If it had just been the cooking odor, I'd have said there wasn't much you could do. But actual smoke is another matter. There are health concerns for one thing. For another, if there's that much smoke that it is getting into apartments several units away from the one producing the smoke, then I have to wonder about the smoke alarms in that unit. The tenant must have disabled them in order to cook this way. I'd play a little dumb about which unit it is. Contact the management or landlord and tell them that smoke is getting into your unit, and how often--daily, 4-5 times a week. You are concerned about 2 things--how this is affecting your health is one. And the second is that you are worried that so much smoke is being produced and no smoke detector is going off. Make it clear that you think something is wrong with the smoke alarms and that you are worried that in case of a real fire, the alarms won't sound. That should bring management out in a hurry. Most leases have clauses about maintaining an operating smoke detector in the apartment, so this other tenant could well be in violation of the lease. And while I don't usually care if other tenants follow all the rules or not, in this case, it directly impacts your safety and I think you have a right to complain.

I second pillog's recommendation for a test drive, especially if you can go to Purcell Murray. Amazing places for an appliance geek (My SoCal cousins tell me there is now one in Huntington Beach now in addition to the one that I went to in Brisbane some years ago when I was last on that coast.) Getting hands on time -- cleaning up as well as cooking --- is, as they say, priceless. Not everybody likes induction, but most who try it find that they like it a lot. To be sure, you and your wife might still find that you prefer one or more particular gas cooktops over the specific induction units you try, but, as pillog says, you won't know for sure until you try them out. I say this as somebody who likes induction a lot --- I've used induction at various times over the last thirty years --- but nonetheless ended up choosing a particual gas range over the two induction stoves I was looking at when I was last stove shopping. I "get" your wife's preferences for seeing flames while cooking and for having a stove that is simple enough for me to maintain and repair by myslef. I, too, prefer rotary knobs on stoves to digital touchpads, (Unlike some, I'm not opposed to touchpads. After all, I make my living in digital media production. Still, when it comes to stoves, I'm happier turning large knobs.) But those are only a few of many factors which can affect how well or poorly a stove or cooktop will serve you in your cooking in your kitchen. Every appliance is a mix of attributes and design compomises. You choose a balance that you think may suit you better than another.What I found when I was shopping -- wow, almost three years ago --- was that the balance of factors slightly favored this one particular gas range over the two specific induction ranges I was looking at. Were I shopping today, I would still consider my gas range but the newer models of induction ranges are now available and the balance (for me) might very tip to one of them, instead. For me, it would really help to lay hands on the actual equipment and get a test drive. Hands on time will likely tell you and you wife more than reams of further commentary here. So, if you can get the opportunity, take it. And, to go back to one of your original questions about safety features, the boil-over shut-downs work a bit differently on different models and brands. There is a thread currently on chowhound with some discussion of this subject. Apparently, some folks (with JennAir models, IIRC) find it over-sensitive and annoying to them. Others, with different models, report experiences in line with what Gary reported. (I've never had problems with it myself, either.) Here's the link if you want to plow through another induction thread. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/903217 This post was edited by JWVideo on Thu, Mar 27, 14 at 21:05

cfmuehling - Thanks for the nice words. I too am rebuilding after a fire - but only the kitchen was damaged. Sounds like you are rebuilding much more? I am so sorry! Anyway I didn't even need to pull permits for my fire damage, but took the opportunity to do some major work to the kitchen layout. The house is otherwise livable, so it's not as if I need a CO from the City. I will not be fined, but if the inspector doesn't give the green light he simply makes a note of it in the city's record. My contractor says that given the size of the sink and my safety reasoning, he thinks that there is a possibility that the inspector will say OK and I will pass the inspection. I am very sensitive to safety issues after having the fire. The fact is, the kitchen is upscale and attractive, the house's location is an A+ in my city, so the placement of an outlet so close to the sink, while may be the "code," is irrationally unsafe and shouldn't affect resale. I don't have a problem with a prospective buyer knowing this when I resell the house. Heck, if they need an outlet placed into the soapstone counter inches from the sink, in order to get a mortgage, or for personal reasons, I'll be happy to pay for it at that time. :) Dimmers are great, I agree!

It seems that it is pretty common to put it in a cabinet next to the range. When that cabinet has drawers, it might be behind a drawer with the drawer shortened to allow space for it. There is usually a a couple of inches of dead space behind the drawers so the drawer doesn't have to be shortened by much and it doesn't have to be shortened all the way across - the back of the drawer box could just step in to allow space where the valve needs it. A drawer (or a couple of drawers to allow shoulder room) can be taken out pretty quickly - probably more quickly than the range can be pulled out. If the valve can be behind the range right next to the cabinet wall, an opening in the cabinet wall could allow access without pulling out the range and without needing to notch a drawer. There was one person who had a valve with a flat face and a hole that operates with a key (like is often used in the floor to turn on and off gas for a fireplace) mounted in the face frame of a cabinet below her rangetop. I wonder if it would be acceptable to mount a valve like that on the wall so that it is operated from the other side of the wall. Our gas rangetop is in our island. We have a 12" deep cabinet behind the cabinet with the rangetop so we routed the gas pipe through that and put the valve there. It is out of the way not in our prime storage area but easy to reach. Once you are prepared with ideas, you should talk to your GC directly. If he is any good, he should know what the local code and inspectors are likely to accept. You can bounce some ideas around.