Opulent $26K "Table" Lets You Cook With Parisian Flair
Legendary French manufacturer La Cornue brings much-needed style to induction cooktops.
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Induction cooking tech is slowly but steadily gaining a presence in American kitchens, thanks to its superior heat control and impressive energy efficiency. But so far, commercial designs have been… a little boring. Virtually every available induction cooktop just looks like a monolithic black slab of glass.
Legendary French appliance maker La Cornue is aiming to change that with its “W” induction table.
Unlike traditional built-in cooktops, the induction table is an independent unit that can stand alone... y’know, like a table. That means you can position it anywhere in your kitchen—or any other room of your house, if you’re feeling adventurous. (Sizzling fajitas might not be the best fit for la chambre, though.)
The unit was designed by noted French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who crafted it to look more like a piece of furniture than a traditional appliance. The effect is stunning, and entirely in keeping with La Cornue’s philosophy of “Culinary Architecture.” The company’s many ovens, cooktops, rotisseries, and cabinetry all share a common aesthetic that seems unchanged since the turn of the 20th century.
In part, that's because La Cornue rarely updates its classic designs: The W induction table is La Corneu's first new model in some 30 years.
Though the induction table is a beautiful piece on its own, it’s also designed with clean back and side edges so that you can build a traditional dining table around it. Though La Cornue doesn’t suggest it in as many words, this opens up the possibility of cooking in front of family and guests in your very own home.
(Then again, shoppers with the scratch to acquire such a rarefied cooktop—reportedly about $26,500—are probably the same ones who’d hire famous chefs to cook at their dinner parties.)
If you’re American, you can only purchase La Cornue products from a single dealer in California, but if you have the money, you probably have the means.
La Cornue’s collaboration with Wilmotte includes an entire range of ovens, hoods, and made-to-order furniture. For a full overview of the line, check out the company’s W Project home page.