I have asked my appliance purveyor - and the response is that they do not recommend induction due to the additional electrical requirements (my contractor is fine with that), the space requirements below (no mention of which manufacturer has the minimum and how much space that is), and that it is hard to clean. (I have not read that anyplace).

Hard to clean? Everyone on here says they're much easier to clean!

We just went through the specs issue, but didn't have a drawer underneath, just the oven. The issue is the physical space required by the cooktop "box" and the air space needed for heat dissipation. We ended up with the Bosch -- at 4-1/8" (3-1/8" for the cooktop itself and 1" for airspace).

I love my JennAir 30 inch induction. No problem having a very useful utensil drawer under it.

Welcome to gardenweb, if you are new here. This is the best in the world for kitchens. We have kitchen designers, contractors, designers and the rest of our kitchen obsessed crowd. Your appliance purveyor doesn't know squat about induction and given that, it/he should defer, i.e. keep mouth shut.

Use google when searching as the gardenweb search machine is not so good. Enter gardenweb+"pantry pull-out", for example.

Layout is the most important. Period. I question a pantry in a space challenged condo. Pantry pullouts take much less floor space and are more efficient in space mgt. Smaller air spaces in shelves and more customizable.

Questions re induction are best addressed and researched on our appliances forum. There you will find answers as to why induction and which induction.

But start at the beginning-read the first sticky-new to kitchens and then follow the bouncing ball. Your kitchen will be incredibly better. Ask for help and then ask again. It will take a little longer but it'll be an eye-opening journey.

I am in Chicagoland and neither Abt nor Ikea knows much about inductions, but my contacts there did not spout wrong info. They just said that inductions were not popular here. p.s. induction cooktops are so easy to clean. I have induction here and a gas stove in my vacation place, so I know.

4 burner-40 amp, 5 burner(hob)-50 amp.

I have a utensil drawer underneath. "Clearance' is the word, google,gardenweb+induction+clearance+applances.

Good luck.

Welcome to gardenweb, if you are new here. This is the best in the world for kitchens. We have kitchen designers, contractors, designers and the rest of our kitchen obsessed crowd. Your appliance purveyor doesn't know squat about induction and given that, it/he should defer, i.e. keep mouth shut.

Use google when searching as the gardenweb search machine is not so good. Enter gardenweb+"pantry pull-out", for example.

Layout is the most important. Period. I question a pantry in a space challenged condo. Pantry pullouts take much less floor space and are more efficient in space mgt. Smaller air spaces in shelves and more customizable.

Questions re induction are best addressed and researched on our appliances forum. There you will find answers as to why induction and which induction.

But start at the beginning-read the first sticky-new to kitchens and then follow the bouncing ball. Your kitchen will be incredibly better. Ask for help and then ask again. It will take a little longer but it'll be an eye-opening journey.

I am in Chicagoland and neither Abt nor Ikea knows much about inductions, but my contacts there did not spout wrong info. They just said that inductions were not popular here. p.s. induction cooktops are so easy to clean. I have induction here and a gas stove in my vacation place, so I know.

4 burner-40 amp, 5 burner(hob)-50 amp.

I have a utensil drawer underneath. "Clearance' is the word, google,gardenweb+induction+clearance+applances.

Good luck.

Welcome to gardenweb, if you are new here. This is the best in the world for kitchens. We have kitchen designers, contractors, designers and the rest of our kitchen obsessed crowd. Your appliance purveyor doesn't know squat about induction and given that, it/he should defer, i.e. keep mouth shut.

Use google when searching as the gardenweb search machine is not so good. Enter gardenweb+"pantry pull-out", for example.

Layout is the most important. Period. I question a pantry in a space challenged condo. Pantry pullouts take much less floor space and are more efficient in space mgt. Smaller air spaces in shelves and more customizable.

Questions re induction are best addressed and researched on our appliances forum. There you will find answers as to why induction and which induction.

But start at the beginning-read the first sticky-new to kitchens and then follow the bouncing ball. Your kitchen will be incredibly better. Ask for help and then ask again. It will take a little longer but it'll be an eye-opening journey.

I am in Chicagoland and neither Abt nor Ikea knows much about inductions, but my contacts there did not spout wrong info. They just said that inductions were not popular here. p.s. induction cooktops are so easy to clean. I have induction here and a gas stove in my vacation place, so I know.

4 burner-40 amp, 5 burner(hob)-50 amp.

I have a utensil drawer underneath. "Clearance' is the word, google,gardenweb+induction+clearance+applances.

Good luck.

Chichichicago, you might try calling the technical support lines at some induction companies for more up to date (and correct!) information. We don't have drawers below our induction cooktop, but we were able to fit two 30 inch ovens a little more than 2 inches below the granite around the cooktop. We had some space limitations so it was an engineering nightmare but with the help of the appliance company (Wolf) it worked out perfectly.

Had to laugh about induction being hard to clean. After having electric coils with those awful pans below them for too many years, the big joke around here is how long it takes to clean the induction cooktop. It usually takes me all of 2 minutes to clean it thoroughly and bring it back to the showroom shine. Food doesn't bake on since the cooktop itself doesn't get hot (except below the pan). Call the companies and get the induction that suits you best--it's a real game-changer.

Here's my 30" Bosch 500 induction, which couldn't be easier to clean:

Here's the spice drawer directly under it:

Pretty much everyone makes a 30" induction cooktop. That's the good news. Over on Appliances folks will tell you which brands they like. The 4 that come to mind are Bosch, Miele, Electrolux and Wolf.

Each of these has specific requirements for power and clearance below due to heat build up and the kind of power the top generates. The only way to be sure -- and you need to be if it's to work properly -- is via the specification sheets. Those have diagrams and we've all struggled through sitting down and studying them. But it's a must. If you post links to your choice here folks can help you second guess.

The deal with induction is that it needs a certain amount of amperage coming in and a certain amount of clearance below, which you know. It also requires magnetic cookware -- anything a magnet will stick to. Assume you're aware of that.

I started looking at them with the idea of switching out our electric radiant to induction. I also have the drawer below which I love and would never give up. So don't!

Under counter allowances vary from brand to brand. One brand requires 12" below and another requires only 4". Trick is to find the brand that suits your situation.

And, since you're in a condo, do ask the electrician to be absolutely sure before you buy the thing that there's enough amperage for it -- again that info's on the spec sheet. It might not be an issue in a home but in a condo it might be and you don't want complications in that regard.

And look for a new place to buy. That appliance store, as someone said, doesn't know squat. I sure wouldn't want them providing service on the unit after it's in.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Induction Site

This post was edited by rococogurl on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 9:10

You might go over to the Appliance Forum where you will find a true wealth of information on induction selection, including specifics on which cooktops allow for a drawer beneath. Search for posts containing induction, cooktop, and JWVideo who seems to be the among the most knowledgeable and helpful posters there. Lots of research on that forum (see link on Kitchen Forum page) turned me quickly from the GE, which like you I had tentatively selected, to the basic Bosch 300, which I utterly, utterly love.

And yep, your appliance salesmen, like most, is just dead wrong. My sister is currently going through the same thing choosing hers. It is just sad how ignorant this country is regarding the advantages of induction over other cooking methods. Safety, energy efficiency, blazing fast speed . . .okay, getting off soap box now . . . Just DO NOT allow them to persuade you away from induction. In almost 5 months, I've yet to clean mine with more than a spritz of white vinegar.

Okay, can't resist posting my pic again:

I chose the Kitchenaid 30" induction with bridge burner in part because it had the smallest required clearances all the way around. I read all the spec sheets and installation guides to figure this out. I have a utensil drawer right underneath mine. But before considering KA read the two or three "kitchenaid induction problem" threads (google "gardenweb kitchenaid induction" for others, I've already linked mine below). I was quite shocked by the clicking noises mine made. I'm used to it now, and it does have many nice features, but there are other brands (i.e., all of them) that don't click. I love my induction anyway, and so does DH. Also love my Elux wall ovens. Do not buy from stores that talk a lot of bull about something they don't understand. They don't deserve your money.

Here is a link that might be useful: Noisy KA induction