Inset induction cooktops.
Initially, I wanted to inset the induction cooktop, INTO the kitchen countertop.
But your comments dissuaded me.
Fast.
IN the counter is fantastic… until it needs to be replaced; at which point you now have a custom hole in your countertop the exact size of your old cooktop… so you’d better hope you can get a new one that exact size.
Is that going to happen?
Of course not.
Fortunately, logic does not apply to me; so I’m planning to inset the lightest color cooktop I could find (in the American market)… it has one, lonely, terrible, angry review… which, for me, was invalidated by his surprise at something happening that any research will TELL you CAN HAPPEN.
The cooktop is made of GLASS… insetting (rather than resting on top)– and securing a piece of GLASS inside a dissimilar-material and then heating and cooling the GLASS, and giving it absolutely no flex because it is caulked/glued on all four sides.
There is a possibility that the glass can crack.
You know, because it’s GLASS.
If you are considering induction for yourself, the comments on my introduction to induction, and follow-up, comparing induction cooking to a traditional gas range, are a wealth of information about other people’s actual lived experiences.
I found them so helpful because I had literally NEVER SEEN induction.
Like… I vaguely knew there was some other random option… but thought nothing of it because… Pinterest?
Our previous plan had the cooktop on the perimeter wall… which meant that it would be integrated into a piece of solid countertop about 10 feet long; which would itself be secured to all kinds of things: cabinets, walls, backsplash.
It would not be simple to remove a countertop that is attached on multiple planes to different types of material… I could see how having an issue down the road would be a real pain in the neck.
So I thought – it probably won’t kill me to have a thin piece of glass resting on top of the counter.
Also:
it’s nice to have proof of how reasonable I am.
Also, lots of you had great ideas for disguising the cooktop… fancy silver trays, buckets of flowers.
Weirdly, no one suggested the method I find most effective:
piles of crap!
Have you not tried it this way?
It works EVERYWHERE IN YOUR HOME!
the induction cooktop is in the antique table
But now that we have rearranged everything to accommodate the NWoF, we are putting the cooktop into the island, and it would seem that the pain-in-the-neck-equation… has tipped back.
Probably because I have absolutely zero understanding of what we are undertaking.
But also, if we NEEDED to reformat the countertop… it would be… not a problem?
The phrase “not a problem” is not EXACTLY accurate.
But you understand what I am saying.
Also: it turns out that the antique piano island will lend itself perfectly to removing one of the TOP/hidden drawers- the lower drawer will not be affected.
BUT.
What about the wires?
Yes.
So inconvenient.
Do I have IDEAS for hiding the wires?
Of course.
So many ideas.
The BEST ideas.
With various levels of practicality.
Ranging from lol, to sheer idiocy.
The sheer idiocy ones are SO GOOD.
And actually?
Upon reflection?
My IDEAS are the bane of my existence.
Right now I am counseling myself to KEEP IT SIMPLE.
But simultaneously, Self submitted a new proposal: SUPER FANCY OLD STOVE… inset the cooktop in THAT.
FITZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I cannot
even
ded
So.
Obviously, I just spent 97hours looking for that stove.
It is nowhere to be found.
I could only find disappointing drab stoves that were not designed by the Victorian Liberace.
So we are stuck with the boring old piano island.
No bigly brass.
Old news.
Sad.
Also, obviously– my IDEAS are not ACTUALLY solutions; they are just me trying to figure out how to have more stuff.
I like to have goals I can excel at.
May 30, 2018 @ 7:28 pm
I’m with you on the cook top on the piano. Nothing is the same size when it comes to replacing something. My cook top is on my island, with a concrete top. Suddenly there was a problem (thank goodness it was easily fixable) I spent too much time thinking it had to be replaced and none of the available new cook tops fit that hole. I am now prepared if it ever happens again but I would hate to have to redo the entire cabinet length. (think small sledge hammer powered by frustration) I do like the idea of running the wiring through one of the legs. You of course thought of this when you acquired said piano – right?
May 31, 2018 @ 6:18 am
Induction-lovers, i have what is probably a very stupid question (sorry). If you have an all-metal pan which is magnetic so will work with induction, and doesn’t have an insulated, rubbery handle, will the metal handle get hot like the rest of the pan? Do you have to be really careful to use cloths/oven gloves when cooking?
May 31, 2018 @ 7:41 am
The handles of good quality pots should not get hot no matter what the technology. When they do get hot it’s usually not because the pan got hot but because the handle was over the hot burner. There is no hot burner on induction. The way it works is the part of the pan in contact with the surface engages and gets hot instantly. The sides of the pan heat up more gradually. The handles of pans are usually riveted to the outside of the pot and don’t get hot.
May 31, 2018 @ 7:35 am
Since you’ve done your research you probably already know this but just in case, you likely need a 220 volt circuit for the cooktop. I know I needed one for mine. Keep that in mind for your wiring plans.
Also for those who think induction is just a fancy name for an old fashioned glass cooktop, it’s not. It’s an amazing technology that is faster and more responsive than gas plus safer and easy to clean.
May 31, 2018 @ 10:56 am
DO IT! PUT IT ON A SUPER FANCY OLD STOVE! I NEED TO SEE THIS DONE! DO IT! I DON’T KNOW HOW! JUST DO IT PLEASE!
(I am virtually – as in “extended via computer software” not “for the most part; almost wholly” – screaming at the top of my lungs)….
May 31, 2018 @ 5:36 pm
I agree with those who think the grand slam is for the grand piano. Less real estate to have to deal with if things go south. The wires may be a bitch, but I am sure you will have brilliance on your side…but you may want to review the electrical codes for 220 in your township. Hope you have a basement underneath this area! What was I thinking? You are married to The Genius!
May 31, 2018 @ 11:05 pm
If the kitchen isn’t finished by November 2020, do we get to vote on it? 🤔
June 1, 2018 @ 1:11 am
Here it is….
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Majestic-No-644-Antique-Wood-Burning-Oven-Stove-Cast-Iron-1800s-Refurbished-/123119476506
June 1, 2018 @ 1:56 am
That old stove is Majestic 😉
June 1, 2018 @ 9:52 am
Rough shape stove in Southern Pines NCrfsqr-6600383353@sale.craigslist.org on Fayetteville NC craigslist.
June 1, 2018 @ 10:01 am
Gurl.
I saw that stove and cracked up, literally could not stop laughing. Because you are crazy and that thing is not a solution to any problem other than “how do I get this husband out of my house?”
But also? Because my brain ferrets went bonkers, screaming, “YES THAT IS THE SOLUTION TO EVERYTHING NOW BUY IT BEFORE SHE DOES!”
June 1, 2018 @ 1:34 pm
I love reading about GFT’s on your site! It makes my heart all warm and toasty… My husband just shakes his head and tries to figure out how to make my dreams come to life. It has become my life goal to make my whole home fancy, but keep it on a shoestring budget. I love your ideas and seeing them come to life. I also love how I literally laugh out loud at the comments you make. Keep it up! Can’t wait to hear about the next project. Also, thanks for keeping it real… so many think you need to have a house all come together overnight. Major decisions should be well planned with much thought.
June 1, 2018 @ 10:21 pm
I’m shocked you haven’t had the idea to put it in an old stove before. Years ago I was trying to avoid a dishwasher and was tempted to put it in an old stove like the kind you have pictured.
A DISHWASHER.
That’s how ridiculous I am.
June 4, 2018 @ 1:52 pm
Yay so excited to see the outcome. If your buying that cooktop from Amazon I’d contact the seller first & make sure it’s actually the light colored version they’re selling cuz the description says “Finish-Black” …and I can only imagine how hard I’d freak out if I got a black top thinking it would be beige.
I went down a RABBIT HOLE trying to find a white glass induction option after your first post & even went so far as to contact the 2 companies that make ceramic glass tops in that color for major brands. Of course the US market chooses not to use them so I’d have to import it & then void the warranty by replacing…haha ya, right.
June 5, 2018 @ 3:16 pm
Have you checked out Lehman’s.com? They have some awesome stoves and appliances and etc., Nickel plated trim, some very beautiful Victorian style. They have a huge variety of cataloged items from days gone by too. Very fun antiquated shopping. 🙂
June 6, 2018 @ 2:37 pm
We are about to replace our electric top stove and we were planning on converting to gas. Now I am completely distracted by researching induction cooktops because of your blog. Have you seen this one by thermador? http://www.thermador.com/cooking/cooktops/cit304km-30-inch-masterpiece-series-induction-cooktop
It says “Silver Mirrored Finish” in the description. It is pricey but it is by Thermador, available in the US, and not the common black color!
June 11, 2018 @ 1:43 am
You find the best inspiration pictures! Okay….so have you considered trying out induction cooking beforehand? They sell inexpensive induction cooktops at ikea. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10343776/ ….so when I was thinking about that…I thought if you like that …then maybe you can buy like four of those (or similar) bad boys and store them in a drawer….which would leave your counters and piano without holes. Solid.
September 27, 2019 @ 9:57 pm
Lucky you to have someone that can cut a straight line. I waste a lot of boards trying to cut a straight line.
I forgot to tell you about how my induction cooktops main glass broke. I had a temptations dish slip out of my hands. It hit the main glass of the induction cooktop. It hit the top an then hit the concrete floor. It did not break but my induction top did. That happened right after I told everyone to be careful around the top. The reason I asked about your piano island an how you put induction in it. My wife had cancer and chemo an drops things easy. I am looking at a safety aspect for her. Did you put it under the top of the piano. That is one of the big reasons I am asking. I have a lot of induction cooktops with tops broken. The company does not make the tops anymore. Plus it would stop people from using the induction as a cutting board. I was using one for catering with a generator.