Las Vegas – Premium majap brand Thermador will introduce a full-surface induction cooktop at 2012 International CES.
Like all induction models, the company’s Freedom cooktop uses electromagnetic induction to heat metal cookware without conventional burners, leaving the cooking surface cool to the touch.
However, the new appliance is the first to feature a natural-mapping user interface that intelligently recognizes cookware size, shape and position to deliver heat anywhere and in any shape across the cooktop surface, Thermador said.
Freedom also features a 6.5-inch, full-color touchscreen display that shows the position of all cookware on the cooking surface, controls power setting and cooking time, and performs live updates as cookware is moved to a different position.
A division of BSH Home Appliances, the manufacturer will hold the first public demonstration of its cooktop here at CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of the International CES this Sunday at The Venetian hotel, beginning at 4:00 p.m.
“Induction is perhaps the most revolutionary cooking technology,” said Zach Elkin, Thermador’s director of brand marketing. “Thermador takes induction cooking to the next level by answering two questions with the new Freedom induction cooktop: What if you could place cookware anywhere on the cooktop? And, what if you can use cookware of any size and shape on the cooktop?”
To that end, the new cooktop, for which BSH holds 30 international patents, allows home chefs to place specially-shaped cookware such as griddles and oval pans anywhere on the cooking surface. The natural-mapping user interface also enables them to move their cookware around during the cooking process, which is especially helpful as different dishes are added and removed during meal preparation.
The absence of predefined cooking elements adds 63 percent more cooking area to the surface, providing what Thermador described as the largest cooking surface in the industry. The surface is powered by 48 individual 3-inch induction heating elements which output from 15 Watts to 4,600 Watts.
Freedom is expected to hit dealer floors this July with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $4,949.
