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That was exactly the problem with simmering anything.

Also, only 9 power levels wasn't enough. It was very powerful (nice when I wanted full power) but the steps in power were too big. For many things the only options were too hot or too cold.

But the fault that made me replace it was an intermittent one: occasionally (about five times in 18 months) it went to full power. This could happen at any power setting. No change in the indicated setting, but the power would come on continuously. Anything other than a pot of water would, in just a few seconds, be burning. Very dangerous! Fortunately, it never happened when I wasn't standing right there to turn the power off at the wall switch. Being intermittent, technicians couldn't find/fix the fault. It also occasionally stopped heating for a minute or so at a time, as if there was some thermal lockout even when nothing was unusually hot, but at least that wasn't dangerous.

It's good to know there are some decent productions. That's what I was expecting. I understand the technology. I know what is possible. It was very frustrating and disappointing. The largest appliance manufacturer in the world is selling poorly designed rubbish. The documentation doesn't describe essential parameters. If only there were a practical way to distinguish the good from the bad before buying... try before you buy is my advice.

I'd caution against buying any of them for pans that large, honestly. Manufacturers are not required to match the size of the coil to the ring that indicates the 'cooking surface' on the cooktop. I bought the Duxtop one that all the review sites seem to recommend, and while it's still a capable burner, the actual coil does not extend to the full diameter of cooking surface (it's a lot closer to the minimum pan diameter, about 4 inches). No pan is actually going to adequately compensate for this, I've tested it across several different cookware materials, and multiple different brands of multi-ply stainless steel. You end up needing to treat pans somewhat like a wok, with hot/cold zones and a very clear temperature falloff when not in the center of the pan. I didn't have issues with warping, but I was also extremely careful when it came to preheating pans that were 10 inches or more.

If you do decide to purchase one, you need to find the size of the actual coil itself. Most manufacturers don't readily provide this information, taking advantage of the fact that most consumers are unfamiliar with the technology or won't nitpick about the uneven heating. I hate it, because it can lead to an experience so bad that it turns people off from induction.

With the plug in models that's about the biggest you'll find. Full range cook tops will offer larger diameters.

If you're searing or pan frying, then a 12 in might have some cold spots towards the edge, depends on the quality of the pan. A 10 in or less should be fine as long as the pan is decent quality. For something like deep frying, stewing, boiling, etc the size won't matter so much.

I've used a pretty cheap on (Duxtop or something like that) with a 6-8" heating coil. It worked fine on a well-conducting pan - 12" triple layer stainless-aluminum-stainless (like All-Clad, but a cheap version for restaurant use). It also did great with a 10" carbon steel pan. But I wasn't doing anything that required maximum heat across the width of the pan. I think that's a shortcoming for sure.

There are also reports of poor performance with larger cast iron pans, which makes sense - they're not great heat conductors. So I think in part at least it depends on your cookware and what you're cooking. Boil/simmer/fry in a larger highly conductive pan will likely be fine. Sear in a larger less-conductive pan maybe not so much.

You can’t compare the energy directly like that since induction has a higher efficiency.

Yes, you need a full-size unit that plugs into a 240v high-amp stove outlet like a range does. The 120v countertop units dont do it.

Some higher end induction cooktops in the EU are three-phase power around 400V like the Bosch PXX975DC1E which uses 11kW max. Not sure what btu output that is though.

The top thing I hate about it is that it releases toxic gas into the room, and I don't (like most people around here) have a vent hood that vents outside. You can clearly smell when the stove, or especially the oven, is running. Better setups probably have less of an issue with this, but even commercial stoves need to be properly vented, and proper residential ventilation is just a rarity in the US.

There has been proper research that shows that pollution from gas stoves contribute to thousands of deaths annually, and that they release toxic gasses even while turned off. Gas furnaces are specifically designed to vent 100% of their air outside. That's the general guidance with anything gas-powered, except for stoves and ovens for some reason, which vent exactly 0% of their air outside.

The next biggest thing is that it's just plain slower and less energy efficient than induction (or even electric). Energy efficiency isn't a huge problem, since gas is just waaayyy cheaper than electricity, but I love the fast heat up times of induction, which are partly due to the great energy efficiency.

Air quality is a huge factor, but I also just like cooking on induction better anyway so there aren't really any downsides for me besides maybe a minimally higher electric bill.

Not OP, but we've had two, multi thousand dollar, high end gas stoves from different brands, and both have had fucked up igniters that constantly need to be cleaned, and in some cases replaced yearly. $300/yr in igniters for cooking breakfast and dinner on it. At one point, the oven broke, and the repairs took three actual months, which was insane. I've never had any problems with any stoves aside from these gas ones. Extraordinarily unreliable, especially when the igniters don't work and you have to light them by hand.

We keep our range and stove in immaculate condition, and it's still fucked up. It's most likely our last one.