Not LG Or Kenmore — Consumer Reports' Highest-Rated Induction Cooktop Has A Perfect Score

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The decades-long debate between gas and electric cooktops has been disrupted by a new contender in the field — induction — and Consumer Reports wants you to look beyond the biggest names like LG and Kenmore to find the highest-rated options. By using magnetic fields to directly heat pans, rather than transferring heat through coils or flames, induction cooktops give you an unprecedented mix of control, power, and ease of use, while being safer too. That's what makes induction one of the hottest kitchen trends this year. But as a newer technology, they also happen to be more expensive, meaning that if you are taking on the plunge on an induction cooktop for your kitchen, you really want to make sure you're getting your money's worth. And there is no brand Consumer Reports thinks is more worth it than the Bosch 800 Series.

Consumer Reports has tested and rated over two dozen induction cooktops, and while there are quite a few good options out there, Bosch made the only model to get a perfect score. That rating comes from four areas of evaluation that all brands are tested on. On the performance side there is high heat performance, measured by how quickly a cooktop can boil water, and low heat, scored based on how well it can maintain precise low heat for even cooking without overheating. Unsurprisingly for a perfect scoring model, the Bosch 800 Series maxed out its score in both areas, something only a few other brands could say.

Performance alone isn't what pushed the Bosch 800 Series over the top. CR also surveys how likely real consumers are to recommend each brand after using it, and Bosch was the number one overall ranked for owner satisfaction. Only Thermador was even close, and Bosch scored solidly above other top performing induction cooktops from LG and Frigidaire. The last category Consumer Reports evaluates for cooktops is reliability, and while Bosch did not top the field for induction, it still has an excellent score. It landed fourth of 13 brands, and was one of only five brands to land in the highest overall category.

CR also notes that the Bosch 800 comes with quite a few nice bells and whistles. It has built-in countdown timers, so heating surfaces can be set to turn off automatically, and WiFi enabled smart technology for remote control via phone. There are also precise control settings like "keep warm," and an AutoChef feature that lets owners pre-program different cooking settings.

The only downside is that the performance and amenities come with a price. The Bosch 800 Series tops out at over $2,300, while the second ranked option from LG is a still expensive, but cheaper, $1,750. However other tops brands range from $2,000 to almost $6,000, so Bosch isn't that out of the ordinary price-wise for high-performing induction cooktops. Sometimes being on the cutting edge of cooking technology comes with a price, but for a lot of people, getting an induction cooking surface is worth it.