"There is a 24-inch cooktop I am evaluating,...The new cooktop costs under $300."

Are you considering the 24" Empava EMPV-ID24 which costs $395 at Home Depot (or something similar)? For $50 more you can get the 30" Empava EMPV-ID30. But what you really need to do is to remove the old cooktop, measure the cutout, and find a decent induction cooktop that will fit. Don't mess around with crappy-looking filler. You can find several 30" models that are less than $1000.

• IKEA SÄRKLASSIG
• Frigidaire FFIC3026TB
• Frigidaire FGIC3066TB
• SHARP SDH3042DB

@wdccruise There are many options with digital controls. I want an induction cooktop with analog controls. Frigidaire has this but it is closer to $2K. The one I am evaluating is a cheap Chinese product from Karinear. At that price I do not feel much risk, and the reviews are good.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099ZGNPLH

I am having problems identifying a vendor that makes a trim that can offer structural support. Many companies sell trims, but they are all cosmetic trims. In my case, the new cooktop is 24 inches versus the opening of 30 inches, so I need structural support, not just a cosmetic trim.

You're having trouble finding structural support trim because people install appliances in cutouts that match the dimensions of the appliances.

@wdccruise That would be news to an entire sub-industry of installers who regularly enlarge existing cutouts or alternately build supports in existing cutouts. It is absolutely false that people always install to match the existing cutout. It is strictly about the cost of the installation. So I have to balance the price of the appliance with the price of the installation to come up with the best total cost.

Just buy a 30”. You do not have to be upside down and backwards in every single undertaking in your life. Yet here you are, yet again, doing exactly that. Again. And making no more sense than the last escapade.

This is where the KISS principle applies. Just get a 30” to replace the 30”.

Here's a nice Jenn Aire 30" with down draft for $350 in your area.

Check craigslist and market place, or check big box stores clearance areas along with liquidation stores, damaged freight ect.

Which part of induction cooker did you not understand?

@kevin9408 That is an electric cooktop and I want induction with analog dials

"If I buy the 24-inch induction cooktop, my cost is $250, and even if the install is $1000 the total cost is just over half as much."
Yes but the result is an ill-fitting mess surrounded by a tile countertop whose tiles you probably can't match.

@wdccruise That depends on the skills of the installer and the choice of materials for the trim. Here is a photo of a 12-inch-wide cooktop with a three-inch trim on the left and right sides, which is exactly the distance I need to cover as well. Where is the problem with this?

"Where is the problem with this?"

Well, compare your countertop with the one in the photo. Your old beige and brown tile countertop isn't going to look like that sleek gray one.

"If I buy the 24-inch induction cooktop, my cost is $250, and even if the install is $1000 the total cost is just over half as much."

If the IKEA SÄRKLASSIG fit, the total cost would be only $700.

@wdccruise I want analog dials not digital. Digital dials are easy to accidentally reset (both changing settings and accidentally turning on or off). Digital dials are more intimidating when I have someone who is not technical using the cooktop.

You've found a built-in induction cooktop with knobs for $250?

What are the dimensions of the current cutout? What is the size (amps) of the circuit?

This all blows my mind. I dont understand why anyone would choose a 24 inch tiny cooktop, over a 30 inch, and installation for the 30 inch only requires it to be wired correctly. A 30 inch gives a bit of room on the stove top, so pans are not touching one another when they are cooking too.

A small 110 voltage cooktop is no where close to being a more powerful 220 version. While knobs give the appearance of ”analog”, they are not. Everything is controlled digitally.

Is this for a rental where you need controls that anybody can figure out how to use? Or is it for someone elderly & frail or sight impaired? If so, I'm wondering why you don't just get a 30 inch radiant cooktop with knobs.

If you insist on induction, perhaps just wait & save up until you can get the Frigidaire induction cooktop with knobs.

IMO, the issue of controls being accidentally reset or turned off/on is exaggerated. Rarely happens, takes 3 seconds to correct. Learning to use digital controls requires no technical aptitude either. If you can punch buttons or turn a dial, you can tap or swipe digital buttons & dials too.

@wdccruise I linked the $250 product in my original reply to you. Here it is again:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B099ZGNPLH

If I go with the $2K Frigidaire product I get a 3800-watt burner for bringing water to a boil rapidly, and I get a flex area on the left to create a grill. I can live without those to save that much money.

@wdccruise

width of opening: 29 3/4 inches

depth of current opening: 20 3/8 inches

flat area behind current opening 1 1/2 inches

flat area in front of current opening: 2 1/4 inches

@cat_ky Since you obviously did not read the thread, I am going to repeat it for you.

If I buy a 30-inch induction cooktop with analog knobs, that would be a Frigidaire and my cost ends up being around $2K. Add $300 to install and $2300 total cost.

If I buy the 24-inch induction cooktop, my cost is $250, and even if the install is $1000 the total cost is just over half as much.

My first goal is to save on the total cost, but in the case where I save money, there is an extra level of install complexity.

@HU-168617020 Who is talking about 110 volts? I am only looking at 220V products.

@awm03 Good questions.

I have people who cook for me who are not very technical. After years of trying, they still do not really understand some of my digital appliances. So - yes - I want the permanent fixture in the home to be simple and easy to use by less-than-smart people.

A radiant cooktop is an option, but I have great cookware and I am sold on induction because I use it on a single burner separate from the cooktop and like its advantages.

I started a thread on Chowhound regarding this issue of accidentally changing digital control settings on a cooktop. Nearly every chef there agreed it was a problem and strongly expressed a preference for analog controls. Personally, I love technology. I like extra features and I tolerate extra complexity. But that is just me, and I am very technical and learn quickly. A permanent fixture is something that should be easily used by any member of the household.

In my next home, I would love to have multiple cooktops and have one that is easy to use and another that is complex and feature-rich. My current home has a small kitchen and few options.

Not trying to be argumentative, just mulling over food for thought:

Do those cooks use cell phones? Using a cell phone is more complex than a cooktop. A cooktop involves on/off, then up or down. Perhaps "unlock" but that can be disabled. Maybe you can get to an appliance store & try some cooktops, test the controls for ease of use & finicky-ness.

Your cooks would certainly appreciate the easy clean up of induction.

You sound like you enjoy cooking! Why not spend on a 30 inch induction cooktop? If you enjoy the portable, think of what you can do with a real induction cooktop. It has better temperature control & more power than a portable (or so I've read). Mine has an 11 inch burner & a bridge element -- I'm very much enjoying the added capability.

I've had my Wolf induction cooktop for 9 months. The controls have turned off 2 or 3 times when I cleaned up splatters (lots of beeping & flashing -- you learn to ignore it). It's so rare & easily, quickly fixed that I can't consider it a problem.

One thing to consider: amp requirements. Many (most?) 30 inch induction cooktops require 40 amps electrical. Your current cooktop may be only 20 or 30 amps. So figure in the cost of rewiring too. Even if you stick with the 24 inch plan, check the amp requirements first.

@awm03 Examples of failure modes that I have read about in product reviews for digital controls online:

* A liquid spilling out of a saucepan changed a burner setting when it touched the control area

* Accidentally dragging a vegetable across the control surface either turned a burner on/off or changed its settings.

The main motivation for not investing in a 30-inch cooktop would be that I do not really need the features that it offers.

Remember that the 24-inch cooktop is not portable. It is a built-in 220V product. But the maximum power for any one plate is 2000W, whereas the 30-inch product has one 3800W burner. Do I need to spend $1200 to speed up the boil time on a pot by three minutes?

It looks like I have a 50 amp 220V circuit to the existing radiant electric cooktop, so at least I have the electrical. I do want to invest in connecting the new cooktop into a GFCI circuit, for safety.

You're buying hundreds to thousands of $$ in trouble where its not needed to be bought. A custom stainless trim kit to kludge a 24” is going to easily cost you more than the price difference between a 24” and 30”. And that is just basic issue #1.

If someone can operate a car air conditioner, a cell phone, a microwave, a TV remote, they can operate a digital cooktop interface. Knobs only appear to be ”analog”. They are not, and have not been for decades.

@Verbo You are confusing the user interface with circuitry. The fact that an analog knob interfaces to a digital circuit has nothing to do with the user interface. Analog knobs are less confusing to some class of users.

If the trim brings the cost of the 24-inch cooktop to the same price as a 30-inch cooktop, then of course I will buy the 30-inch cooktop and get the extra features. I just need to price it out. I was hoping there were commercial products that would help do this adaptation that were cost-effective.

You know your needs & budget better than we do, so I won't push the idea of a 30 inch induction cook top anymore. But what about these:

A: Leave the coil top in place. Buy a new, top of the line portable for your own enjoyment, if it offers some capability you're not currently getting.

B: Buy a new radiant cooktop with knobs. It's faster clean up for your cooks, maybe a nicer cooking experience. And when you want to use your portable induction, you can place it on top of the radiant cooktop, freeing up counter space, & allows venting if you have a vent above the cooktop. I used my waffle iron or crock pot on my old radiant glass top, just because I was wary of a hot appliance on my counter.

"A: Leave the coil top in place. Buy a new, top of the line portable for your own enjoyment, if it offers some capability you're not currently getting."

You may want to edit plan A to a new lower of the line portable induction top. I see a 6 outlet electrical adapter to the right of the stove and there may be a problem. If the building is older with just one 15 amp circuit powering the entire kitchen a high power induction top and the refrigerator turning on would trip the breaker every time. If the kitchen has been upgraded to code with two dedicated 20 amp electrical circuits for the kitchen and outlets every 2' over the countertop than no problem, put the 6 outlet adapter gives suspicion it hasn't.