Invisible induction: a cooktop IN the counter! NO HEAT! NO BURNERS!
See our finished kitchen here!
Paul and I went to NYC– to see the kitchen worktop that has invisible induction burners HIDDEN IN the countertop.
why DEDICATE counter space?
why SEE the stove?
These are questions I am INTO… but if you are uncertain about switching to something unknown, I get it! Buy an inexpensive portable induction burner… give it a try! After I did, I was like– what is this MASSIVE STOVETOP NONSENSE? Also, if you need a warming dish or an extra burner (hello, holidays), you just get the portable thing out and magic!
We are considering taking it a step further for our kitchen remodel, by getting the induction elements already hidden IN THE COUNTERTOP.
The TPB cooktop was not even the most amazing part of our NYC trip; but before I tell you about it, let’s revisit HOW induction works because I always get comments that make it clear something has been lost in translation.
NO HEAT EMANATES from induction.
Induction cooking has been around for 50 years… it turns your POT into the heat source.
There is NO HEAT IN THE COUNTER itself.
You could turn an induction burner on, and SIT on it, and nothing would happen.
Unless your pants were made out of metal.
The METAL of your pots and pans is what gets hot. But only certain kinds of metal!
You can check if your pots will work with a magnet– if it sticks you’re fine.
The person who has this invisible cooktop is Bryan— he is in the business of engineering living spaces, using technology, to create better quality of life.
for INSANELY rich people.
so.insanely.rich.
He and his wife are building a show home of their business– every single room and detail is designed to clarify how your own life is horribly deficient.
Every single thing is like:
THAT IS SO OBVIOUS.
Examples:
The front door has face-recognition technology— it unlocks itself, OPENS for you, and CLOSES and locks itself behind you.
Arms full of cat carriers?
Fumbling for keys?
So obvious.
Also, the shower has the option to add essential oils to a diffuser that is built into a mist system.
Also, their shower drain is INVISIBLE.
I looked at Paul… what is this nonsense my husband gave me with a DRAIN.
Get out.
Their home is soundproof— inside and out… so that you are not listening to your neighbor’s leaf blower… but ALSO you do not hear the other person banging around in the other room… BRYAN feels that this is the sort of thing that degrades our quality-of-life on a level we are not conscious of… and BRYAN feels that you should not hear what is happening in another room… and BRYAN feels that YOU should decide what SOUNDS are entering your HEAD.
At which point, Paul was like – sir, you should DEFINITELY stop speaking because my wife is about to attack you with passionate face-licking and muddy paws… she has never met anyone from her home planet.
On my home planet: noise is an abomination against the living, punishable by death.
JUST BE QUIET OMG IT’S NOT THAT HARD.
This brings us to sound.
Bryan is a SOUND doctor, philosopher, and engineer.
Sound is his JAM.
I wasn’t really paying attention because sound waves is definitely science.
Boring.
Also, speakers are stupid.
But then he played the music.
I like music.
I like dramatic music!
But I didn’t think of the delivery system as having anything to do with the music… so now I see that I am a moron.
Basically, I was a speaker denier.
Now I see that the speakers are EVERYTHING.
It was not just transporting… It was immersive in a way that was a completely different experience than I had ever heard before— I was literally HEARING MORE sound.
I had him play the overture to Marriage of Figaro.
I was inside Mozart’s head.
It is glorious there.
And now I can never go again because the speakers were $bazillon each and you need at least 57 and also $$$$amps and a doctorate in sound technology to arrange these little $$$$$$$$fin looking things to direct sound… or something.
Since hearing his version of music?
I MISS it.
I did ask him if there was something simple that I can do to improve my sound experience without being a billionaire… and he said there is one!!
He said the thing we all use the most to listen to music— our phone— is completely useless without a headphone amplifier… And you should purchase a very inexpensive little amp/adapter thing… I did not think to ask exactly which one, so if you have a recommendation, I would appreciate it! I use beats wireless headphones... the noise-canceling ones. I bought them to go to Hawaii, and sort of thought I’d later regret the $$$, but I use them ALL the time. They are awesome when cleaning! If you are running water/vacuum/making noise.
Anyway. All of this is to say that Paul and I left Bryan’s house fully cognizant of the sadness that is our own life.
We had to go home and unlock our front door like the Neanderthals that we are.
I itched my fleas.
Paul gnawed his toenails.
We grunted at each other in recognition.
So.
Bryan is already a person who is seeking technology that improves the way humans experience the space where they spend their lives– he is PASSIONATE about the ways technology can improve the details of our daily lives.
And finally, we got around to talking about the TPB induction cooktop… at that point, I had basically forgotten about it.
I told Bryan that despite getting endless comments telling me that induction cooking is a giantstepforwardcomeoutofthecaveyouwillloveit… I am still hearing the siren song of the gas coalition. They INSIST that the induction people just do not cook. And I COOK… so I fear their predictions!
Brian said— I THOUGHT THE SAME THING… then I found out there are induction counters in Michelin star restaurants right here in NYC.
So.
I guess that’s good enough.
Bryan told us how, EXACTLY LIKE US, he had assumed they would do gas for their kitchen… because that’s what he thought was “best”… but then he began working with an air-quality expert for his business (because insanely rich people LITERALLY breathe better air than we do.)
This air-person is as INTO air, as Bryan is INTO sound.
And the very first thing the air-quality person said is NO GAS… also, come to find that ALL of New York City building code prohibits gas in new construction… safety.
As he continued to speak, about other things that gas is not ideal about… I came to realize that I am LITERALLY BURNING GAS in my home.
I.
me.
Self.
THE TOXIN AVENGER.
COMBUSTING GAS IN MY HOUSE LOOK AT MY OIL REFINERY, YO!
how am I still writing?
sry.
Now.
The things I do NOT like about TPB.
The edge— it’s not fancy, and it cannot be made fancy… I wrote an entire post about my need for INCREDIBLY FANCY COUNTERTOP EDGES… Also, it only comes in a few colors and I don’t like any of them.
I want a light counter; TPB offers a Carrara-like, but I am not particularly fond of it.
ALSO— you have to add a silicone disc to the bottom of your pots which is NOT a requirement of traditional induction.
Also, I got super exicted and thought none of that matters because it turns out you can buy an induction unit to go under ANY STONE… that’s right… YOU CAN TURN ANY COUNTERTOP INTO A COOKTOP.
The induction cooktop is HIDDEN UNDER ANY (real stone, nothing else) COUNTER OF YOUR CHOICE.
This is Binova Uk
I stared at this photo for like AN HOUR while CLUTCHING MY PEARLS.
I was SOLD SOLD SOLD.
**update– about the undercounter units, NOT tpb**
SO.
The under-counter units SEEM amazing.
And eventually, I’m sure they will be.
But as of 2021, you need to sign a REALLY LONG DISCLAIMER about how it’s FINE IF YOUR COUNTER CRACKS.
Weirdly, this is not fine with me.
It’s even LESS FINE since hearing from a reader that it happened to them… shortly after install, and she had discoloration on the counter prior to it cracking… if you are going to do the after-market undercounter, be sure to choose a dark stone, also fyi, no quartz or anything but real stone.
Also with the under-counter units– they are huge! A top drop-in induction cooktop is so streamlined, it takes up nearly no room; but for the under-counter units, you are going to need to sacrifice the top third of space in the cabinet it is going in.
Lastly, you need to glue silicone rings to your pots. (NOT a requirement with regular induction, just hidden). This sounds… grungy? You can have a separate silicone mat that goes between, but I am trying to have LESS crap and total CONVENIENCE– I don’t want more to store and another thing to clean… and all of this is unnecessary with a traditional drop-in induction cooktop.
After MUCH consideration, we chose a drop-in Monogram unit that five different readers specifically said they loved… the color we bought is discontinued, I found it on an open-box retailer on Amazon.
I’ve been using it for a year and a half and I LOVE IT SO MUCH… if you are on the fence, coming from gas, I had your same hesitations and I AM SO GLAD I switched!! The clean up alone is reason to switch!! No nooks and grates and gunk to clean!!
previous blog posts about induction:
our introduction at the Philadelphia Wolf and Subzero showroom
pros and cons of induction, as reported by my readers
December 20, 2018 @ 12:18 pm
Thank you for doing all my kitchen research for me. I got the hand free faucet thing and it’s amazing! Can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us. Happy holidays to you and yours!
January 19, 2019 @ 11:18 am
Scientists Now Say Owning A Cat Might Cause Mental Illness And The Evidence Is Scary
By Maggie Watson I saw this and thought it would give you a chuckle. Also I forgot to note your beautiful rings and bracelets -so pretty and totally unique just like you or self?
December 20, 2018 @ 12:45 pm
We had to go home and unlock our front door like the Neanderthals that we are.
I itched my fleas.
Paul gnawed his toenails.
We grunted at each other in recognition.
Crying. You could write about paint drying and it would be hillarious.
December 20, 2018 @ 12:54 pm
“BRYAN feels that this is the sort of thing that degrades our quality-of-life on a level we are not conscious of…”
THIS!!! Loud noise is physically painful to me. Our apartment is surrounded by other apartments and houses that, collectively, have noisy gardeners with leaf blowers driving me INSANE 6 days a week! Meanwhile, at work, I am in an open-plan office where everyone around me is speaking to each other noisily and CONSTANTLY. Sound (or lack thereof) is SO so important.
I ended up getting professional musician-quality custom earplugs that I now wear basically every waking hour. You can swap out the filters for varying levels of noise reduction, and no, they do not just make it impossible for you to hear people talking. They make it EASIER to hear the sounds you want to hear by cutting down distortion. Wearing these + Bose noise-cancelling headphones is the only way I can get any work done in my office, and they also help in situations where you might encounter unexpected piercing noise (like shrieking kids).
If you’re sensitive to sound, I highly recommend asking an audiologist about professional ear plugs!
December 20, 2018 @ 1:01 pm
Wow. I am waiting to do my kitchen remodel until yours is finished. I am learning so much about things I had no idea I need in my life.
December 20, 2018 @ 1:42 pm
“Unless your pants were made out of metal.”
I literally just snorted coffee through my nose.
I have to remember *not* to drink anything while reading your blog. I’d read it for the ridiculously useful info alone, but add in the fact that I LOVE your writing and YOU love cats, and I am dancing with happiness. …Except for the fact that while you may envy Bryan’s toys, I envy that you have a live-in handyman who can *dance*.
Ah, but I can dream…
Happy Holidays!
December 20, 2018 @ 1:43 pm
sent this post to my designer who is clearly not worth the money I am paying her. you should see the hulking range bs I nearly ended up with. thank you. get a paypal donate button.
December 20, 2018 @ 1:47 pm
Is your home decorated for Christmas or have you been so busy in hot pursuit of hot in all its’ cooking variations that you have let your duty to faithful readers slide? We understand and just shoot us a shot of fantabulous Christmas’s of yore and we will bask in the glow of “DISCO BALLS” ,Paul ribbons and general glitter and glam. I am smiling. HooRay! This was a fascinating post,and youse guys are geniuses. Have a wonderful Christmas and a glorious Holiday and thank you from an old lady,you are like a glowing fire, a cup of tea with honey-and a snuggly lap robe- comforting and comfortable.
December 28, 2018 @ 5:51 pm
I saw the wonder of Christmas past,I can’t believe how quickly we forget. The disco balls on your porch is one of the prettiest effects I have ever seen. Magical! Those huuuuge mirrors – I am so deep into upcoming kitchen reveal that the wonder of Wonder Mirrors had completely slipped my mind. I must say as spectacular as they were all GFthingys since then have been more than equal to replacing them. Onward to 2019 and happiness for one and all.
December 20, 2018 @ 2:24 pm
What I need is some magic that will prevent me from hearing the neighbor’s power tools but still let me hear if my own children are making an ungodly amount of noise in the front yard.
December 20, 2018 @ 2:34 pm
OMG this was a tour de force. If I smoked, I’d need a cigarette and a cocktail after this.
December 20, 2018 @ 2:45 pm
whoa, I mean, just WHOA. This could be a total game changer.
How completely cool. First off, everywhere I go now, I look for/at super huge, over-the-top-gilded-frame-mirrors….and old grand pianos that need to be turned into something else,…and NOW you introduce the world’s coolest stovetop…
WHOA NELLY….
oh, but my husband is going to die/rollhiseyes/doalotofheadshaking… 🙂
Neanderthals….tee hee…
December 20, 2018 @ 3:02 pm
Standing in line at Target, I showed the woman behind me. I think you’ll have a new follower now. I told her to start with the one about the mirror:)
December 20, 2018 @ 3:15 pm
that’s AMAZING
December 20, 2018 @ 3:21 pm
I made have made this comment here before (I know I did somewhere) but I have both gas and induction stoves in my kitchen (as a deliberate choice, tldr: I live in Africa, the electricity is unreliable).
I cook
Side by side, induction is better than gas.
Easier to control, quicker to heat up, easier to use and clean up and the handles of the pots don’t get too hot so I don’t burn my damned fingers.
If anyone has doubts, get a small portable one and try it.
December 20, 2018 @ 4:31 pm
I’m so glad you’re going with induction, we did too! There is a learning curve for sure, it heats up tons faster and you don’t need to turn it up very high to get maximum results because….efficiency! It truly is the best, I didn’t know you could hide the burners into your countertop, nifty stuff!
December 20, 2018 @ 7:56 pm
Well now I know I can never have induction; my husband shares cooking duties with me and he MUST have the gas at least on medium, no matter what! I constantly sneak by the stove to turn the burners down, so we don’t have burned food/boil-overs!!! If I didn’t like not having to cook every day I would ban him forever from cooking! He would NEVER get the hang of induction. Pooh!
December 20, 2018 @ 5:08 pm
Being the sad voice of reason here……what about repairs? Hopefully these would NEVER break, BUT I can see the under the any type of stone being easy (?) to get to, but when you say there are ones that are “integrated” into the counter tops (the ones with crummy colors) are they easy to get to? I ask because that is all my husband would care about. (He chose our last fake Christmas tree by which box would be easiest to store) Sigh. I do not like noise canceling headphones…..I need to hear the life going on around me….even leaf blowers, the neighbors putting in a brick patio with the saw going all day, the sandhill cranes flying overhead, the UPS man pulling up….you get the idea. It would freak me out to be on a jet and not hear the engines……
December 20, 2018 @ 5:38 pm
Not often do i literally laugh out loud. This post made me. Neanderthals – hilarious .
December 20, 2018 @ 8:08 pm
Integrated induction sounds so lovely. But husband would never learn its new-fangled style of cooking. He would burn the house down, leaving us to truly become neanderthals, living in an earthen cave. And this Bryan you speak of must be a brainiac to have all his knowledge of so many subjects. Who knew you needed certain speakers, and that you can avoid noise? I am a quiet-lover, do not like driving with the radio on, shopping in stores with high ceilings, visiting my daughter who has 11 ft. ceilings and screeching children without much sound absorbing textiles around. And when my across the lake neighbor is taking the entire day to beautify his yard with various noise-making equipment, I want to sneak over and damage said equipment. But I know he would just replace it! UGH!
December 20, 2018 @ 9:45 pm
I have photos of a shower drain like that in a hotel in Salou, Spain. I have coveted one ever since. Also the bathtub, which is a size not available here, alas. I am fascinated with your induction countertop and can’t wait to see it installed in your kitchen. Then you can tell us all about it! Thank you!
December 21, 2018 @ 11:29 am
This post is why I never read one of your post while drinking coffee!
I LOVE your words and what you do with them! You are awesome on so many levels! Therefore I do believe Pauls the other plant theory rings so true!
December 22, 2018 @ 9:14 am
You make me smile. I love reading your posts, they are fun. Keep up the good work!!