Thermador

Thermador Freedom 36-Inch Induction Cooktop

Ranked #8 in Induction Cooktops

410 LP on the category ladder what's LP?

The best full-surface cooking experience money can buy, and priced like it. A Bosch 500 Series delivers the induction experience for a small fraction of the outlay.

Consolidated from 3 independent outlets

Where the cited sources landed, as we read them

1 positive source

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Flagged as a product to avoid

6 of 12 research runs entered this as a product to avoid rather than a pick.

Full-surface technology undermined by repeated lockups and fussy controls; owners report it becoming completely unresponsive about five times in two years despite its high cost.
Flagged 23 September 2026

Full-surface technology undermined by repeated lockups and fussy controls; owners report it becoming completely unresponsive about five times in two years despite its high cost.
Flagged 23 September 2026
It is a genuinely superb machine that sits at the very top of the price ladder, which is exactly why it fails a value lens. A Bosch 500 Series delivers the induction experience for a small fraction of the outlay unless full-surface placement is a must-have.
Flagged 23 September 2026
Dazzling tech with documented software reliability problems in real ownership: a long-term owner reports complete failures about five times in two years. The 48-coil full-surface grid plus a color touchscreen is an enormous failure surface with brutal out-of-warranty repairs.
Flagged 23 September 2026
You pay deep luxury money for full-surface flexibility, a feature that changes how often you actually cook, and even a long-term owner's follow-up names the touchscreen as their least favorite part of the cooktop. A Bosch 800 Series 36-Inch does the daily cooking job for a fraction of the outlay.
Flagged 23 September 2026
Flagship-plus money for a full-surface party trick: a two-year owner on r/Cooking describes it as "mildly annoying to use" with about five complete cutouts in two years, while the Bosch 800 Series 36-inch or GE Profile 36-inch deliver the actual cooking for much less.
Flagged 23 September 2026
You are paying a badge premium for last-generation technology: its flexible-zone party trick has been absorbed and beaten by its own corporate sibling, the Bosch Benchmark, which Reviewed shows at the top of the mainstream tree. Buy the Bosch Benchmark 36 instead.
Flagged 23 September 2026

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Pros & cons

✓ The only full-surface induction cooktop in North America, a grid of 48 coils instead of 4-5 discrete zones
✓ Consumer Reports gives Thermador top marks for both low-heat and high-heat performance
✓ Dealers rave about the "unparalleled freedom" of full-surface placement
✓ Single large color touchscreen runs multiple pans simultaneously anywhere on the surface
✓ Available in 36-inch and 30-inch widths

✗ Sits at the very top of the price ladder
✗ A long-term owner reports it is at best mildly annoying to use, with occasional complete shutdowns
✗ Long-term owner reports complete failures about five times in two years
✗ Mildly annoying to use day to day, per a long-term owner
✗ Enormous failure surface from the 48-coil grid and color touchscreen

The sources behind this ranking

We searched the web and YouTube for what has been published about this product, then read the articles, video transcripts and comments we found. 1 outlet wouldn't let us check its link.

1 positive source

Cooktop Hunter Marc Delauney · reviewer · Apr 2026

The Thermador Freedom is the only full-surface induction cooktop in North America. Instead of 4-5 discrete zones, the entire cooking surface is a grid of 48 interlocking induction elements that auto-detect pan location and size. In practice: put any ferromagnetic pan anywhere on the glass, and the cooktop creates a zone around it. Move the pan mid-cook and the zone follows. Two pans touching each other each get their own zone. This is the “concept car” of induction — and uniquely good for cooks who use odd-sized pans (paella, fish kettles, cast-iron griddles) or move pans around while cooking.

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2 stance not read sources

CooktopHunter Article Read F Fuse Specialty Appliances Article Read

Frequently asked questions

It ranks #8 of 14 on our induction cooktops tier list, in C tier. That placement draws on 3 independent outlets.

Sits at the very top of the price ladder. A long-term owner reports it is at best mildly annoying to use, with occasional complete shutdowns. Long-term owner reports complete failures about five times in two years. Mildly annoying to use day to day, per a long-term owner. Enormous failure surface from the 48-coil grid and color touchscreen.