I tested it
Built-in · 36-inch
Thermador Freedom CIT36YWBB
Best for: serious home cooks with odd-shaped pans and a luxury budget. The Freedom has no marked circles: you set a pan anywhere and it finds it.
My verdict
My verdict: Buy it if you want to place pans anywhere and move them while cooking. Skip it if price matters; it's the most expensive cooktop I tested.
My test results
1 quart boiled in 2 minutes and 52 seconds; 6 quarts in 14 minutes and 40 seconds; simmer about 5°F up or down; fan quiet.
| Boils 1 quart in | 2 min 52 sec |
|---|---|
| Boils 6 quarts in | 14 min 40 sec |
| Simmer swing | about 5°F |
Quick facts
Size / zones: 36-inch class (37 inches overall), full-surface induction, up to six pans within placement limits · Controls: Central touchscreen; settings follow a pan when you move it
Pros and cons
What I liked
- You can place pans almost anywhere.
- Its settings move with the pan.
- It handled five pans at once, including an oval roaster.
What I didn't like
- It has the highest price in this test.
- The touchscreen took me about a week to learn.
- Placement and power limits still apply.
My notes
Best for: serious home cooks with odd-shaped pans and a luxury budget.
The Freedom has no marked circles: you set a pan anywhere and it finds it. I cooked with five pans at once, including an oval roasting pan and a long griddle, and when I slid a pan across, its setting followed every time but once, when I lifted the pan instead of sliding it. Thermador’s manual warns that pans set too close together can be read as one; I saw that happen when my two small saucepans were read as one pan when their bases sat about an inch apart.
It’s ranked seventh because its boil times were mid-pack and the touchscreen took longer to learn, at roughly twice the price of the GE. For most families, a five-zone cooktop does the same job for far less.
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