Glass surface cook stove

[DennisArrow]

Hey......I grew up with cooking on a wood stove then due to circumstances since then electric ranges. We are gonna try one of these new kind of glass surface cook stoves. Yes, we still heat with wood, though the house has 2 heat pumps. No smart mouths, not gonna cook on the wood heater except maybe a mess of chili from time to time or during a power outage. Anyway, I understand how fragile they can be and how one has to replace the whole high dollar thing if broken. Yes, they scratch by just moving a skillet wrong.

So, that is my question. Do they make any kind of "pad" to sit pans on while they cook? Or, when one is sitting down a cast iron type of pan one does tend to drag it slightly. Why can't a fella just make a round piece of tempered type glass to sit pans on that might scratch or mar the surface?????........God bless......Dennis

 

[Jeff F.]

Our glass top is holding up fine. It's about 14 years old. My wife uses glass top stove cleaner about every two months.

 

[JerryK]

I know folks that really like glass top ranges, and others that rue the day they bought them...

 

[crackerjack222]

We have had a glass top cook surface for 20 years. I don't think a cast iron skillet or pot will work well with that top. We use only stainless steel or aluminum pots and pans on ours.
They are easy to clean with a razor scraper and damp sponge. After 20 years, one burner (the one used most) is slightly darker now but still works well.

 

[aczlan]

Our house came with one. I make eggs on it several times a week with a cast iron skillet, no problems.

Aaron Z

 

[SSdoxie]

Wife uses cast iron on our glass top 50% of the time, no problems.

 

[westcliffe01]

The glass is not glass, it is ceramic. So forget about everything you know about glass, the ceramic top is very different. It is much stronger than glass and will not melt even if the entire house burns down around it. If it has any decorative patterns in it, those might eventually wear over time. For removing carbon, you need the appropriate stuff. Carb cleaner being an example. Trying to scrub carbon off with a scouring pad is a waste of time. Try one of the ceramic stove top cleaners made for the job and use gloves while using it.

 

[crackerjack222]

Here is a blurb on the subject:

"There is some difference of opinion on this topic.

General Electric does not recommend the use of cast iron pans on their glass or ceramic cooktops for several reasons. The obvious one is that if the pan bottom has a burr or rough spot, it can scratch the surface.

GE also says that the high heat capacity of cast iron cookware can result in a hot pan shutting down the burner when its thermal sensors think that the unit is too hot to operate safely.

GE does say that porcelain-coated cast iron can be used without fear of scratching, but that caution is still needed because of the heat capacity issue.

The Cookware Manufacturers Association, on the other hand, states that cast iron is safe to use on a glass-top stove--if you make sure that the bottom of the pan is smooth (file off any imperfections) and heat the pan no higher than medium, turning the heat off before cooking is done and allowing the residual heat to finish the job. (It's that heat capacity issue again.)

The CMA also recommends that the pan diameter be no smaller than the diameter of the burner, but that is a general recommendation on these types of stove.

In any case, it is important to lift the pan off the burner, not slide across the surface which can cause scratches. And of course, don't drop the heavy cast iron on to the glass surface (duh).

Experts aside, many home cooks report they have had no problems with cast iron pans on glass top stoves, especially if they use a heat diffuser (available at most cooking stores) of diameter equal to the vast iron pan between the pan bottom and the burner."

This came from here:
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-okay-to...ove-top-or-will-the-skillet-scratch-the-glass

 

[Gary Fowler]

The ceramic tops will scratch. We have used them for 20 years or so. The mfg. don't recommend using cast iron cookware on them but I don't really know the reason why. I don't cook with cast iron although I use the stove top to rest fresh from the oven cast iron cookware on. We do have a few scratches on our presently owned 5 year old ceramic stove top but they don't affect the performance.

One of the drawbacks to these stove tops is cleaning. It is virtually impossible to clean the top without leaving some kind of smear showing on the black surface. That said, it sure beats trying to clean the burners on a gas stove after a boil over.

 

[Ford850]

We've had one for 10 or 12 years, and it's still like new. We use smooth bottom pans, mainly stainless steel. We use one cast iron pan as a deep fryer, and it works fine. I think the older cast iron skillets with deep heat rings wouldn't work too well, since the ring would hold the pan's bottom raised and above the glass.
A nice benefit of the glass top... we use it as extra counter space for prepping food, when not in use.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

We've had one for 10 or 12 years, and it's still like new. We use smooth bottom pans, mainly stainless steel. We use one cast iron pan as a deep fryer, and it works fine.

I think the older cast iron skillets with deep heat rings wouldn't work too well, since the ring would hold the pan's bottom raised and above the glass.

A nice benefit of the glass top... we use it as extra counter space for prepping food, when not in use.

You're correct about that; you need good quality cookware with flat bottoms. We have discarded most of a relatively new set of cookware because of its tendency to warp...and taking our old SS stuff out of storage.

 

[zzvyb6]

We just replaced our conventional electric with a "glass" top GE Profile that was at the Salvation Army. Mint condition. Price was marked at $100 but we had a 30% of coupon. I bought a new set of pans at Costco made for these stoves.

A few videos on Youtube on how to repair / replace burners on them when the time comes and how to polish the top. They don't recommend making popcorn on them...

 

[rgr33]

Our glass top stove is about 12 years old. We don't baby it, and it still looks great. You clean it by scraping burnt food off with a razor blade, then washing with water. You won't scratch it, and it is way easier to clean than the old burner type. Once you've had it for a couple of weeks, you won't have any regrets.

 

[jerrybob]

Our glass top is holding up fine. It's about 14 years old. My wife uses glass top stove cleaner about every two months.

Ours is the same age......doing well. Cleaner works well to remove any pot marks. The glass top looks brand new.

 

[DennisArrow]

THANKS TO ALLLLL for your thoughts and mostly encouragement. I posted pretty much this same post on a couple of other forums: a motorcycle and a 4 wheeler......NOBODY gave thoughts, concerns, and recommendations like you folks......again, thanks so much

NOW.....What would happen if I cut out a circle of glass to sit on the stove top for questionable pans that MIGHT scratch or score.....would the burner work as well?????

 

[RSKY]

We had an early model from Sears, I think, that was slow to heat and hard to clean. Scrapped it when oven went out. New one is over ten years old and trouble free. Heats up fast and cleans easier.


One thing that will ruin top is hot or molten sugar. It will put the ceramic surface. Don't ask how I know.


Some of the new products are amazing. When they installed our Quartz countertops the main guy pulled out a screwdriver and leaned on it to scrape the labels off. Of course my wife had a meltdown. The guy laughed and explained he always did that to demonstrate how tough the surface was. The stove tops are nearly as tough.

 

[Ford850]

THANKS TO ALLLLL for your thoughts and mostly encouragement. I posted pretty much this same post on a couple of other forums: a motorcycle and a 4 wheeler......NOBODY gave thoughts, concerns, and recommendations like you folks......again, thanks so much

NOW.....What would happen if I cut out a circle of glass to sit on the stove top for questionable pans that MIGHT scratch or score.....would the burner work as well?????

there is no need for that. As stated earlier, it's not like normal "glass" and will not scratch anyway. Putting a glass disk on top will create an insulated layer, robbing energy, and also be a risk if it breaks.

 

[charlz]

We had one in a previous house and my wife loved the easy clean up aspect, I prefer gas for cooking. One downside to glass top stoves is they do have a weight limit so if you do things like canning with a pressure cooker you could potentially go over that limit and break the top. I think most have a limit of about 50lbs but you would need to check the owners manual if that might be a concern.

 

[toppop52]

Like everyone says, use range top cleaner occasionally, which is basically a mild rubbing compound, and in between to make it all shiny and purty lookin', Castle glass cleaner, also sold at Walmart under another name in blue and white can. It will shine it up and keep it pretty between major cleanings. We use the window cleaner every night after dinner.

 

[dmccarty]

We have had glass topped ranges for about 20 years in two house from two brands. I would not have a range top that was not smoothed surfaced. You don't have to worry about the pot spilling if you move it off the burner, you can have the pot partially on the burner and the clean up is easy. Our tops have not been solid black so there has been no problem keeping them clean.

I have used stainless steel, cast iron and aluminum on the stove top without a problem. At least one of the cast iron skillets has a ring on the bottom to hold it on the old style electric burner or gas burners. It works on the glass top just fine. Last night I made pop corn on the stove top and I was shaking the stainless steel pot on the top. I don't bang it around but I do move it rapidly. Just like I would on a conventional burner. Been doing this for years with no problems. I also use our aluminum pressure cooker on the stove top as well as brew beer without a problem. Weight concerns me and the manual does mention this as a problem but I have not had an issue.

I hate to admit this and I hope my TBNer Card is not revoked.....

But we watched some of John and Kate Plus Eight episodes. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

In one of the episodes she was cooking on a smooth top, took the lid off a pot that was boiling, and put the lid face down on the glass. The steam/water in the lid condensed and sealed the lid to the smooth top. Then the lid cooled down and formed a vacuum which broke the cook top. :shocked: At least that is my theory as to why it shattered. Now, I don't put the lid down that way since it makes a mess that has to be cleaned up, but I never would have thought a glass top would break like it did.

I would think long and hard about an induction cook top if/when we have to replace the current range. The only problem I have with induction is our aluminum pressure cooker but I would guess I could use a piece of steel on the cook top to heat up which would then heat the pot....

Later,
Dan