To answer your first question about the glass-top, as best as I can tell, Fisher & Paykel advertises that it uses "Ceran" cooktops. That's a trademark of Schott and one of the most widely used cooktop materials because it is so tough. Ceran is designed for handling temperatures up to 750°F. (To put that in perspective, lead melts at 622°F). Now, as Delray cautioned, it is possible to crack Ceran by dropping big heavy pans on it. (Although, somebody --- I think it was Vollrath ---used to demonstrate how tough their Ceran induction surfaces were by dropping a bowling ball from three feet onto one of its induction cooktops. ) Also, you want to avoid sliding rough bottomed pans across it or sliding pans over spilled salt or sugar because that can scratch the surface. Usually just a cosmetic issue, some posters here in the past have expressed concerns that deep scratches combined with dropping heavy pans could result in the glass cracking. or when placing steaming pot lids down on the surface. (Apparently, as the lid cooled that resulted in vacuum suction strong enough to crack a cooktop or two.) The other caution about sugar and Ceran is that leaving glomps of melted sugar for any great length of time can etch the surface.

Of course, like any other manufactured product, some units will have hidden defects that get past quality control. That is why products come with warranties. For me, the concern with a brand with small market share would be: how easy or hard will it be to find warranty service where you live and how available are replacement parts? Judging from the past postings about F&P products that I've seen here (particularly their washing machines and dish-drawers), that seems to vary with where you live. I'd guess that it won't be a problem in NYC where you seem to live, but that is worth checking out if you have not already done so.

I was not familiar with the F&P Ci224 model, so I took a look at the user guide. Pretty interesting unit with its bridging functions for large pots and griddles and the ability to run multiple small pots together on a single burner space. Depending on the kind of occasional uses you have in mind for your dairy workspace, I could see where the unit might be attractive.

Now, as for user reviews, they will be limited here in North America because F&P has such a small market share and is aiming at a niche market segment, as well. That's why you are seeing responses suggesting alternatives rather than reviews of the model you asked about.

Still, you are as likely to see a response here as anywhere else. In the meantime, have you tried searching on the versions Fisher & Paykel sells elsewhere in the world as 60 cm and 600 mm models? If you did not already know this, the company is part of the Haier group (which also owns GE Appliances) but F&P is based in New Zealand and has more market presence there and in Australia. Maybe the UK. I think the equivalent metric model there is designated as Ci604, which may help with searching. (Again, you can disregard the suggestion if it is something you've already tried.)

As far as using a portable countertop induction cooker (PIC), maybe you've already rejected the idea or have already figured all of this out, but in case you have not, I'll offer these clarifying points.

First, on power.: the 3500 watt PIC models like the one in Chiflpper's link, do not lack for power. At 3500 watts, they offer as much as the maximum boosted power of the biggest burners on many built-in induction cooktops. However, they require 20 Amp 240v outlets and so do not avoid the need for some new wiring.

Second, the best 120v PICs top out at around 1800 watts. That is equivalent to a 13K BTU gas burner, and only a bit less than the 2100 watt normal power rating of the F&P burners. YMMV on whether or not that difference in power level would be significant for your occasionally used dairy workspace where you may not be looking to quickly burn all the seasoning off cast iron pans or melt large quantities of lead. OTOH, if it will be important to you to get large quantities of water to boil in big kettles as quickly as possible, then it will be convenient to have the boost-power function (3700 watts for 10 minutes on the F&P as best I can tell),

Apart from not winning speed-to-boil drag races, the main limitation of 120v PICs is the small size of their induction fields. On less expensive models, the heating areas are equivalent to what yu would see with 4 and 5 inch diameter electrical coils and their low grade power modulation makes it difficult to maintain even and gentle simmers. On the better commercial kitchen models, such as the Cookteks and Vollraths (Mirage Pro and Series 4 models), the induction field is about 6 to 7 inches in diameter and the power control is as good as or better than full size cooktops at maintaining even and gentle low heat. The 6 or 7 inch diameter fields are fine for heating thin liquids or oil for deep frying but maybe not so great for the most even heating when sauteing and shallow frying in 12" fry pans if that is what you would be looking to do.