Bosch induction cooktop removes guesswork from the frying pan

Bosch's latest induction cooktops includes temperature sensors to monitor your food while it cooks. The appliance manufacturer will also add similar sensors to its Series 8 ovens.

Ashlee Clark Thompson Associate Editor

Ashlee spent time as a newspaper reporter, AmeriCorps VISTA and an employee at a healthcare company before she landed at CNET. She loves to eat, write and watch "Golden Girls" (preferably all three at the same time). The first two hobbies help her out as an appliance reviewer. The last one makes her an asset to trivia teams. Ashlee also created the blog, AshleeEats.com, where she writes about casual dining in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Ashlee Clark Thompson

Sept. 2, 2015 7:45 a.m. PT

2 min read

BERLIN -- Bosch wants to put an end to scorched sauces and burnt cookies with its latest cooktops and ovens. The German appliance manufacturer will add temperature and moisture sensors to its Series 8 line that will determine the best settings and temperatures at which to cook your meals, the company announced Wednesday here at the IFA electronics show.

The induction cooktops, which are a part of Bosch's higher-end Series 8 lineup of appliances, use sensors to measure the temperature of the food you're cooking and adjust heat levels accordingly. There are only five temperature ranges that are based on specific cooking tasks, such as simmer or saute, which means you don't have to guess what setting creates the right amount of heat for your food.

The cooktops also have a feature that lets you set the temperature for different "zones" of the cooking surface, so you can boil water on one part of the cooktop and slide the pot to another section to simmer without lifting it.

Bosch's Series 8 induction cooktops use sensors to measure the temperature of the food you're cooking and adjust the heat automatically. You begin your food on one of five settings based on how you want to cook it.

Tyler Lizenby/CNET

Bosch has also equipped ovens in its Series 8 line with sensors that do much of the cooking for you. You use the touchscreen control pad to select the dish you want to bake and press start. Moisture sensors measure the amount of moisture in the oven to adjust the temperature, and the oven will automatically shut off once your food is ready.

We've seen other companies attempt to add more intelligence to kitchen appliances, such as the June Oven 's food recognition abilities or app-connected GE and LG ovens. And Electrolux announced this week that it will bring its camera-equipped to Germany next year. For Bosch to be successful, the company needs to find the right balance between automation and manual cooking so that home chefs can retain control over their food.

For the best of IFA 2015, see CNET's complete coverage.