I think he's being lazy. :)

A few years ago I had a Windcrest induction cooktop installed (they had the BEST clearance at the time). The top drawer couldn't be full length (depth?) due to something or other--I think it was electrical connections. It was still extremely useful. Maybe your guy can do something like that? Under construction (no current photos cuz I moved):

Let me add that it wasn't great for utensils as it was not very deep (up and down) and you would be better off with a real 4" vertical space in a drawer--I guess I was matching the neighboring cabinets--so be sure your usable space is actually usable. I filled this drawer with knives and cutting boards. No inch gets wasted!

I have a top drawer under my bosch, but the drawer could not be fill depth due to the electrical I think. Mine is 5 years old so don't know about current models. Love mine.

The fear is that theoretically, if the utensils are too close to the cooktop, they could heat up due to magnetic field generated by the burner.

While this is possible in theory, in reality this really does not seem to occur. I have sold tons of induction tops ,directly and indirectly. I have never seen this ever actually occur.

Most induction cooktops use a steel case for various reasons, including UL acceptance. If the field from the coils reached down to the case and heated it, there would be a problem, but it would be difficult for the field to get past it to any utensils below. The question of why there is no field there interests me, and someday when I get a chance to tear apart my old Kenmore I'll find out why.

In the meantime, the issues with depth below the cooktop are usually (a) fire hazard to combustibles if the cooktop electronic guts slag (unlikely but UL worries about such things), and (b) sufficient volume for heated cooling air to be replaced with cooler air. The manufacturer's installation guide has the last word.

kas

My KD said they will likely design the drawer as fori pictured above, a short drawer that's not full depth. With that said, I think you shouldn't pick your induction based on cabinet design. Pick the best one for your budget that has the function you want/need. Look at layout of burners, bridge elements, etc.

Also, sometimes photos appear to have a drawer but most likely could be a false front. Mine is like that.

I went with the Bosch induction since the selling point was that you can have a utensil drawer under it. When DH went to install it, he had to cut out a section of the drawer for the electrical cord, and he didn't lower the heat vent. I make sure that I only keep utensils in the drawer - no pot holders or dish towels.

Code often requires a heat shield as well. That's a thin sheet of plywood between the two areas.

I also have the vestigial top drawer so it would line up with the other drawers. There's plenty enough dead volume in the next drawer down that I could have had a full depth utensil drawer if I'd been willing to lower the bottom. This is one of my few form over function choices.

Thank you everyone for the help. It's very helpful to see the photo of the Bosch with the drawer under it. The Bosch was actually my first choice, but the overall depth of the unit is listed as 4 1/8" compared to the Wolf depth of 2", so I thought that meant the Wolf would be easier to get the drawer under.

But, I've now read the Bosch Benchmark specs and it says that 4 1/8" that they are quoting for depth already includes 1" of required air clearance. So, the Wolf's 2" depth plus 2" air clearance requirements should mean that I can have the drawer like keagle showed above. (Or I can get the Bosch).

Either way, I somehow need to convince my reluctant cabinet maker of this.

Keagle, are you able to measure the internal depth of your utensil drawer? If you have full overlay cabinets, it would also really help me to know the totals of your whole under-cooktop drawer stack. I would be grateful.

Thanks again everyone.

Here's a pic of my shallow drawer under the Bosch. I remember the plumber was here when this was going in and he said no way could I have a drawer. Not a full drawer, but it works for me!

Ainelane, the under cook top internal drawer sides (height), after trimming measures approx. 2 1/2". The front height which was not trimmed is 3 1/2. Inside length 31 1/4" x 19 3/4" width (Depth). My cook top is the 800 series - 36". The outside heights of the 2 lower drawers are approx 11 3/4" and top outside is 6 3/4". The cabs are dynasty omega. I hope I provided the info you want.

One comment about the nice looking configuration that keagle shows under his granite. The thin support under the granite means the granite is mostly supported in tension by itself while also supporting the cooktop with a large cut-out. One would want to be careful to not put one's body weight on that front edge while cleaning the hood.

kas

Thanks kas.

keagle - yes, that is exactly the info I needed!! Thank you very much for going out of your way to help me. I will give these details to my cabinetmaker and hopefully I can end up with a drawer like yours!

Thanks again everyone.

My kitchen is being renovated right now. We went induction and have a drawer underneath the cook top. I'll see how much room is actually left once the cook top is installed, which should be next week. I'm hoping to use it as a spice drawer but we'll see.

It'll probably be warmer than ideal for spices. Not hot or dangerous or anything, but warm. :)

I agree with Fori. Right under the cooktop isn't a good environment for spices.

Bummer as the drawer is perfect for it. Are pot holders/towels a bad idea as well given they are more flammable?

If the drawer is completely isolated from the cooktop and wiring, towels and other textiles would be fine. It doesn't get hot. Just warm. That's more from the electronics than the cooking heat. Not good for spices and herbs, which want to be cool, dry and dark. But if the works are exposed, you shouldn't have cloth next to them. They can actually cause more heat build up, and there's a very very small chance, but chance nonetheless, of fire hazard.

Most of us use it for cooking utensils. That works really well. Since mine is less than 2" deep, I put large flat things that would take up more room than they should in the pot drawers in it. I have a couple of grill plates, a barbecue grate that fits over a gas burner, a couple of spatter shields, and the rack that goes in the top of the wok. There are also wooden and silicone spoons, cooking chopsticks, a brush and dish set, a couple of meat forks, a couple of spatulas, and some silicone pot holders. It holds a lot!

I'm not neat enough to lay things flat--that's why I filled mine with things that can't not be flat (knives, boards, etc.). I'm sure if I put a spatula in there it would end up sideways and stuck.

Just keep in mind, everyone, that electronics failure rate increases exponentially with temperature. [See for example, http://rel.intersil.com/docs/rel/calculation_of_semiconductor_failure_rates.pdf.] Considering what a pain it is to replace or repair an induction cooktop, particularly if one wants a different brand (and hence a different size cutout), due diligence in cabinet design suggests embracing conservative approaches to providing paths for replacement cooling air.

kas

To what Kas said, the instructions for most induction cooktops is that a three inch "channel" be made behind the drawers. That is, the drawer boxes are shorted three inches. This gives sufficient air volume for cooling (until you heat up all the air, like I do when I'm making spaghetti sauce and have to open drawers). Most of them also do shut themselves off long before they get hot enough to be damaged.

It is important to appreciate that failure rate is a parameter that drives mean time to failure. In other words, the higher temperature that I am arguing for limiting should not be thought of as a failure temperature, but as a temperature that, given a number of hours at that temperature, leads to a shorter lifetime for the components relative to a similar length of time operating at a lower temperature. Because failures due to temperature aging are statistical, YMMV.

There are other causes of failure rate degradation, such as voltage stress. We can't know what the failure landscape is for the collection of parts in a particular cooktop. Typically, the worst component for failure rate is a fan, so it occurs to me as I write this that checking for fan operation with some reasonable cooking power in use is worth doing now and then.

Oh, that test is done all the time! If the fan isn't working sufficiently, at least in a moderate normal kitchen temperature, you'll know it because your unit will turn off or melt. :)