Method for operating a cooktop, wherein - the cooktop has a plurality of heating devices (15a-h) arranged juxtaposed and successively in a heating zone, - between laterally juxtaposed heating devices and between successively arranged heating devices, there is a spacing in each case, which spacing respectively provides intermediate surfaces between in each case two juxtaposed or successively arranged heating devices, - at least one additional pan detection sensor is arranged in or above the intermediate surfaces, comprising the steps: - checking whether or not a cooking vessel is placed on the heating zone above multiple heating devices, wherein for that purpose the heating devices themselves and/or the additional pan detection sensors are used, - determining a position and a size of the placed-on cooking vessel, wherein for that purpose the heating devices themselves and/or the additional pan detection sensors are used, - setting a desired power level for the cooking vessel on an operator control device, wherein the desired power level corresponds to a certain desired power density and a certain desired power, - identifying of heating devices which are covered by the cooking vessel with less than a predetermined minimum covering, wherein these heating devices are not used for heating the cooking vessel, - determining a sum of the surface areas covered by the cooking vessel on each heating device with minimum covering as a total covering, - calculating a surface area shortfall as a difference in surface areas from the determined size of the cooking vessel minus the total covering, - calculating a surface area shortfall weighting for each heating device with minimum covering, wherein heating devices with relatively great covering by the cooking vessel are given a small weight and heating devices with relatively small covering by the cooking vessel are given a great weight, - calculating an effective surface area for each heating device from the surface area covered on each heating device by the cooking vessel and from the difference in surface areas and from the surface area shortfall weighting, - calculating the desired power of each heating device from the effective surface area of said heating device and the desired power density for the cooking vessel, - operating the heating devices covered by the cooking vessel using the respective desired power thereof. - the cooktop has a plurality of heating devices (15a-h) arranged juxtaposed and successively in a heating zone, - between laterally juxtaposed heating devices and between successively arranged heating devices, there is a spacing in each case, which spacing respectively provides intermediate surfaces between in each case two juxtaposed or successively arranged heating devices, - at least one additional pan detection sensor is arranged in or above the intermediate surfaces, - checking whether or not a cooking vessel is placed on the heating zone above multiple heating devices, wherein for that purpose the heating devices themselves and/or the additional pan detection sensors are used, - determining a position and a size of the placed-on cooking vessel, wherein for that purpose the heating devices themselves and/or the additional pan detection sensors are used, - setting a desired power level for the cooking vessel on an operator control device, wherein the desired power level corresponds to a certain desired power density and a certain desired power, - identifying of heating devices which are covered by the cooking vessel with less than a predetermined minimum covering, wherein these heating devices are not used for heating the cooking vessel, - determining a sum of the surface areas covered by the cooking vessel on each heating device with minimum covering as a total covering, - calculating a surface area shortfall as a difference in surface areas from the determined size of the cooking vessel minus the total covering, - calculating a surface area shortfall weighting for each heating device with minimum covering, wherein heating devices with relatively great covering by the cooking vessel are given a small weight and heating devices with relatively small covering by the cooking vessel are given a great weight, - calculating an effective surface area for each heating device from the surface area covered on each heating device by the cooking vessel and from the difference in surface areas and from the surface area shortfall weighting, - calculating the desired power of each heating device from the effective surface area of said heating device and the desired power density for the cooking vessel, - operating the heating devices covered by the cooking vessel using the respective desired power thereof.