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
Lisa D.
December 23, 2018 @ 6:13 pm
Wow. I thought I was obsessive and a perfectionist about everything to do with kitchens, interiors and design, but Victoria, you have me beat by miles. You must know some secret source of research that the rest of us know nothing about.
Carisa
December 28, 2018 @ 11:52 am
Noise is the WORST! I live on a lovely hillside in the woods on 5 acres and the damn road noise nearly ruins the place. But I must ask, how can you stand all the noise the cats make? I always swear the house is haunted because of how much noise my cat and my new kitten make just walking around. They sound like grown people. Like grown elephants. Pitter patter my patootie. 😉 Would be nice not be be kept awake when the kitten decides it is time to go to war with the entire house at 2am. My older girls is very dignified and goes to bed when I do. So polite. New kitten of doom doesn’t give a damn about my sleep.
Mem
January 1, 2019 @ 11:00 am
Unclear on what happens the third time you boil over a pot of buttery oyster stew. . .and then spend a week poulticing your stone countertop. Granite is most impervious to staining but an honest granite supplier will tell you that you can’t put a hot pot on granite because the variable mineral structures could react to heat at differently and crack. Not common but possible. Soapstone must be sealed to mask oil spots and the oil/wax sealer would make a mess under a hot iron skillet, wouldn’t it? Slate will show oil stains. Re: engineered surfacing — lots of people in renovation forums complain that they aren’t as stain/cut proof as you’d think, and surely cooking on a surface is the harshest test possible?? Maybe there are other options. Glass or ceramic? (I’m not dropping a hot Dutch oven on a glass countertop, no way no how). Don’t mean to sound cranky but I’d like to know how the manafucaturers address this problem. Commercial kitchens don’t much care about stains. I can’t imagine VEB staring at oil stains and not hallucinating sheep or Mother Mary or nuclear silos. Paul would have to hire a stain-whisperer. When the whisperer fails they would move to the basement, cook on a hot plate, fall in love with their Instapot, and end up living on microwaved burritos. Paul would come home to find Victoria drawing on her arms with a glitter pen. Save them!
Cynthia
January 26, 2019 @ 10:57 pm
I had no idea what a headphone amp was, so I looked it up. And this is what I found. https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/what-is-a-headphone-amp/
Now I doubt you are interested in this since you were saying how sound waves / science are boring – but maybe some of your readers might be.
BTW, thanks a lot for getting me stuck on the induction in the countertop thing. I was just looking for some I could retract or fold up or something. But, anyway, now that you have me hooked, please pursue and report on this!
Jennie
January 29, 2019 @ 8:46 pm
You can more inexpensively (not inexpensive, but less so than soundproofing and awesome speakers) audiophile music by using an exact audio copy loss-less system (EAC and Foobar are free) and running it through a lossless player (like a Hifiman) and very good headphones (AKG are good). It’s not cheap by any means, but it’s also somewhat affordable to have extremely good sound quality. I’ve had my Hifiman 801 for 8 years, and my AKG K271 MKii headphones for 10 years and they are still going strong and deliver excellent sound quality and get used every single day.
Mary Henry
February 4, 2019 @ 4:04 pm
Where are you? You are missed. When will you return?
Michelle
March 30, 2019 @ 1:49 pm
I know this may seem sad, but I have not laughed in months. No, no, not because I’m depressed. Simply nothing to laugh about, everyone is uptight and ‘beachy’. forgot to allow humor in their lives. That includes me. Your blog, your personality (and Paul’s), your humor, is very welcome. So welcome in fact that I’ve been spending my Saturday in a dark, ugly 1970’s ‘lower level’ of the dumbest (but most popular style for 30 years) house design reading about your adventures. I inherited this house. I’m truly grateful. Otherwise I suppose I’d be living in a cardboard box (or something). But dang, the 1970’s design in anything is atrocious. Thankfully, we have its music which was trippy and cool.
In my quest to get my home out of the 1970’s, I chose to go timeless and classic. Because, avocado, gold, orange and dark, DARK-nearly black ‘rustic’ wood panelling will never be timeless unless we live in Prussia in late 17th century.
I started with the kitchen. Gutted it all. Same thing re: appliances came up as you. You want beauty, and functionality. I refused to bow down to the truly ridiculous prices of a cooling box with adornments that was a fourth of my yearly salary.
With timelessness in mind, and my pocketbook, I went out and bought the coolest fridge I could find (there are so many!). I purchased two. A Philco V handle for refrigerator, from the 1950’s and a Coldspot Freezer. They sit side by side. For the stove, I bought a O’Keefe & Merritt’s Aristocrat. It has 6 burners, 2 ovens, 2 broilers, a warming oven and an extra space for where I put spices (probably a no-no). Total spent from restoration to install for all 3 was $5000.
People who come into my home, immediately gravitate to these appliances. It is a true conversation starter. It is universally loved, to such a point that when I do tours of my house (both the beautiful and ugly), they go back to the kitchen to ohh and ahh.
Kirsten
May 25, 2019 @ 11:44 am
Hi! Just found your site, and apparently a stunt double…
I’m a retired chef, so I entertain a lot, and do a lot of canning for fun.
Would induction be able to handle a big water bath pot? Can I put it underneath a blue agate counter, that I’m getting ready to put in my all white, mid cen mod kitchen? Also, are you available to come over and do the penny/resin floor thing with me?
Cynthia
June 21, 2019 @ 8:43 pm
I was so in love with the possibility of getting an extremely beautiful countertop that I could slip an induction disc or whatever under and cook without spending the milliards of dollars for the ones shown (which I peered at while thinking of my fake thrift store pearls tucked away somewhere in the midst of construction debris) that I have been waiting with baited breath for you to report back. Yes, the internet has thus far hid from me, anyway, any way to DIY these amazing countertops. Which may explain why aforementioned droolworthy real and faux (or, dare we say, imaginary) pearls were clutched – because cheap knockoffs are unobtinium…
So, have you had any success – or has your new feline friend been sucking away all your attention?
Rachel DeMaere
July 18, 2019 @ 4:59 pm
Hello! Is there an update to this post on the comparisons and what you decided on? Am very interested in doing something similar in our reno project and am honestly a little lost in where to start. Thanks!
Nikki
August 6, 2019 @ 9:13 pm
My designer just recommended that I get invisible induction for my NYC kitchen and your blog is one of the first things that comes up in Google images. I have no idea what you’re talking about in half this post that I scrolled. But I already love you. Noise is a capitol offense on my home planet too; the Netherlands; and the overture to Figaro is one of my happiest early mental places. Once I can clean out the junk demanding my attention, I’m gonna reread all of this and prob lots of your other posts!
Natalie
November 14, 2019 @ 9:33 pm
Could you please email me any additional information you have on under counter induction cooktop. I love it! It’s amazing! I love your website and projects!
Melissa
November 20, 2019 @ 2:29 pm
Did you end up getting the under-counter induction cook top? I am looking at this for our remodel and would love to know how it worked for you!
Amy
December 12, 2019 @ 2:45 pm
Great post! I discovered TPB Tech through your earlier post on this. Can you please tell us how it all turned out?? Did you go with the Binova counter with integrated induction? Thanks!
JeanFB
January 24, 2021 @ 8:32 pm
Thank you thank you thank you for doing this research!!! I’ve seen the first model you spoke of (requiring silicone) but didn’t know about the others where you pick any stone you want. YAY! Glad you found out these things and are sharing w us. I know you’ll pick something fantastic!
Hannah Grau
May 28, 2021 @ 9:20 am
Did you ever find an induction cooktop and install it? Are you still planning to?
Lisa
July 17, 2021 @ 5:08 pm
Why do feel like reading this post just changed my life? Because I’ve been agonizing over how it will look. And that edge thing.
Peter Holtan
July 28, 2022 @ 11:38 pm
The illustration with the thermal cameras comparing the heat lost between induction cooking and gas cooking is very very very misleading. The thermal cameras are only showing the HEAT energy lost. As 1 cubic feet of gas combusts, it produces about 1037 BTU’s or 1.1 million joules. And yes, there is a loss in heat energy…”energy is wasted as it floats away into the room.” But the thermal cameras don’t show the ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY that misses the pan and thus is wasted by the induction cooktop as it floats away into the room. It’s only showing the electromagnetic energy that’s being absorbed by the pan and thus being converted into heat energy. It also doesn’t account for the energy consumed in converting electricity into that electromagnetic field.
Now I’m not saying that induction is either more or less efficient than gas. I’m just saying that I take objection to incomplete and misleading information.
Johny Anderson
October 3, 2022 @ 1:00 am
I was searching burners for my home when I Came Across on your post, Awesome you’ve reviewed all the Burners in details and your post helped me a lot. Thanks keep it up.