmer swing | about 7°F |
Quick facts
Size / zones: 36-inch (36 1/8 inches overall), five elements: 11-inch center 3,700 watts, 8-inch 3,200 watts, two 7-inch 2,500 watts, 6-inch 1,800 watts · Power: Boost on all elements; 11 heat settings; left pair links as SyncBurners · Extras: Keep-warm and melt settings, Wi-Fi with the SmartHQ app, control lock, timer · Circuit: 208/240 volts, 50 amps recommended breaker; 33-inch cutout width
Pros and cons
What I liked
- Its big center element boiled 6 quarts in 12 minutes and 20 seconds.
- Its SyncBurners link for a griddle.
- Melt and keep-warm settings are handy for butter, chocolate and holding dinner.
- The melt setting softened butter with no splatter.
What I didn't like
- It needs a 50-amp circuit, more than some 36-inch models.
- It has only 11 heat settings.
- On the lowest setting it switches on and off, so my soup drifted between still and small bubbles, about 7 degrees up or down.
My notes
Best for: bigger families and anyone with a 36-inch opening who wants power and a griddle-friendly layout.
If I had a 36-inch opening, this is the one I’d install. The 3,700-watt, 11-inch center element is the reason: my 6-quart stockpot came to a boil in 12 minutes and 20 seconds, the fastest of the four 36-inch cooktops. On pasta night I could run the pot, a sauce and a skillet at once without crowding.
The two left elements link as SyncBurners, so a long griddle runs at one setting. My pancake test showed even browning across the middle, slightly darker over the front coil. With only 11 heat settings, it’s coarser than the Bosch’s 17; at the low end I noticed that it pulsed every few seconds on the lowest setting, so I used setting 2 for gentle simmering.
The melt setting turned a stick of butter liquid without a single splatter.
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