Ellen's Kitchen

ELLEN'S KITCHEN Cook Talk

ceramic cooktop No-no's
Tim tfiks@msn.com 12/31/04	I have a GE ceramic/glass cooktop and just bought an aluminum griddle to cook pancakes, etc. Alas, the instructions for the griddle advise against use on a glass cooktop. There is a shoulder all around the griddle that would prevent direct contact between the underside of the griddle the hot portion of the surface. I'm thinking about ignoring the recommendation (the griddle is cheap). What's all this about?
ellen 01/01/05	Ignore the warning at your stove's peril! If you read the LONG ceramic cooktop thread, you will see how much it costs to repair a cracked cooktop- can be over $1000- and that is EXACTLY what you can end up with using this griddle. This top heats by conduction which is direct contact, and theburner keeps getting hotter and hotter if the sensors cannot "feel" the bottom of the pot getting hot. See the problem? A really good flatbottom griddle will only cost you around $20. Be good to yourself, and your stove top. Happy New Year.
jan mrsjan@prtcnet.com 02/04/05	I cracked the corner of my ceramic cooktop. it does not effect cooking, but looks bad. Is there any quick fix?
ellen 02/05/05	No, and it is not safe to use it if it cracks across the burner. (Sorry!) See the ceramic cooktop thread on this same sight.
louise 03/15/05	I have scatches on my ceramic cooktop is there anything I can do.
ellen 03/15/05	Please read through the ceramic cooktop thread for lots of cleaning info. The last few weeks are very informative.
sgtbob rrunion@cox.net 03/19/05	Can someone tell me why iron skillets can not be used on a ceramic top. Everyone says '...they can't be used...', but no one knows why. Does normal usage with minimal movement on the 'eye' scratch the surface, or are the iron products unsafe to use. If unsafe - unsafe how? If scratches are the only problem, then I could I use it until the unsightliness was to much for me and simply buy another?
bethhallead bethh49@earthlink.net 03/27/05	my clock fell and cracked my glass top s is it worth repaing a cracked glass top or would it be better to replace the stove.
ellen 03/27/05	2 problems with cast iron on these tops= 1 Most are ridged not flat on the bottom 2 sliding them, the iron can permanently discolor the glass. REPLACEMENT RUN 300 TO 1000 OR SO DEPENDING UPON BRAND, PARTS AVAILABILITY AND WHO INSTALLS IT THE LONG THREAD HAS SOME INFO ON REPLECEMENT, ALSO
ellen 04/21/05	It is one the cook's talk page or go to: http://ellenskitchen.com/forum/messages/422.html
Lupe lupita_v72@yahoo.com 04/26/05	What types of pots and pans can I use with my ceramic glass stove top? I am afraid I may scratch the surface if I use the wrong one.
ellen 04/28/05	Check the thread referred to above for total info on this question.
Paul 05/02/05	Can I use Soft Scrub and a scouring sponge to clean my cooktop?
John jconnell@cfl.rr.com 07/27/05	I have a ceramic cooktop and a plate dropped on it and cracked the corner. While I had a hard time finding the glass top, due to incorrect Model Numbers, I finally located it on the Sears Parts Website and ordered it. It cost around $200 and I replaced it in 10 minutes. Turn off the Breaker, lift it out of the counter, slide it over, take out the 5 or 6 screws holding it, take off the glass top, replace it with the new one, and finish.. Very easy and I saved a bundle. P.S. GE Customer Service advised me to fix it but I cooked on it for a couple of months and just didn't use the burner closest to the crack.
Kim kacb03@yahoo.com 08/02/05	I have a ceramic cooktop that has been in use for little over a year and recently while cooking the bottom fell. I have called the manufacture about it and I have been told they have never heard of this happening. Has this happened before and what would cause it?
paula 08/26/05	I just bought a ceramic top and would like to know what are the best pans to use that don't cost a huge amout
ellen 08/26/05	kIM, i AM NOT CLEAR WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED AND THEY MAY NOT BE EITHER. gO BACK TO THE STORE WHERE YOU BOUGHT IT AND START WITH A SUPERVISOR OR OWNER THERE. Paula, go to the ceramic cooktop thread in the archives. Lots of pot info there. http://www.ellenskitchen.com/forum/messages/422.html
kc 09/14/05	Am I correct in understanding that you do not recommend a smoothtop cooktop?
ellen 09/15/05	Yes, KC, unless you have had the opportunity to cook on one for a week and LIKED it, I do not recommend a smooth top tange. As mentioned in the orifical thread, they are difficult to regulate heat, which is hard on serious cooks. Never mind the issues with pots and cleaning...
Coop 10/20/05	I don't know why everyone has so many problems. I have had my GE ceramic top over a year now, and I absolutely love it. I'm protective of it, and make sure there's never a chance of anything being dropped on it. I ran out of cerama bryte a while back, and just use a washrag on it most of the time and it comes clean. Takes some elbow grease sometimes, but that's fine! I use TFal pans, with no problems. My owner's manual says it RECOMMENDS stainless steel, heavy weight aluminum, copper bottom, or porcelain enamel covered cast iron. All it says as far as the bottom being flat is to check it with a straight edge. All it takes is some common sense, and reading the owner's manual. I love my ceramic top, and wouldn't trade it for the world. I hate electric coils, too messy! And I've used gas and will never ever have a gas stove. When we moved in this house, it had a gas hookup and I had an electrician come in and install an outlet for my electric!
ellen 10/20/05	Ehanks for a rare voice from the other side!
Jane 10/21/05	Like Coop, Il ove my GE smoothtop and I've had no problems in the nearly year I've owned it. My sister-in-law bought one of the first smoothtops that came out and loved it. Based upon a recent move, she bought the exact same smoothtop I bought and,three months into using it, she is having problems trying to get some spots off and is furious. She doesn't understand why she has spots on this stove. She wasn't good about cleaning her last smoothtop, but there was never an issue of getting it completely clean when she did. She admits that she doesn't remember having cleaned this new smoothtop with the cerama bryte before using it the first time and wonders now if that isn't her problem. I still love mine and haven't owned anything so easy to keep clean.
Kathy 11/06/05	Like others, I found this site only after buying a GE ceramic cooktop. I am trying to replace those cookware items that I can't use. I have a question and a clarfication... Clarification: Since I don't have a bridge element, does that mean I can't use a double burner griddle (or I risk having a hot pan over some portions of a cooler cooktop)? We have to replace our old cast aluminum griddle and I'm trying to figure out what to purchase. Question: (altho may be related to the above) With Thanksgiving approaching, how does one go about making turkey gravy in your roaster on top of the cooktop? I have the old blue enamel roaster (which I thought I'd have to replace), but either way, the roaster is bigger than the biggest round burner. Help!!!
Carmela lilreckster@yahoo.com 11/07/05	Kathy, Sorry to say you may not use a double burner grill pan unless you have the bridge element. Make sure your pots/pans have a flat bottom or you may damage your cooktop. I emailed the company that makes my cooktop for answers to these questions. You might want to check with yours as well for exact info.
marilyn burton lesspeewee@aol.com 11/24/05	what are the No-No!s
Audrey Porter littleredfarmhouse@comcast.net 11/29/05	I have no instructions in my manual for cleaning a glass top on my new gas range. Can I use soap and water. I am afraid of scratching it and there is food burnt on it.
ellen 11/29/05	marilyn, audrey, please go to the cooktalk archive, and read the ceramic cook top threads, it has all you want to know about cleaning or care.
Leigh soaw57@excite.com 11/30/05	Does anybody know if the Good Grips OXO teakettle is ok to use on a ceramic cooktop?
Stefanie 12/27/05	After less than a week, I disliked our new ceramic cook top stove as a result of the labor required to keep it clean. The comments on this site convinced me to trade in the stove for one with burners. For us, going back to the old style was the best choice. Thanks for honest comments!
Cindy cindylg8@msn.com 01/03/06	I searched and searched for a griddle to use on my bridge burner. I have a thermador glass top stove. I finally found one with a perfectly smooth bottom. It is a calphalon. However, when it heats up, the bottom "rounds" and doesn't have full contact with the stove! Very annoying after all the time and research to find just the right griddle. I also have a large, smooth bottom calphalon "saucier" and the same thing happens. These pans were recommended as being good for glass top stoves and ARE NOT. My main cookware, which I researched and purchased in '02 when we started with the glass top is Scanpan. There is a heavy disk on the bottom of each pan, and I believe it is made specifically for glass tops. It is non-stick and reliable. They don't make a griddle, though!
char charjoe@cox.net 01/04/06	I have an old cast iron skillet that has no ridges on bottom and is flat, can I use this on my glass top stove or cast iron is a no-no period.
Agmes jus2hapi@msn.com 01/04/06	Can I use a pressure canner on my glass top stove?
N. Kaywam 01/06/06	Can someone link the thread for ceramic cooktop cleaning. I can't seem to find it on the site.
Howard Bevan 01/09/06	I would like to know if anyone was advised by the salesman or manufacturer that you needed certain cookware or could not use certain cookware before you unpacked the stove in your kitchen. I was not and don't feel that this should be my expence. AM I ALONE ???????
ellen 01/10/06	Cast iron is fine as long as it is flat. Pressure cookers do not work very well on glass tops, and many manufacturer's do not recommend canning on these stoves. The threads are on the archiove page, the link is at the very top of the main index forum page. Yes it is irritating about the cookware issue. It is in the documentation, which most people do not read before purchasing. It is a HUGE problem and some new owners have returned the stoves during the first 30 days.
Ruth Harrington 01/23/06	We are buying a house which has a ceramic top stove. Can I use my Revere ware, copper-bottom saucepans and also my Corning ware pans ( the old white type with the cornflower pattern) I have had these sets for many years and do not really want to get rid of both sets, but I would not want to damage the stove top. Thanks for the help
FatFish FATFISHJEFF@GMAIL.COM 01/23/06	I bought a GE cramic stove in July and the top just chipped....Very strange as I had turned on the bridge element by mistake and then turned on the correct left front burner to level 6....When finished I removed the pot ( did not drag it) and now there is a big round chip and some scratch marks....just made an onlne apponitment with GE to check it out Thursady afternoon....has anybody had a similiar problem with the GE's.
ellen 01/23/06	Ruth, other readers have used both successfully. Jeff, this should be under warranty and the top should be replaced.
FatFish 01/25/06	Follow up...GE service called and said to try a razor blade and guess what it was a spill and cleaned up fine....sure looked like it was chipped......What a relief!
natalie 01/26/06	I left a copper bottom revere ware pot on my glass top and turned on a burner by mistake--copper burned onto the top, any solution short of replacement?
FatFish 01/26/06	natalie...Did you try a razor blade to scrap it?
natalie 01/27/06	I did, and some of it came off, but there is still a substantial spot that so far has resisted any scraping, etc.
LaJean 02/07/06	Can I use a pressure cooker on my cooktop without harming my ceramic cooktop?
ellen 02/07/06	Several readers have had problems with canners and pressure cookers on the stove top, including that they are too slow to adjust the heat when you need to turn them down, or just don't get hot enough. Some manufacturers say not to use them on the smooth tops. You may want to call your maker and check the specifics. If you do try, supervise very colely and watch the heat!
richandyoko 02/09/06	There is a commercial grade range top griddle from Cooking Enthusiast that states that their griddle will also work on flat surface ceramic and glass tops. Do you still advise using against using this type of appliance?
ww 02/16/06	I have a smooth top GE stove and a boy friend. I asked over and over that he respect my wishes about not using the top as he would a counter top. He used a manual can opener and left it on the stove, plastic handles down. Later he turned on the wrong burner, the one under the can opener, and the plastic started melting. When he removed the can opener it took 2 big gouges out of the glass top (one for each handle). Now the burner has these big gouges and looks ugly. What's the danger in using the burner and what would it take to replace this damage?
ellen 02/17/06	Richard, I only recommend that you NOT USE ATWO BURNER griddle on a ceramic top. unless it has a special built in bridge element, as you run the risk of cracking the top between the two burners. A single burner griddle is fine as lond as it has a perfectly flat, smooth bottom. ww, the only way to fix this is to replace the glass top, which part is 200-300 and up depending on the brand, plus installation. In the meantime, it is potentially risky to use this burner as you may either crack the top or make a direct connection with the electrical elements, or cause a fire as it heats unevenly trying to heat the areas which cannot touch the pan. Basically the dolt owes you a cooktop.
renee gowens 02/17/06	The people I live with just purchased a new GE ceramic cooktop and I hope that it will give all of us the best years of our lives,. as we start at age 61 and end at 75......so we think this will be the last of new ..I hope that I will enjoy it ,,,as I am the one who does most of the cookin""""""""
Mike Pate 02/21/06	Regarding pot selection for glass/ceramic top stoves. Did a bit of research (followed by purchases) after buying a GE Profile ceramic top: You can get into quality flat top stove cookware via Calphalon "Simply" cookware sets. We purchased an 8 piece set via an Amazon.com advertiser for about $123.00. VERY nice pieces, very nice purchase. Beyong this, I could not find a bridge compatible griddle for less than $120. (Calphalon 14" gridle). Works wonderfully well, but expensive. Do NOT used any cookware but those that are thick anodized aluminum or steel, with flat bottoms. You run not just the risk of damaging the cookware, but of cracking your stove top.
Kathie Wedge 02/22/06	what is a built in bridge element. I am looking for a new stove and am interested in a ceramic top one. At my age I feel that I cleaned enough burners and ovens so I thought that I'd get a self-clean oven with a smooth top treat for myself but I do like to cook and do a bit of canning. I also have stainless steel pots and pans with fine groves on the bottom, Can these be used? Yuk, it sounds like I might have to go back to cleaning burners.
ellen 02/22/06	Kathie, a big no to the stainless steel with ridges or grooves for the traditional smooth top. There is a NEW type which is also smooth, called an induction coil, which is great with stainless steel pans, but it is $$$$expensive. A built in bridge element is an electrical link between two burners so you can use a two burner griddle or roasting pan without cracking the top. For canning you could get a top quality electric hotplate
Laura 02/27/06	I have a glass top stove and received a 12 qt ceramic on steel cooking pot as a gift. There's a warning on the label that says "Do not use on glass top stoves" Why is that? I cannot return the pot so what should I do?
laura 02/27/06	Why do certain pots break glass top stoves and are manufactures doing anything to make them friendler?
Rose 02/27/06	I have to say that I ADORE my glass top stove. It's a Fridgedaire. Our previous stove made it about 7 years before a blob of food under a pan cemented to the top and caused a big chip, which eventually became a big crack. We were so dissappointed that there was no warranty covering this. But, I SO love not having burners to clean! I hated hated hated the burner mess. Now, when friends are over and we're chatting and the potatoes boil over, it's no big deal! No big mess. And it is so beautiful when it's clean. I use a double griddle every Saturday. I haven't heard this thing about it making the top crack without a bridge element. I wonder how many times that has happened? Yes, I miss using cast iron. And I'm currently struggling to find flat cookware that stays flat when heated (that's why I'm at this website!) I sure wish the manufacturer or the seller would get their act together and produce some cookware we can use! But it's all worth it to never see a crusty, burnt ugly burner again.
ellen 02/27/06	laura, use a hotplate for the pot- works great. The reason for the variation in pots- the best cooking pots don't work on the ceramic tops.
Deanna 03/04/06	Does anybody know if there is a grill pan made with a flat bottom to use on glass tops? We used to always use our calphalon grill pan to sear steaks, chops and fish. You can't get grill marks with a skillet. Also, we have had our GE Profile for about a week and I find that one has to be very careful not to scratch it. I would love the return it an either go back to coils for the convenience or get a dual fuel. Has anyone had luck in returning one to the place of purchase based on what a pain in the a** they are?
Angie 03/04/06	Deanna, I tried to return my KitchenAid smoothtop but would have lost over two hundred dollars to do so. I decided to keep it, and I've gotten used to it but I am now looking into an induction cooktop that would work similar to gas. It is a smoothtop but works on magnetic design so only metal pots can be used. They are much more efficient than gas or electric. I don't have access to gas so this is the next best if not better thing to get. Diva makes the cooktop and the web site is www.divainduction.com
Just ME 03/06/06	I have had my ceramic stove top since February of last year and overall I am happy with it. I do have one problem though. I make my own jams and jellies and I found that I have several spots on my burner area as a result of burnt on sugar. I have tried the Cerama Brite (Home Depot sells it for those who are looking for it)Soft Scrub, Bon Ami and the single edge razor blade that came with my stove. Nothing takes it off. It is in the little crevaces. It is a white top with gray around the burners. Three burners and their surrounding area are beautiful, but the fourth makes me want to cry. Any advice would be welcome.
BEERMAKER 03/08/06	I've had many of the same problems with electric smooth tops. ( can't find the right pans, Scraches, spots, poor cooking, and not much help from manufactures. ) I suggest you do as I did. Get a quality gas stove. Not much harder to clean , cooks great, and use any pan you wish!!! By the way LP gas can be had almost anywhere.
bookcook 03/09/06	I love my smooth cooktop! This is my third one (three different houses). Love the easy clean up and have never had a problem with crack or chips on any of them. I have been using Ultrex cooking pans which you can get from www.hsn.com They are very flat heavy bottom pans which work great on my stove (and you can put them in the oven too). I am looking to get a grill pan which they now make.
Brenda 04/07/06	I cannot believe anyone has problems with these ceramic top stoves. I bave owned once since 2001 and would not go back to the crappy burner type. Maybe I am not a serious cook but have never had a problem cooking anything. As long as your pots bottoms are flat you are find. My one question is this. They say do not used SOS pads to clean. I have been using SoS on mine since 2001 and it shines. No scratches and it takes off burned off anything burned on without spots at all. what are they talking about? My stove was a whirpool and now I have moved and have a brand new kitchen aid. Still using sos pads and still no scratches and the finish is great
ellen 04/07/06	You have been very lucky! The true steel wool pads will take the finish right off the ceramic top, causing increasing problems with burned on food. You must have a very light touch, or be using the plastic SOS pads.
Judy 04/10/06	Unable to remove cooked-on soil I have had a ceramic cooktop for three years and have found it very easy to care for. However, recently a black area appeared on one burner. I thought it was burned on, but I can't get it clean. I've used the normal cooktop cleaner, and resorted to a razor blade, but nothing touches it. It's a black top that has the porcelain look (little white specks) and I've been told that those spots are just surface and can be cooked away. Is this true/ or is there anything else I can try to get rid of this spot?
Lou 04/17/06	I have had a ceramic top stove for 2 weeks now, it came with the house we recently bought. Looks to be about a 1 year old used maybe 30 times GE Spectra. I hate it with a passion I did not believe is possible for an inanimate object. I loved to cook before I got saddled this contraption, now I see if I can use the BBQ or even use the nuker as a heat source. The oven however is good and the extractor fan is very quiet(not that you need it as you cannot get a rolling boil going for pasta let alone smoking heat for blackened chicken!). So does anyone know of a Gas conversion that fits onto these gizmos or even a spiral electric coil that can replace the ceramic stuff on top? Maybe a clip on type deal? What I am hoping for is something that will allow me to keep that oven and extractor fan. Its a pricey stove to just dump at maybe 30 uses and an elapse year of age. Resale on this thing is surely almost zero and not worth the effort or have I got that wrong?
ellen 04/17/06	Judy, they don't cook away. Try MAAS silver polish (Walmart, Ace). Also, clean the bottoms of your pots. Lou, for maybe 600 you can get a fine range with good ovens and top. Life is too short. Sell it for what you can get for it and get happy.
Jenny 04/23/06	Hi, My husband just dropped a jar on my cook top and it cracked all the way across. Is it safe to use?
Carol 04/23/06	I am on my 12th year with 2 black ceramic top ranges (2 houses) and I love both. I admit that gas is easier to cook with but not to clean up after. I don't clean it down to glossy often enough because I'm lazy- which is why I got it in the first place. Neither my husband nor I are careful cooks but I have never had a problem when I finally do clean, using just a razor blade and ceramic cooktop cleaner. We just used the old flat bottom cookware (Tramontina & Farberware Millenium) we had before we got the first range, eliminating only the warped-bottom one (I told you we weren't careful). I even use my flat bottom cast iron skillets, and am only approximate about the size of pot-size of burner thing, with no problems yet. The only thing we miss is a two burner griddle. My husband loves to cook pancakes for us and hates/distrusts non-stick coated pans. Since this range (Kenmore) came with the house, I don't have documentation and unclear about the bridge element. Is that built into the range or the pan? Is anyone aware of an uncoated griddle that will work? I can't even find an uncoated plug-in electric one to give him for Father's Day.
ellen 04/23/06	Do not use any element that has a crack across it. If you were lucky enough to have one or more elemnets that are not cracked, hey can be used until you replce the glass panel or better yet the stove. Carol, somewhere on that stove are a model and serial number. One thing Sears/Kenmore is good about is stocking the parts including the instruction books for appliances so you can get one. But the bridge element is built into the stove top (to protect the glass from breaking where the hot griddle rests directly on it between the burners, and it is a top of the line feature, so you probably don't have one... There are some really fine wide 2 burner hot plates that would let you use your dear old griddle.
Misha 05/05/06	I broke glass top of my GE cooktop. (Corner) Replasment part is going to cost me $1000. I pait for new one $1120. This is crazy.Is there any fix for it?
ellen 05/05/06	Is this a dealer installation? The part itself is usually considerably less and several readers have installed their own. Me, I would simply replace the stove. Is it still under warranty by any chance? If it is JUST a corner, not anywhere near the burner elements or electronics, you could consider patching with epoxy putty to smooth and fill it in(the kind of putty that is safe to use on engines and other things that get hot).
Jessica 05/10/06	HELP! We are in the process of trying to sell our house and there is a stain on one of my ceramic burners.. I have tried the Cerama Bryte, razor blades, every kind of cleaner you can imagine and tried cleaning in every way imaginable and nothing works. I think it is grease from the pan we use to make popcorn. Please, please, please help--I'm desperate!
ellen 05/11/06	If Maas polish (Walmart, EBay) doesn't work, I can only suggest you offer a few hundred dollars off if the buyer objects. One of our readers used a jewelry buffing head on his Dremel motor tool with the polish and was pleased with the results. One of the many hazards of the ceramic stove tps is the outside/ bottom of the pan has to be perfectly clean to avoid staining the top- nothing ever burns off, just on.
judith jones 05/22/06	I wish to change my regular stove top enamel, bug find that the width, from to back, are too small on the ceramic. Is there anything I can do to fix that. My stove top is 600 X 530 ml.
ellen 06/02/06	Judith, don't know what to suggest...
Jenny 06/03/06	We just bought a New GE Black ceramic top range. I have a set of Circulon Steel cookware . The first time I cooked on it, it scratched the top! I couldn't believe it was the pans. luckily since the range was only one day old, Ge is replacing the cooktop. I tried it again and again there were scratches. I previously had a whirlpool smooth top range, and I used these pots. On the Whirlpool, I dragged pots on the old cooktop. put things hot things from the microwave and oven on top of the Whirlpool. Basically used it as another counter putting plates on it.( I never read the instructions).Ad I never had a problem. But with this GE cooktop I have not done these things. I boiled corn the second time and was very careful not to move the pot at all. I don't understand. Could GE just have an inferior cooktop? I've read some other people who just love the cooktop.
ellen 06/04/06	Yes, there is a considerable difference in the sturdiness of the cooktops because they are produced from several different types of materials by different manufacturers- for example, a European reader noticed hers at home was much better than here. Thank you for the info and hope you can find a pot that works for you.
chris 06/05/06	I have a fridgidaire ceramic cook top. The edge has a chip out of it. Any idea how to repair it?
ellen 06/06/06	Some readers have used heat resistant epoxy putty (the kind sometimes used on engines) to repair out of warranty edge chips that do not affect the elements/ burners. This cannot be done for cracks.
Angela 06/11/06	Hello,I have a cast iron skillet from my grandparents but i havn't used it yet because i was told that it was not safe for my stove top.What is this diffuser?I love my stove I love to cook.We bought are house 6 years ago and it came with the house and I have never had a problem if anyone has an answer for me let me know.Thanks and I hope all of you have fun in the kichen.
ellen 06/11/06	Readers have had success using a flat bottom iron pan (the kind that does NOT have a raised ring) as long as it was truly flat and the whole pan stayed in contact with the element. I am not sure what diffuser you are refering to?
Brenda 06/12/06	Sorry to be a repeat commenter. But I cannot believe all you people with problems. Maybe you all have old stoves. But the new ones RULE!!! I couldn't imagine going back to those horrible coils again and GAS!!! Never. Mayble unless you cook for a living gas would be necessary. I love mine and I still say the SOS works. To the woman who is trying to sell her house and has the stain on her stove. TRY the SOS, I am positive it will remove it. What have you got to lose? Maybe sos is bad for the old stoves but I have told 6 people with newer stoves to try it. They all say the same thing. SOS works great!!
Sharon 06/12/06	First time writing...Well, me & my husband just bought a new GE Profile Smooth Cooktop, I love it!, but...I would just like to warn anyone who is getting a backsplash done...to take their cooktop out and put it in another room, until your tile guys are finished and the entire kitchen is cleaned! Any little specks of the sand in the grout that they use, if they are under one of your pans when you cook, and you move your pan any where on the surface it will scratch! BAD!! If anyone has a solution on how to get the scratchs out please tell me., my husband is driving me nuts on trying to fix it., and I don't think it can be.
Gabrielle 06/15/06	After ~ 4 months with a new ceramic stove top, we love it & so far it's trouble-free. We are about to relpace old unflat suacepans & have found copper bottom ones. After much searching I have found little info on copper bases except that they can mark the ceramic. Is there really an issue & if so what? Can anyone tell me?
Candy 06/16/06	flat bottom grill pan? I see that according to Ellen that a $20 flat bottom grill pan is easy to find, but i can;t seem to find one. Does anyone have recommendations? I am looking for a grill pan to grill chicken, beef, etc on stove top but can't find pans that don't have the ridge marks on the bottom. I've looked at the Circulon pans but they too have the ridges. Any suggestions? Also, what type of material should these pans be made of? I have a Whirlpool white Ceramic stovetop. Thanks!!
ellen 06/17/06	Gabrielle, if you have a black top it will probably not be an issue, if you have a white top it may be. Candy, the grill pans we were talking about are the ones for pancakes. I don't know if these would be any better than a saute pan for your purpose.
Carol 06/21/06	ceramic cooktop griddle pan to use with bridge We bought the Thermador ceramic stovetop 2 1/2 years ago and still love it. One of the Thermador accessories offered at the time of purchase was a griddle. It arrived with the stovetop. It is a Circulon (10x18). We subsequently have found this griddle pan at Macy's. So it wasn't exclusive to Thermador. It works great with the bridge. We, too use it every Saturday.
Kathie Wedge 06/25/06	Can a regular canning pot (not pressure cooker) the dark navy ones with white spots (enamel I think) be used on the GE ceramic smooth top stove. I hate to have to go to someone else's house to make my rhubarb relish!
ellen 06/25/06	Kathy, you need to remember that the bottom of the pan should be no more than about an inch bigger across than the smoothtop's burner- I have never seen a canning kettle that small. A good electric hotplate with a wide base is an option...
Wolly 07/03/06	ceramic/glass cooktop cracked I left a pot of water on the cook top by mistake and the water boiled and dried for almost 2 hours. WHen i moved the pot, the glas was cracked across the burner. what should I do. Everything worked fine before this. Should i get a hotplate or replace the glass or change the entire unit... i need help .. thanks Wolly
ellen 07/03/06	First, don't use that burner. If it works for you you can use just the other three if they are not cracked. You CAN replace just the glass if the stove is not too old, for several hundred dollars. Maye you want to buy a new stove and switch to gass or regular electric.
Mary 07/10/06	I have had my Jenn-Air ceramic cooktop for 6 years and have had no problems until recently. A lid containing plastic was on the stove and a portion of it melted when the wrong burner was turned on. I have tried soft scrub, a razor blade, and barkeepers friend to try to get it off. Nothing has worked at this point. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you. Mary
Gary 07/10/06	I have a four burner Thermador with gas stove with a gas grill. The grease from the grill has apparently moved towards the stove (underneath the burners). The burners are sealed and there doesn't appear (that I can see) to be any way to get to the area under the burners to clean all of the grease that has accumalated. The only reason I know it has accumalated is because it has now begun dripping grease onto the floor. How can I get this grease cleaned and removed from underneath these burners? Anyone have some suggestions please?
ellen 07/10/06	Mary, keep warming and scraping, and hope for further info. Gary, suggest you contact the manufacturer and start another thread- other owners won't find your question here ubder ceramic cook tops.
Ben 07/11/06	I have been looking for pans for a new ceramic cooktop. I finally bought some stainless tri clad pans from Sam,s Club. They appear to be good quality especially for the price, however they have a bow in them which leaves a 1/16-1/8 gap in the center where it does not touch the surface. It seems that many of the mfrs I checked out have the same design. Do you know if they design them like this for expansion of the steel. Will this affect the stove top or performance of the cookware? Thanks
ellen 07/11/06	Because the pans only heat where they touch on the cook tops, the bow can definitely interfere with cooking on the center of the pan unless it flattens out by expansion. If you mention the brand name, readers will let you know if they have had good or bad luck with the brand.
Jeris 07/22/06	I was doing a balsamic vinegar reduction and a little spattered on my glass stovetop. I tried soakig it with hot soapy water. vinegar, window cleaner and ceramabryte. Any suggestions?
Paul 07/24/06	I have a lot of Cooks Essentials pots and pans, and just bought a ceramic stove. Some of the pans have smooth ridges. Can I still use them.
Danita Banning 07/25/06	Dear Ellen Would like to use Le Creuset reversible meat grill on my ceramic rangetop. It is smooth on one side and ribbed on the other. Would the ribbed side down on the cooktop, harm the range or not heat properly to cook pancakes on the smooth side? Also since it is 9"x18", will it harm the range or cook properly, set on both the larger back burner and the smaller front burner? Thank you
ellen 07/28/06	No smooth ridges- no ridges at all! Griddle-The ridged side will fail on your ceramic top and may harm the range. Any griddle must be perfectly smooth, 100% contact. I would not use over 2 burners on a ceramic stove unless I had a bridge element.
Renee 07/30/06	I am trying to locate a boiling water canner (not a pressure canner) that I can safely use on my GE Profile glass cooktop. It must have a flat/smooth bottom. All the water canners I have been able to locate have ridged bottoms, which cannot be used on the glass cooktop. Any ideas or sources??
Marion 07/31/06	Is it harder to maintain and clean a black ceramic top or a Bisgue Pattern ceramic top?
ellen 07/31/06	looking over several threads, it seems that the black ones are a little prone to developing grey spots with heavy cleaning, If the bisque fits your kitchen, you might choose that-
stephanie 08/18/06	Is there such thing as a boiling water canner with a flat bottom for a cermic top stove? I would rather not have to haul out the old camping stove everytime I want to can some things.- Thanks
ellen 08/18/06	Look at restaurant supply stores for large flat bottom pots. They are not cheap.
G. Mayer 08/23/06	A little piece of aluminum foil got on my cooktop and it seems to be melted into the glass. I tried all the recommended cleaning methods but it is not coming off. If I have to replace the glass top, how do I go about it?
ellen 08/24/06	This has happened to others and no one has a solution. Some handy readers have done the replacement themselves after ordering the part- you MUST unplug the stove before working on it, or risk electrocution. Or the appliance seller or Sears can do the installation. However, it is costly. You might consider replacement.
ian 08/28/06	had a magnetic induction top for 10 yrs now, nothing but probs, now going back to gas
Rick 09/18/06	Have done some research in this area and found a brand of cookware that the expansion of the metal during the cooking process is taken into account during the manufacturing of the cookware, and upon heating the cookware actually becomes flat giving better contact with the cooktop, therefore giving optimum conduction.
Lisa 09/25/06	We just got our GE Profile ceramic cooktop this past weekend. I came home tonight, and my husband was all miffed that it was already pitted (he cleaned up). I cleaned it again with Ceramabryte, and it seems okay. I'm going to get one of those scrapers though. I'm afraid...I'm very afraid, almost, of even using it now. Especially after reading all the messages. I'll be really p.o.'d if it breaks. I really love to cook, and bake (haven't even used the oven yet). What are the issues, usually to return and exchange a major appliance. This is the first one I've ever bought.
Bev 09/27/06	ceramic cooktop Wow I do not understand what every one is complaining about. I have had my stove for over 10 years, and today I broke my top, well, as much as I don't want to, I have to buy a new one, the top will cost over $599.00!! Will I buy another? You Betcha!! Just like this one, Mine was a Kenmore, just to buy a top, is the price of a new stove, so I will go ahead and just buy a new stove. I have to say, I have cooked on mine almost every day for the past 10 years, it still looks new. (other then what I did to it today) I have always used my iron skillets on it, in fact one is used almost every day. Yes you are right in saying any pan with a ridge on it will not heat well, and I guess my old Griswall skillet is older then I am, and does not have a ridge. As far as keeping it clean, I have always used a razer blade for tuff scrapes and I have no scratches, used the cream that came with it most of the time, or just a all around grease cleaner. The trick is to try to wipe off your stove, just like you do your table, after each use, These stoves are soooo easy to keep clean, frankly I can't understand what all the fuss is about?
D'Anita-Kay Banning 09/29/06	hotplates Dear Ellen I purchasaed a Le Creuset cast iron griddle/grill. You advised against using it on my ceramic cooktop. Can I use this griddle on a double burner cast iron flat heating plates, hot plate or is a better choice a double coil burner hot plate? Thnx
ellen 09/29/06	If it has a completely flat side that covers a single burner, that can be used on the ceramic cooktop. Any of the other choices should be fine for it if it is not flat or needs a double burner.
alana 10/03/06	I had one at my house that i just sold, had that wonderful stove for just months and i loved it so much! but then maybe because the stove i had before would not even boil water. it was one of those with the solid plates vice the coils. i moved into an apartment complex for the next year or so, and they have a coil stove...i sure wish i could have taken my glass top stove with me. it was the best whirlpool stove i've ever cooked on, and so easy to clean, things dropped on it, it never cracked or scratched and i never had any problems with it. so when i do purchase another house down the road i will get another glass top stove and love it just as much as my first. my t-fal pots (which were 7 years old) cooked great on it. they weren't completely flat, but that stove just cooked sooo much better than any other stove i've cooked on before. but then it could also be that it was new, even if it was the floor model!
D'Anita-Kay Banning 10/04/06	clarification of elements in ovens Please clarify which elements (upper or lower), in a toaster oven, are supposed to be on when you use the bake setting, the broil setting, the grill setting, the toast setting and keep warm setting? Thank you so much!
ellen 10/04/06	Bake bottom Broil top grill ?? (mine did not have this) Toast both Keep warm bottom
Lisa 10/17/06	Well, it's been a month now, almost, that I've had my GE Profile. I have another scratch. I have about 6 on there now, and you would not believe how anal I am about using it. It seems it's scratches in the paint only, they are smooth and not pitted or ridged. But I'm still not happy. Unfortunately it cannot be returned, or even exchanged!
Bethany 10/19/06	Don't know if it is true or not, but I heard on a T.V. cooking show that sugar cubes rubbed gently on cooked on spills will remove same from glass top stoves. Just passing along the info.
ellen 10/20/06	Just be sure to clean the sugar off after!
Mike 10/22/06	I just bought a new GE profile range with a white ceramic cooktop. It is almost impossible to cook anything without burning it. I am using AllClad stainless steal cookware. Has anyone else had this problem with these stoves? Is the problem the cookware I am using? Turning the burner down doesn't seem to help. What cookware do you recommend for ceramic cooktops? I can't afford to replace the stove, so need to somehow learn how to cook on it.
ellen 10/22/06	If your All Clad pans are older, they may slightly warp as they heat up. If they are not sitting perfectly flat on the burner, it will continue heating hotter- they are thermostatically controlled, sensing the temp of the pan bottom, so if the pan is not touching, the burner "thinks" it is not hot enough. If the pans have scorched once, they are eternally more prone to scorch again. Consider that Christmas is coming and petit foursion Santa for some of the preferred pans discussed in the various ceramic cook top threads. The only other trick I can pass along, is to cook rice, etc where you turn down, set one burner on high to bring to a boil. Meanwhile set a pan of water on a second one and set to medium. When ready to turn down, instead move the cooking pan from the high burner to the medium. These burners cool off quite slowly, so the food may be held at a high heat for too long if you just turn it down.
Gayle 10/25/06	Lisa and Mike - too bad you didn't see Ellen's website BEFORE buying the GE Profile. I, too, did not find Ellen until after making the same mistake. About 50% of my All-Clad works OK on the cooktop. I've put the other 50% in a cabinet and will bring it out once I have successfully destroyed the GE and can purchase something else. I scratched my cooktop the first day I used it (with a brand-new cast iron pan from Williams-Sonoma. The pan is now on standby with the rest of my All-Clad). Why is the horror of these cooktops not more commonly known? Why are so many of them sold? Of course, who would believe you could buy a stove that can be ruined by some sugar or aluminum foil OR that you would have to take a ruler and level with you to buy cookware? What a disappointment. I feel like writing to Jeffrey Immelt... and maybe to Jack Welch while I'm at it. CAVEAT EMPTOR!!
Annika 10/28/06	I am so surprised! I have had my GE Spectra ceramic cooktop stove for almost 5 years and thought it was virtually indestructible. It is has black burners and the burners are outlined with greyish speck circles. I cook on it everyday and it is so easy to clean. It still lookes new and shiny until last week when I noticed a dark cloudy stain covering part of the grey circle that outlines my smallest burner. It is not food/dirt (it's smooth and clean) but it looks as is the burner outline has been "erased" or covered (it's faintly visibe). I don't remember spilling anything that could have burnt, but my cleaning lady came last week and I noticed she had not opened the ceramic stove cleaner I had put out for her to use. I am afraid she used some other cleaning solution that caused the stain, but I am not sure. Any ideas how to remove it? I have tried a chore boy pad and ceramic tile cleaner as well as denatured alcohol. Thanks in advance!
Densue 11/18/06	I have had a heating element go out on my ceramic top stove and I can't find any information on how to replace it. I would like to do this myself.
ellen 11/18/06	Densue, if you can get the part it is a fairly simple replacement- AFTER UNPLUGGING THE STOVE- do NOT just turn it off- you take off the glass cover, unplug the old unit, plug in the new one. Sears parts may be able to help wioth the part. You need the make, model, serial number and the diameter of the defective ring, which is usually 6" or 8".
Annika 11/19/06	Ellen-help! Did you see my post on 10/28??
ellen 11/20/06	Hi, Annika, Sorry to say, no advice on this. I am afraid your guess about the cleaning fluid is correct and the damage is permanent...
SUSAN 11/23/06	I have a kenmore glass top range. I was given a set of corning glass cookware. Can I use it on my glass top range. thanks
ellen 11/23/06	Some corning is safe on the stovetop, some is not. The clear glass flameware is safe if perfectly flat on the bottom, some pieces are, some are not. I don't use or recommend Vision cranberry or amber. The white with blue flowers is safe in the oven or microwave, but not stovetop.
mm457 11/29/06	We moved into a new home and chose a black GE Profile thinking it was the answer for some easy cooking and cleaning after raising 4 kids. Not so! Spaghetti water boiled over and wiping it up left white specks over most of the top. That was when it was a week old. They're still there. There are scratches also on the burners that don't come off with the nylon pad and ceramic bryte that came with it. Wiping up a few cranberry spills with force left gray spots/ Directions said must wait until top cools before cleaning. What's my recourse with these concerns, Ellen? Closing was Sept. 8, moved in the 28 of Sept and now it's 2 months later. Nov. 28. Thanks.
ellen 11/29/06	Usually tyhere is a 90 day warranty. Run, co not walk to the seller, especially if you want a replacment top.
Pati 12/06/06	Just purchased a Kenmore smoothtop range and am waiting for delivery today. Thank goodness I decided to go online and found your website. I have read comments from stem to stern and am now visiting the link. Have begun sorting through my pots and pans and have begun to eliminate possible offenders. I am praying I will be one of the happy users. Stay tuned!
nhdraper 12/25/06	A bottle fell on my cooktop and chipped the side- Is it really 1000.00 to replace the GE Profile Porcelain Top- This ruined my whole christmas- Do you know anyplace to buy a used one- Thanks
ellen 12/25/06	If it is far from the burners you can use engine epoxy. You can probably replace it yourself if you are handy.
Nancy 12/26/06	I have had a Kenmore ceramic cooktop (black) for about a year now. It does take more time to keep it clean than the old type. But I haven't had any problems cleaning up anything that has been spilled on it. Most of the time I just use a few wet papertowels to wipe the surface. If something doesn't clean up, then I use one of those scratchless Scotch Brite sponges. If that doesn't work I use a combination of either a wet papertowl/sponge with the cleaner they (Sears) supplied with the stove. I have yet to have to use a razor blade to clean up a mess. Also note I am still using a very old set of T-Fal and haven't had any scratch problems. A few times I thought their were scratches they turned out to be spills.
Marcela 12/28/06	We own a ceramic top Wirlpool freestanding range. The top cracked while cooking a couple of weeks ago. Do the tops tend to crack as the stove gets older? Our insurance says that we cracked it and I am trying to find some information to proove that it was something that happened as we turned the stove on.
ellen 12/28/06	If you look at the various active ceramic cook top threads and the ones in the archive, you will see that you are not the only person this has happened to. Yes, it seems to be more likely as it ages.
Crystal 12/30/06	I just recieved a brand new Whirlpool glass-ceramic cooktop stove. The first time I used it, there were a few deep scratches (I can feel them with my nail) where something must have been on the bottom of the pot (which was also new). Is there anything to make the scratches less noticeable? It is a black top.
ellen 12/31/06	Crytal, so sorry to hear of your accident. Nobody had come up with a good method for deep scratches.
Collette 01/10/07	My daughter put a plastic bag on a hot burner & it melted right to the surface. Any suggestions on how to get it off?
ellen 01/12/07	Start with the razor blade and plenty of patience. If it has noy fused, you may be able to get it off. So sorry to hear of this common accident.
Jim 01/17/07	Has anyone found a flat bottomed teapot for use on a ceramic stovetop? Every teapot we look at has circular groves or raised portions on it.
Betsy 01/18/07	I'm learning to use my Kenmore ceramic-glass cooktop range. It came with a griddle, but no instruction regarding WHERE to place the thing for safe use. Anyone have any clues, insights, or access to actual directions?
Vickie 01/19/07	Has anyone used the newer coated cast iron such as Le Creuset Cookware on their Ceramic-Glass top stove.
Robin 01/28/07	I let a copper bottomed, "Revere Ware", pot burn dry on my ceramic stove top and it's left a "white" looking ring. I used concentrated amounts of "Cerama Bryte" on it and scrubbed (like I would if I had made rice that boiled over...) and it just WON'T come off!! I want to know if anyone knows what I can do!! ?? p.s. The pot is also burnt black on the inside bottomand won't come clean with a scrubber.
ellen 01/28/07	Le Creuset makes a flat-bottom teakettle. Expensive.
zelda Zeh 02/07/07	le crueset on my kenmore white elite ceramic have been superb; so have my 50 year old revere wares but; i ta ke care when these items come out of the dishwasher, and before placing back on the clean shelf, i wipe the bottoms with a ceramic cleaner....no stains, no scratches, beautiful even reliable cooking. this is from a cook with 55 years of practice!!!! z.
Owen 03/02/07	I was looking at a stainless cookset by Farberware, and it says that the non-stick aluminum skillets that come with it "are not suitable for ceramic stove tops". Why do they say that?
ellen 03/03/07	Usually because they have had LOTS of customer complaints about not heatig correctly- both too slow and even fusing to the top!!! If it says don't, believe it.
Donna 03/06/07	GRAY AREAS ON THE GE PROFILE BLACK SMOOTH TOP We replaced our cooktop with the GE Profile black smooth top prior to reading all the difficulties others have had. I used it for the first time last night and had a repeat of mm457's situation with the pasta water boiling over when I left the kitchen for just a very few moments. I made sure to wait until the burner was totally cooled, which is way beyond the time the light goes off which indicates it is not hot, but is still very warm, before attempting to clean the spill. I used the cerama bryte with the cleaning pad that came with the smooth top and must have been too aggressive as I was left with two slightly grayish areas. I tried another citric cleaner and later silver polish with no luck. Then I thought of Kiwi solid black shoe polish. I rubbed just a very tiny amount of the Kiwi polish on the gray areas with a paper towel, and this brought back the sheen and black color in those areas. These were not deep scratches so will likely not work for that problem. I made sure I rubbed off all the excess polish before turning the heat back on. The grayish areas seemed to reappear after heating the burner so it may be necessary to reapply after each time the burner is used, or if I'm lucky maybe over time it will improve. To me, it's still better than looking at the spots or buying a new top! By the way, I'm using the Calphalon Tri-Ply SS cookware and had no difficulties when browning the meat with sticking. The key may be to start out with a lower temperature and increase as needed to avoid that problem. I also heated up the burner with food in the pan instead of heating the burner before putting the pan on, or heating the pan up and then adding the meat. Best of luck!
Tracy 03/07/07	Hi, My Aunt bought a radiant cooktop in the 1980s. The burners did not get hot. I remember her showing up you could touch them, leave a towel on themthen put a pot of water on top of the towel and the water boiled but the towel was only a tiny warm. Why are the burners now hot? I am looking to buy a low end GE model JBS56WLWW, we have Cuisinart pots and pans are these good for radiant?
ellen 03/07/07	These are not radiant heaters- different technology, If they are not warped or non-stck, those pans seem to work fine.
Liz 03/16/07	I have a Maytag ceramic top range. There appears to be a stain on one of the "burners" but when I rub my fingers across it I can tell that the "stain" is underneath the surface rather than on top. Therefore, no amount of cleaning makes any difference. What do I do?
ellen 03/16/07	Has anyone tried permanent black markers on the black ceramic tops? If so, let us hear the results.
Yang 03/21/07	Replacing surface element for glass top stove I have a GE Profile glass top stove, and recently one of the radiant ribbon surface elements under the glass top stop working. I'm trying to replace by myself. Can anyone tell me how to do it? Thanks
ellen 03/23/07	You remove the glass top and change out the element. Make sure before hand that you have a stove with replaceable elements (call the company).
Kim 04/25/07	I had some water boil over while cooking tonight. It left dark gray rings on the surface of the stovetop. Any suggestions on what works best to get it off?
ellen 04/25/07	Most readers have not been able to get this all the way off.
Ed P. 04/27/07	I have a Fridgedaire Cooktop in which the glass top became unglued from the base. Everything else is fine. Fridgedaire says it's not under warranty. Can I buy an epoxy or heat resistant glue to rebond the cooktop safely? It only had a thin strip of glue holding onto the base. Thanks!
ellen 04/27/07	There is an auto engine epoxy which is highly heat resistant, and the only suggestion I have for sticking it all back together again. Available at auto supply stores.
Mary 05/20/07	I know aluminum cookware is not to be used on a ceramic top. Does that include hard anodized pans? Thanks.
ellen 05/20/07	The problems with aluminum are markong the top and warping. Top quality anodized pans avoid both problems.
Jean 06/21/07	Can you set a pan of cooked vegetables that are still hot onto a cool burner til you serve them will it hurt the glass top to set the warm pan there thank you
ellen 06/22/07	Theoretically, a big really hot pot on the cold top could crack the top, but nobody has written in that that has happened. One option for these tops is to set a second burner on low and transfer the pot.
JJ 06/23/07	We have been using a copper bottom tea kettle on our Frigidaire cooktop and everytime we use it black spots/stains appear on the glass top and then we have to clean it off after every use. Can someone tell us what the problem might be an/or recomend a tea kettle that can be used? Thanks in advance for your advice/help. JJ
ellen 06/23/07	You need to polish the copper- it has to be perfectly clean- this might help. Or else, use an enamel flat bottom kettle.
JJ 06/23/07	Thankyou. I find your site helpful. We do keep it polished. Someone recently told us that it needed to be a perfectly flat bottom. Ours is indented along the outer edge. Is enamel better than stainless steel if we change? Any recomendations as to bran to look for? Thanks again.JJ
ellen 06/23/07	Yes perfectly flat is important. Either enamel or stainless steel is fine, if you boil your kettle dry, the enaml one can overheat and fuse to the top...
Jean 06/24/07	Ellen, Thank you so much for answering my recent question! I have had my new frigidaire ceramic stove top for one week and so enjoying it. have used the new oven, speed oven and all burners. Use claner that came with it after each use. Is the a type of burner cover that would be safe to use on this type stove top. thank you in advance, Jean
Jean 06/24/07	Ellen, Thank you so much for answering my recent question! I have had my new frigidaire ceramic stove top for one week and so enjoying it. have used the new oven, speed oven and all burners. Use claner that came with it after each use. Is the a type of burner cover that would be safe to use on this type stove top. thank you in advance, Jean
ellen 06/24/07	Not recommended, as they could theoretically at least fuse to the burner if it were accidentally torned on. I have seen the accidental turn on on my mom's stove, it just ruins the burner cover, but on the glass top, oh what a mess you could have! One lady made aquilted cover to match her curtains... By the way, you could put a countertop type hot pad down to hold those hot veggies.
Liz 07/08/07	I recently bought a condo with a black Kenmore ceramic cooktop. I already hate it with a passion. I used a pan that should have been fine for "ceramic," "induction" "gas," and "electric" (said so on back), and which I cleaned vigorously before using, but it spun around a bit while I was trying to turn the meat I was sauteeing and I think I managed to cause several new scratches. I'm going to try to buy new cookware now, but I am so nervous about more scratches. I see all these messages about people who love their Kenmores, and it seems weird to me that the cooktop was so easily scratched. (I did not drag any pots, etc.) Any similar experiences? Tips? I would replace the thing with a gas stove if I could, but there's not a gas line, so I'm stuck with electric.
Jeff Mixon 07/10/07	I have had a Whirlpool ceramic cooktop for about a year and a half. Today I boiled a large pot of peanuts on the highest setting for 2 hours, and the top cracked wide open. It cracked due to heat, because I did not drop anything on it. The warranty that covers labor is only good for 1 year.
Sandy Roberts 07/18/07	A spot of food burned onto the glass ceramic cooktop of our year-old GE range. My husband cleaned if off, but a small pit was left on the cooktop where the spot was. Is it safe to continue using the glasstop range?
ellen 07/18/07	Jeff, the ceramic cooktops are notorious for this when used at highest heat for a long period, especially if the pan is much bigger than the element. If you still have parts coverage, it is possible to replace the top yourself. Sandy, yes, you can use it, but so sorry!
Lynn 07/31/07	I was reading the above regarding how an enamel tea kettle boiled dry can fuse to the ceramic top of a stove. I had this happen. While the tea kettle did release from the stove top after it had cooled it did leave behind a small divot where it appears the glass has melted and flaked off. Is my stove (and that burner) still safe to use?
ellen 07/31/07	If the element itself is not exposed, you can use it till it cracks. I would stick to medium heat or lower on this burner.
billy 08/02/07	Anyone have a cure for burnt on aluminum foil on glass top ranges?
ellen 08/02/07	It is fused, you can turn to low-medium heat and CAREFULLY use a razor blade, but it is not coming all the way off. Sorry.
Billy 08/02/07	Thank you kindly!!!!!
carol 08/11/07	I was VERY nervous about using the razor to clean off my spillovers on my new glass cook top when I first used my stove. I've found using ordinary baking soda to clean off stubborn spots on my glass top very helpful. I then rinse it and use the ceramic cleaner such as Cerama Brite. What I'm wondering, by doing this, am I harming the service in some way? It seems to be gentlier then scrubbing with a plastic scrubby or using the razor blade. It basically does what our mothers knew to take stubborn stains,etc., off of casserole dishes.
ellen 08/11/07	Soda is just a very mld abrasive. If it works for you, keep using it.
Willena 08/14/07	Two days into using my brand new Frigidaire ceramic cooktop and the outline for one of the cooking element is smeared. Where there was once an outline of the pan size for the burner, now 1/6 of the outline has disappeared. It was once all black with dots; looks like when you paint something and wipe over it before the paint is dry. Only one element has this "defect." Wouldn't this be covered under the warranty?
Mitch 08/28/07	IT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO REPLACE THE GLASS ON A CERAMIC COOKTOP. I just changed the top on a JenAire and it should have taken about 30 minutes - it took me half a day, but that is another story. Here's how: 1. TURN OFF THE ELECTRICITY TO THE STOVE AND TEST IT BY TURNING ON A BURNER. 2. Get two wooden slats that are longer than the stovetop is wide. Get under the stovetop and gently push up one end - have your helper slip a slat under that end to support it. Do the same for the other end. 2. Take out the approximately 10 screws that hold the glass frame to the stovetop with a nutdriver. 4. Remove the glass top. 5. Replace with a new glass top and replace the screws. 6. Lift one end and remove the slat. Let the stovetop gently into the opening. Do the same for the other end. Voila! all done. Cost about $320. In my case I had used a sealant around the edge of the stovetop when installing it. The sealant had hardened and the stovetop would not come loose. It took me an 2 hours to get the stovtop out of the opening using leverage of various types and taking care not to destroy the stove. Then my wife decided that she would like the knobs on the other side (opposite the original). Couldn't simply turn the stovetop around as the downdraft blower assembly came down on one side. Looking at it (not too carefully) the part of the assembly that fit on the stovetop appeared to be symetrical which would allow me to detach it and turn it around 180 degrees by removing a few screws. I discovered on detaching the blower assembly that the attachment was not EXACTLY symetrical. All this. together with modification of the blower assembly with a hammer, cost another 3 hours. But it all works and fits nicely and looks good and, most importantly, my wife is happy.
sally 09/04/07	I bought a house 4 years ago with a Kenmore glass top stove. I was a die hard "gas only!!' cook, having lived with a professional chef for 10 years and I do a LOT of cooking and entertaining. I almost didn't buy the house because of it, but since I liked everything else, I bought the house and decided I would save up to put in a new stove and run gas into the house. After the first year I loved the stove so much I can't believe it. It was only a year old when I bought the house, so it is 5 years old now, I have All Clad stainless steel and copper clad and use both with no problems. It still looks brand new and I have used it for canning for the last 3 years with no problems. I use a boiling water bath canner and have done 6 quarts at a time. I plan to get a pressure canner this year but I will not get one of the "super size" ones and will make sure it has a flat bottom. I also am amazed at how quickly the burners heat up, it is as fast as any gas stove I have had (and I've had good ones, though not the fancy 6 burner Wolf or Thermidor ones). I clean with a damp sponge every time I use it, and a cleaner made for glass tops from my local kitchen supply store if I get overly messy. I love my glass top!
Chip 09/04/07	I recently bought a Kenmore ceramic top, and am concerned my cast iron skillet will scratch the surface. One web-site recommended using a heat diffuser. After doing some research...it looks like most diffusers are for gas stoves. Are there any made specifically for ceramic tops?
ellen 09/05/07	Sally, thanks for the rare happy story. Chip, as I understand it, a diffuser is NOT good for the ceramic top. It defeats the built in circuit that keeps the burner from overheating, risking cracks instead of scratches.
pauline 09/10/07	i bought a frigidaire cook-top at lowes 5 years ago.i enjoyed it and did everything as the manual called for to keep it in good condition.this past week i cleaned my kitchen after supper and went to bed and the next day i noticed that my top had crackd and split in 3 directions.the stove wasnt even being used when this happened.i called the fridgidaire and got the run around and found out that it wasnt under warranty and would be very expensive to fix.it was over 600.00 new and under 5 years old.this is something i could not have control over because it had to crack during the night while we were asleep.unfortunately i had to go out today and buy a new one from sears.i will never buy frigidare products again because this shouldnt happen in 5 years.if i caused it i could understand ,but i cant offord to buy a cooktop every 5 years.take my advise and dont buy the Fridigaire cooktops.after the heartache of having to buy another stove,fridgidaire personell actually had enough nerve to be rude to me .boy,dont they know how to treat their consumers....just for your info if youre planning on getting one.i seen several fridgidaire cooktops today while shopping for a new one,but im scared to buy this brand of any appliance again.thanks,polly
alexis 09/10/07	thanks for the information on this .i have been looking at cooktops and shopping around.but i hope i can find something that will last me for years to come.i take care of my appliances also and expect them to last longer than that.looks like you bought a Lemon and got stuck sucking the juice.seems like they would have worked with you to try and satify you even if the warranty was out that still isnt near the life expectany for a cooktop.and for your advise,kenmore is a good brand.and they do try to satify their customers.i guess they had made their money when you bought it.there should be some rules and regulations for manufacturers to make them stand behind their products.most companies covers their product with a warranty for the first year.because that is the leat likely time they will tear up and want the consumers to carry the 2-5 yr warranty for and additional cost which is expensive also.i think if we buy their products they should have to stand behind them,espicially when they are major appliances. did they even try to figure out what could've caused this? let me know.i will keep this in mind while shopping around
toolman 09/10/07	thats usually how luck has it.a short time after the warranty is up they tear up.thats how some companies figure they can sell more.too bad craftsman dont make cooktops.they stand behind their products
david c 09/10/07	i want to thank Ellen's Kitchen for making this page.people can see what is happening to others and learn from it.i want keep all of us safe,but will help some.i wanted to say also to polly dont replace the ceramic top that is cracked.the reason i say not to is because there could be something going on with the stovetop under the ceramic and if thats the problem ,it will only crack again.as for the manufactorer,they dont care what caused it,and sadly if you didnt have a warranty,you are the one suffering the loss.too bad they dont even care to find out what happened to it or even wonder if it could pose more of a danger to you and your home,such as a fire hazard or electrical shock.turn off all the power at the fuse box and get that junk out of your kitchen.and send this message to www.fridgidaire.com....there could be a problem with that paticular make or model or a defect in it.maybe you should post a blog and see if others like your style has had any similiar problems.there could be alot more in kitchens of our homes with the same problems.good luck..
Katie 09/10/07	Have had the GE Radiant cooktop in black for two weeks. Cooked stirfry tonight (in a flat bottomed pan) and some cooking spray got on the cooktop. After finishing the meal and cleaning up, it looks like much of the cooktop, with the exception of the burners are lightly pitted. Tiny specks that are smooth to the touch all over the surface. I tried the Ceramic cleaner and free sponge that came with -- I did not clean the cooktop with this before using the first time. Are these the pits I have read about above? Are there any other suggestions of how not to cook (i.e. sizzling oil/cooking spray) that you have compiled?
ellen 09/11/07	Kaie, because the cooktop heats up and the spray cooks on, you need to spray your pan away from the stove before you put it on the heat- a new habit. Also, as discussed on other threads, these tops do much better with medium and medium high heat, they really are not too good for wokking/ high heat, this is when a lot of people have appearance problems with their tops. Many folks use an electric hotplate for wokking, even if they like their ceramic tops. Keep polishing the dots, they may come off, they are not reallly smooth. Some readers recommend the Magic Eraser sponge.
chris 09/14/07	Ellen, do you know of anywhere that I can find "how-to" instructions for replacing a cracked GE cooktop. We want to replace it ourselves and I would like some step by step guidance. Thanks!
ellen 09/14/07	See Mitch's letter of 8/28 above for some help. Others have done it and written in on other ceramic cooktop threads.
susan 10/04/07	ceramic cooktop color Hi, I'm buying a stand alone range and it must be electric. I'd like to buy a smoothtop since I really never liked the coil maintainance. I'll need a white range for my kitchen but should I get a white or black cooktop. I'm thinking of getting GE profile. Is the white cooktop more prone to staining (or showing the stains). Must be electric - no gas hookup. Thanks!
ellen 10/04/07	Susan, if you have not cooked on one, PLEASE use for a week somehow before purchasing. Misery is about 9 of 10 or higher for folks who switch without experience. Black is better than white for cleanining. You need to deal with new pots and cleaning issues.
susan 10/04/07	ceramic cooktop color Thanks so much Ellen! Good thinking. I'll be trying out my neighbor's cooktop. It's a big investment and I so appreciate all the great expertise I've found here. Also, since my post I've discovered a few things that I thought I'd share. I spoke with someone: she has a GE black cooktop and her parents have a white one. Hers is 2 years old and her parents' cooktop is 4 years old. In terms of long term resistance to permanent stains black and white are both the same and pretty resistant. You use the Ceramabrite (spelling?) before the first time and after each later use. A little bit (maybe 1/8 teaspoon) is put on with a paper towel, let it dry to a haze (as was said here) and dry off with a dry cloth. No rinsing. Apply to cool cooktop. Big spills can be mopped up with a damp cloth/sponge on a hot surface but quickly and don't leave the cloth/sponge long on the hot surface. Sugar will corrode the glass permanently and must be cleaned up right away - hot or not. As everyone said your pots can't be warped. It is a good idea when switching from coils to the glass cooktop to clean the bottom of your pots with stainless steel cleaner (even if they look clean) because the residue can stain the cooktop temporarily and who needs the worry. No cast iron - the rust on the bottom stains. Beyond that, they won't stain I'm told. My neighbor's parents is still completely white - a couple of small scratches but fine after 4 years - and they use it. Of course just in the course of cooking white will show more spills after cooking dinner until it is cleaned later. And black shows more dust or scratches. Thanks again Ellen!
Cari 10/10/07	Induction griddle pan Hello, I have an induction cooktop and I am in need of a square griddle pan (to heat tortillas etc.) and with the exception of cast iron (which is too heavy) I have been unsuccessful in finding one. Does anyone know of a brand that sells griddle pans specifically for induction stovetops? Thanks, Cari
ellen 10/10/07	These are available, but hard to find the perfs is a good start.ectly flat on the bottom ones. A big factory outlet center with several kitchen store
Sue 10/19/07	I have a Kenmore electric range with a SCHOTT Ceran cooktop that is 6 years old. My problem is one element, my favorite that I use most, has turned black. ( My top is gray/white dotted look.) It seems to be underneath the glass and when the eye is on you can see the element clearly. Any idea what has happened or how to fix it? Thanks,
ellen 10/19/07	Hope our readers can help. The elements themselves are replaceable on most tops, but it sounds like that is not the issue here.
Linda 10/22/07	I am looking for a new smooth top stove. I have been cooking on a Whirlpool black glass cooktop electic range (called Designer Style) since Sept. 8, 1990.....and it has been a wonderful stove. I had one icident on 2/21/1995 when the glass cracked; it was a thermal crack, not from something dropped on it. The Company installed a new top and I paid for mileage for the repairman. I would certainly get another Whirlpool, if they are still made. Mine is pure black glass & you can see some surface scratches after 12 1/2 yrs. I used a razor blade for burnt on food and then cleaned with small amts of Whirlpool Cooktop Polishing Creme. Put some creme on a paper towel, wipe cooktop, let dry to a haze and wipe clean with a new paper towel. I love not cleaning any heating elements!!
Stephanie 10/24/07	A plastic bag of marshmellows melted to one of my ceramic stovetop burners. Any suggestions as to how to get it clean?
ellen 10/24/07	Oh, dear, you are in trouble. Sugar and plastic both fuse to the glass. Start with a razor blade, being very careful not to gouge the stove or yourself.
Ruchi 10/28/07	Lots of pieces of aluminium foil got stuck to my ceramic top and seems like they are fused into the glass. I am sad beyond words. Any way I can remove it? Will the glass top be covered under warranty, since it is less than a year old, and can be replaced?
ellen 10/28/07	Noone who has written in has figured how to remove it, and you can apply for care under the warranty but it will probably be denied, on the grounds that whatever caused the disaster did not occur in the course of "normal use". I am very sorry! Do check on the cost of a whole new non smooth top compared to the repair.
Ryan 11/03/07	I had a grease fire today and had to use a B C Fire Extinguisher - the powder that sprayed all over seems to have fused the the ceramic top burner I was using - I have tried a razor blade and the ceramic cleaner that came with the stove. Is it safe to use the burner in this condition? And How do I get it back to normal. I'm afraid that whatever is sticking to the burner will come off onto pots and may burn and smoke up the house.
ellen 11/03/07	Ryan, this is not good. You should contact the manufacturer of your particular top. The likelihood is that the combination of heat and chemical has permanently fused in that area and will not come off. Yes you will get burn from the residue if you heat it, but more importantly, you may crack the top. Right now at least you have 3 burners you can use, then you might have none.
Kathy 11/06/07	We just purchased a Frigidaire 5-burner 36" black "gas-through-glass" cooktop and are in the process of installing it in our ceramic tile countertop. Question: Do we put caulk under the edges that will sit on top of the tile so deris doesn't accumulate? If not caulk, what is the best way to seal around the tile? The cooktop model is GLGC36S8EB.
ellen 11/06/07	Hi, Kathy, you are outside my realm of practice on this one- maybe our readers can help-
Danilo 11/07/07	Are there any special cooking utensils better to cook with on glass top ranges, I know about the no-nos about casked iron skillets and some griddles?
ellen 11/07/07	The smooth bottom pans with an aluminum core seem to do very well on these tops. Readers like Tivoli/ aubecq, caphalon, and several other brands and some swear by their revere ware.
MSykes 11/16/07	After reading all of the comments, I think the big "no no" is not to buy an electric glass top in the first place! I have a 3 year-old gas glass cooktop and I absolutely love it. However, I can can on it, use any kinds of pan, use my favorite cast iron skillets, use woks, etc. My top still looks new. I don't use a griddle on it, but probably could. I have a large Presto electric griddle which works just fine. That might be an option for those who miss using a griddle.
Carol 11/18/07	how do I remove the water spots from a black cook top stove with damaging it? What product would I use? Carol
ellen 11/18/07	If you read the threads, you will see that the two most recommended are Maas metal cleaner and the Mr Clean eraser sponge. Good luck.
Beverly 11/21/07	Kenmore Electric Range Model 790-9621 I have a self cleaning oven. I forgot to clean the oven bottom before turning on self cleaning it discolored the bottom. Can I use something to remove the discoloration on the racks and bottom.
Carol in WI 11/26/07	Boy oh boy, sure wish I had known about this site before we bought our GE Profile Double Oven Glass Top Stove. While I do love the ease of cleaning, the need to be extra careful can be a real pain. For example, I was making popcorn in one of those stirring pots when the darned stirer quit stiring. Stupid me, instead of just giving up, I slid the pot back and forth across the burner. I can't believe I was that stupid. Really scratched up that burner. Oh well, at least it was me and not my husband that did it. Truth be known, I would have really liked a gas cook top with an electric oven, but the cost was way out of line. I had to fight to get this one. My husband thought my parents 35 year old Jennair was good enough. Couldn't even get a cookie sheet in it right. Has anyone ever used an electric hot plate for a pressure cooker? We want to can some venison and don't want to have to go to a friends house to do so. any suggestions would be appreciated and please email me direct. I do love the stove though and having a big oven is great.
ellen 11/26/07	Beverly, hope our readers have some ideas, I have not coped with that problem. Carol, Yes hot plate for pressure cooking and canning and woking is one way around the flat top.
Cindi 11/27/07	I'm the proud owner of a new range with black glass cooktop and I love it. But I've seen references to using a silicon mat on the top to prevent scratches? Does this mean I can use one like a Silpat directly on the glass burner surface to prevent scratches? Even if I have the burner on high? I just wanted to check beforehand so I don't ruin my range!
sandy 11/29/07	Ceramic GE black top stove Thanks for the read on thIs, I used a pressure pot on my black top stove after 12 years. heard a pop and it had cracked from that burner to the corner. I was fixing to replace it now I know not to use pressure pots on it again as for iron skillets I've used this the entire 12 years with no problem and use pressure sooker too with no problem but finally it cracked maybe it's time to replace
ellen 11/29/07	CINDI, DO NOT USE WGHILE THE BURNER IS ON!!! EVER!!! only use the silicon mats in between uses. Sandy, you were lucky to get so many years before tye "pop". If you use the pressure cooker ofte, you may want a different type range, there is such a thing as an electiric with closed burners,
chrissy 12/16/07	Hi, I was making a balsamic barbeque marinade and the vinegar left a lighter round stain on my stainless steel cooktop. Do you have any suggestions for cleaning this? Thanks.
ellen 12/17/07	Just to try the Maas metal polish and some elbow grease.
chris 01/12/08	Hi, my ceramic top on my whirlpool stove is cracked. Is there any way to convert this to the old coil top?
ellen 01/12/08	Hmm. I wonder if a countertop unit would worK? Consult whirlpool directly for fit/ exchangeability.
Steve Karbownik 01/15/08	I have a GE profile slide in convection- top of the line -black Nothing but problems - top scratches very easily - I use new aluminum pans and fry pans - clean up on a regular basis with proper ceramic cleaner - and use extreme care when using it - the top was replaced three times under warranty - the third top is scratching again - service reps states that this is just cosmetic - I disagree and am fighting with Sears and GE - these are supposed to be tough but do not stand up to any abuse whatsoever- I wish I had of gone another way - also - these black tops show every bit of spillage and are very hard to keep clean. I use a pressure cooker on it once in a while - why is this a problem? once the pressure cooker is heated we keep the element very low - can anyone explain why this is a problem Anyway - I would look for alternatives - this technology has a long way to go and there are way too many issues - life has enough hassles without having to worry about your cook top
ellen 01/15/08	The problems with pressure cookers are the size compared to the burner, the varied not always flat bottoms and difficulty with getting them to heat up (people turn them too high)and then to cool down quickly when you reach the correct temp. If you have a system where yours works, good for you! The problem with the scratches is that the top is class, and as you realize, because the risk is cracking, the scratches provide a weak place for the scratches to start.
Steve Karbownik 01/16/08	Thanks Ellen I cannot for the life of me understand how this top is getting scratched !!!!! Do you know if GE is having problems - my feeling is that the top is not tempered properly - anyway I guess I need to keep fighting these people on this. Also someone mentioned some sort of protective silicone pad - is this an option???? Thanks
ellen 01/16/08	The silicon pads are for protecting the top when it is NOT in use- getting spills and scratches on it in between uses can be a problem.
Steve Karbownik 01/16/08	Ok - thanks I guess there is no other protection that can be applied I will just have to keep it clean (with the proper cleaner) Just one more thing - one of your readers used a product that apparently removed the scratches - are you aware of this product - if so where can I get it Thanks again
ellen 01/16/08	The tow things that several people have had some luck with are the Mr. Clean cleaning sponges for cleanup, and Maas metal polish (available at Walmart or many hardware stores).
Janiece 01/16/08	I am so glad I found this site, before I did permanent damage to my cooktop. Two other things that were mentioned here, or on the the other thread, were Cerama Bryte and Crud Cutter (both available at Home Depot). I also read that if you use a flat edge razor blade use it only on a wet surface and then clean off the residue. I'm going to try it on the "rings" that have been impossible to remove. When we bought the house in 1999 the cooktop had these black marks ringing some of the burners. I don't know what they are from, they don't appear to be cooked on spills. Other than those marks, the cooktop looks like new.
Cary 01/20/08	I left a pot of boiling water on my Ge profile glass top stove and forgot about it. The water boiled away to nothing and now there are marks on the elements that are not coming off. the marks almost seem to be underneath the glass. Any remedies?
ellen 01/20/08	The top has heating elements under the glass. On some brands they are replaceable, on some they are not. In any case to clean the underneath of the top, you have to remove it, which is doable but quite difficult. Sorry there is no easy solution to these problems.
betsy 01/30/08	I have read almost all the above comments, but not 100% sure still if a flat bottomed, seasoned cast iron skillet can be used or not on the ceramic glass. We havent installed ours yet, but i am begining to dread it already after reading all the cons above. Most of my pots/pans will work, but I know I will need to replace several "favorites" O NO!!!!
ellen 01/30/08	A seasoned flatbottom iron skillet will work, but you must be careful not to slide or drag it.
Kathryn 02/01/08	Hi Ellen - Thanks for all this info on glass cooktops. Sadly, I have one and cannot replace it just yet. I was wondering why you recommend against using a heat diffuser? I was told it would help with my pots/pans that do not have a perfectly flat bottom. Some of my pans have the manufacturers logo stamped deeply into the bottom. The bottom of my pasta pot curves up slightly into the pot. These never seem to heat well. The pasta pot in particular is useless - it will not maintain a boil. But I have been using the diffuser for several months now on my largest eye and it seems to help. Nothing bad has happened to stovetop or pot yet. Is it going to hurt my cooktop eventually? The diffuser is a totally flat heavy disc of some kind of metal. Many thanks for your help, Kathryn
ellen 02/03/08	It sounds like you have the usual problems with your top. The only reason I say don't use a diffuser is that the manufacturers say don't, and if you are under warranty and it cracks with a diffuser in us, it could void your warranty. If it is out of warranty, then it is up to you, but I would not leave a pot on a diffuser on one of these tops if I were going to be out of the kitchen.
betsy 02/05/08	I posted a note on the "pots & pans sizes" thread. If anyone interested in a NEW , uninstalled Kitchenaid cer/gls cooktop, go to that thread or email me @ bdyounger@comcast.net for details. If this is not allowed, let me know Ellen!!
Marilyn 02/06/08	I am so glad I found this site Ellen, thanks!!If nothing else, now I know that I haven't abused my Whirlpool ceramic cooktop. It seems like the smoother and prettier they get, the more prone to all these problems. It was good advice to suggest that anyone thinking about a ceramic cooktop find a way to try one out first. Had I known about the dangers I would not have traded in my coils! Has anyone heard of any recalls? Except for the few lucky owners, it seems like all these glass cooktops have the same faults. My sister has an older Kenmore cooktop but not the shiny glass look and hers has stood up much better than my smooth glass one, and she does all the bad things to it!! Thanks again!
betsy 02/12/08	On EBay I have a Kitchenaid 30" NEW glass/ceramic cooktop for sale, warranty until 2011, never installed. If anyone interested just search under : cooktops glass ceramic. Thanks!! This is a great site, but we just have changed our kitchen remodel plans and wont be using it. my ebay listing is under name: summerhill4 HAPPY COOKING!
jeremy 02/16/08	Our Maytag black ceramic top stove just has developed some marks on one of the burners. It is like the black coating as been worn away. Any ideas as to why this has happened? Is there any way I can fix it? Thanks
Jessica 02/25/08	This weekend thanks to my dog, my enamel teapot melted onto one of my glasstop burners-(dog jumped up and hit burner on) :( Stove is 2yrs old- (dog is only 1, and may not see 2 if he keeps it up!) JK! Anyways, after cooling down burner, I picked up teapot and the enamel fused right into glasstop, and when I tried to remove it, big chips of the stovetop came with it... Can not afford new stove...can I safely use other burners...(they are fine) And, what would happen if I were to use damaged burner,,, or rest a hot pan on this burner (burner would be off) please advise....thank you! signed,,, very depressed dog owner!
ellen 02/25/08	Jeremy, if you read through, you will see it is not very fixable. Jessica, you can replace just the glass. You can use the other burners. Do not use or put anything on the other burner- you are asking to crack the whole top.
Barbara 02/27/08	Can anyone tell me what causes cloudy areas to appear on a black ceramic cooktop? I have been using the cooktop cleansing cream with a nylon pad-- just like I was told to do. Could I be pressing too hard? Should I just be using paper towels? We just got this range in December!
ellen 02/28/08	You are not doing anything wrong. You can try for replacement since you are still under warranty, but this is a common problem. Try the Mr Clean eraser sponge, your nylon pad may be too coarse.
russ 03/09/08	hi , i have a black with white specks glass top whirlpool range and on 1 of the burners there is a deep circular stain that will not come off it looks like the specks have burned off or something they are faint , is this a stain? or what. any help would be appreciated . thanks
ellen 03/10/08	Sorry to tell you this is a chronic defect with these tops, and just about impossible to fix- you will see it discussed on several of the ceramic top threads.
jk8n 03/16/08	Ellen, if only I'd read your repeated warnings against these glass cooktops before I bought a Jennair downdraft. After only a few months, a chip appeared on a back burner that I never use. I was outraged to learn that Jennair's 5 year warranty only covers a crack from a bad thermal sensor! Also, the burner knobs turn with the slightest touch, and, of course, when you're cooking you're brushing against them constantly. This happened to the other back burner with the enamel tea kettle on top (and with the whistle top flipped up). I discovered it only after it boiled out and melted to the glass top. And don't get me started on the constant specialized care required to keep it clean, or the very limited cookware you can use (which excludes most of what I already own). Recently a friend asked my opinion about whether she should buy a ceramic cooktop. I told her they're wonderful and look great as long as you never cook on them! I can't afford to replace a practically new and expensive range, but since I plan to move next year, I will take the advice given here and replace the top myself when the house goes on the market - and ban anyone from using it! Thanks to this list for letting me know that it's not just me. These glass cook tops should come with a warning: "For use only by compulsive cleaners, and those with lots of free time, no kids, and unlimited funds to buy new cookware." I MISS MY OLD SEALED GAS BURNERS!!
Diane 03/23/08	I have had my black GE radiant downdraft cooktop for two and a half years. I use all of my cookware, although the curved bottoms of some pans may slow down cooking time, and warped bottoms allow the pans to spin around, it is all good. I also use a pressure cooker. I do try to remember that it is glass and will scratch if pan bottoms and glass top are not free of abrasive bits. I accidentally heated an empty teakettle, and fused it right to the surface, causing it to crack when it cooled. My one year warranty was up, but GE will cover "thermal shock" for five years - and the example they use is that of a pot boiling dry.They also cover discoloring or the pattern wearing off. Of course the customer service rep did not volunteer this information when I called. The rep told me that my one year warranty was up, and I said "but it says in the manual that thermal shock is covered", and he said "Oh, ok, the technician will be out next week to replace it." I can tell all of you who want to replace it yourself, that it took the guy about ten minutes tops.
Dottie D 03/23/08	My cooktop has one space where the pattern is wearing off. It still cooks perfectly, but is unsightly. Is there any way it can be resurfaced?
ellen 03/23/08	No, but as the writer just above says, it may be covered for up to 5 years under your warranty.
Jim L 04/19/08	We bought a home with a 7 year old Kitchen Aid glass top range. It has been great for the past 2 years. We cooked for several hours one day for a large gathering and noticed the next day the top was cracked. The repair people insist we dropped something on it, otherwise it would not break. We did not drop anything, so why did it break?
ellen 04/19/08	It is called thermal shock and probably resulted from having all the burners in use with different size pans for hours. You are basically way out of warranty, even for thermal shock; start thinking about a new range.
fran 04/25/08	I purchased a glass top range which came with a griddle. The sales person told me it was for cooking on the glass top. The book just showed a picture of the griddle with a convection rack. This griddle has ridges on the bottom and the convection rack fits under it. I know the griddle is not for the glass top but I don't know how it works in the oven. Why would the griddle come with it's own convection rack.
ellen 04/25/08	Good for you reading the book! With the ridges, iy would be a mess on the top. P am not familiar with this- maybe readers can help.
luna 04/25/08	My ceramic cooktop problems To Ellen, After I cleaned my ceramic cooktop today, I found a small surface which has white color comes out in 2mm (width) and 1mm (length). It is not on the element directly but it is so close to one element. I am not sure it is crack or scratch. I just bought the range 4 months ago. Is that in guarantee? Is that danger? I am so worrying about this problem surface. will become bigger.
ellen 04/26/08	If you bought it new four months ago you should still be in warranty. Call the store where you bought it and ask for a visit.
Nerissa 05/11/08	ceramic cooktop Issues I have been using my Kenmore Elite Electric Range with the 6-9-12 radiant elements, and suddenly today after I turned off the element, it appeared to be off, but when I came back the element was glowing red!!! Even though the control panel stated it was off and it displayed the 'surface is hot' warning, but despite all of that, the element was glowing RED! I had to turn the range off at the breaker box, in order to sleep, please help!
ellen 05/12/08	You are not crazy. It has a sensor, which has clearly died. You need a repairman!
Jane Rockwell 05/17/08	Revere Ware that has melted the material between I put potatoes on to cook in my revere ware pan. They went dry and the potatoes burned SLIGHTLY. My husband came to the kitchen and took the pan off the burner. The bottom layer came off and the "between" layer had melted and splatered all over the kitchen floor, (like fire works) burning several holes in it. This set of Revere Ware was a gift before we were married and has been used for over 53 years. This is the second pan that the middle layer has melted on. My question ---- Should I discontinue using the other pots? Will this continue to happen? What do you recommend I do? I am so thankful that no one was injuried when this happend.
ellen 05/17/08	Copper bottoma are the problem. You can use the new stainless ones.
Lana 06/06/08	My set is the 17 piece Farberware Classic. Stainless Steel with Aluminum CORE....is that OK?
ellen 06/06/08	Has been used successfully by other readers.
margie 06/06/08	Please somebody tell me I did not make a mistake purchasing my GE Profile Glass Top stove. So far, I am enjoying it, but after reading some of these blogs I am a bit afraid I made a mistake.
Brad 06/06/08	No Margie, you didn't make a mistake. If you follow the directions, have the proper cookware, and use the cleaning cream after EVERY use, there's no need to worry. I see a lot of people using smoothtops are either careless cooks, don't have the right cookware, or simply skipping the daily cleaning routine of the cooktop. Also, sugary spills or any type of high sugar foods like fudge, icing, jam, honey, etc, needs to be wiped up IMMEDIATELY to avoid damaging the glass. Once the spillover has become a hardened resin, it will be virtually impossible to remove, and will likely damage or pit the glass when you try and scrape it off. Other than that small caveat, I've had no problems. Unless you're really into making a lot of candies or confections, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. Enjoy your new range, but treat it with it care!
ellen 06/07/08	And don't6 store or hang anything above it (clock, pans, cans, etc) that could chip or crack it if it drops, and do not lend it to a careless housesitter...
Donna Johnson 06/09/08	I was making a sauce for a rhubarb dessert and the pan with sugar, water, and cornstarch boiled over. After it cooled, I am unable to get it all over. Is it possible that this could have permanently damaged the surface of this burner. It almost appears pitted. Can I used some chemical to dissolve this buildup since it is not reacting to scrubbing or a razor blade?
ellen 06/10/08	Yes. For some reason, sugary spills are particularly destructive. I recommend that you wipe them up just as soon as they are cool enough to touch, not wait until they cool. You can try dishtowels soaked in white vinegar placed overnight, but don't hold your breath, particularly if you have used/reheated the burner since it happened.
Brad 06/10/08	Ellen, I don't think it's the actual sugar that causes the problem, I think it's due to the fact that once the sugar dries, it's like a glue that bonds to the glass. Anyone's who worked with sugary deposits--glasstop or not--will tell you they are a bugger to clean off...
Deborah 06/29/08	Ellen, I have had my Fridgidaire radiant top range for a year and a half and I LOVE IT! It does get much hotter than my previous electric range and I had to learn how to cook all over again. But I havn't had any problems with it. Most of my cookware is heavy gauge stainless steel, but I do use 2 aluminum pressure cookers on it and have not experienced any of the problems mentioned above. If there are any spills after using, I allow the cooktop to completely cool, then clean immediately with glass cooktop cleaner.{Bon Ami powder also works}. I never allow burnt on food to remain on the stove and it only takes a few minutes to clean. My stove still looks as good as it did the day it was installed. I have prepared many large meals on it and I cook every day. It is best not to pre-heat pans as they can get hotter than usual without food in them. I wouldn't have any other kind of cooktop.
Karen 06/30/08	Wow! I'm a gourmet cook, and have coveted these easy-clean ranges for years, but wasn't able to afford one. Thanks to this website, I realize this is another thing like caviar, scotch, escargot and a host of other things, that when I find out more about them, I find that poverty isn't all bad. I like to minimize work when possible, but I'll never be so lazy as to put up with all the negative and limiting factors of these ceramic topped stoves. Get a hot plate to cook as you like, indeed! Ridiculous that one should pay extra to have to resort to college dorm tactics. I'm certainly glad this negative experience was vicarious. Thanks for saving me a lot of hard-earned money.
barb 06/30/08	grease fire melted paint I have a new duel-fuel gas top fridgidaire stove. My son had a little fire with some grease and the paint melted on the outside ridge of the cook top. Is there any way to repair this?
ellen 06/30/08	Auto shops sell a paint good to 600 degrees, good to paint engines. Don't even TRY to touch up with regular craft-type paints. Today I also had an email from another ceramic top mom whose son messed up her top. If you have family members who want to cook cook on these tops, and you value their appearance, you have to TEACH them how to use it and clean it.
Jenna 07/05/08	Hello, and thank you for this information! I have been cooking on a black glass-top stove for about 1.5 years. Due to some health concerns, I am thinking about replacing my non-stick pans with cast iron. I understand that as long as the bottom is completely flat, you think this would be fine (as long as I don't move the pan, and I keep the bottom of the pan clean and rust-free)? But, could the weight be a problem? The pan I am considering is 12-inches diameter and 3.25-inches deep -- it weighs 15 lbs (and I'm not sure if that weight includes the cast-iron lid). What do you think? Also, I'll have to order the pan; are they generally flat when new (and warp with age/abuse)?
ellen 07/05/08	The cast iron-ness or the weight are not the big issues, they are OK, but the size and shape must be considered. Do you have a 10 or preferably 11 inch burner? The pot/pan bottom should be not more than 1 inch larger than the burner for best operation. Some cast iron pans are cast with a ring around the bottom, only about 1/8 of an inch, but enough to make them useless on these tops. They usually warp because of overheating/ cooking dry, or from dropping.
Jenna 07/05/08	Thank you! I do have an 11-inch burner, and I will find out if the bottom of the pan is flat. If it IS, is it okay to heat the pan on high, just to prepare to sear something? (I understand that forgetting about the pan can lead to problems...) And I've read that cast iron can cause discoloration of the cooktop. Is that due to rust or moving the pan, or something else? I appreciate your help!
ellen 07/06/08	No one I know of recommends heating these burners above medium high, or EVER heating an empty pan. I have only seen them used on black cooktops, so I can't speakl to discoloration.
guillermina 07/07/08	Frigidarie Classic Series Glass Top Dear Ellen, There seems to be a crack on the top of the glass is it safe to use the stove? The crack is near the burner.I would appreciate your help...Thank You.
ellen 07/07/08	It WILL crack all the way and eventually have to have the top replaced. In the meantime, do not use the affected burner and do not spill any liquid in or around the crack. Although the manufacturer does not recommend using any burner on a cracked top, I have seem it done often- just NOT the affected burners.
Bonnie 07/08/08	I had rhubarb boil over on my ceramic cooktopand of course it burned on before I could get it cleaned up as element too hot. How can I remove this safely from my stovetop? Please respond ASAP. Thank-you
ellen 07/08/08	First, cover overnight with a wet dish towel with white vinegar and try your regular cleaning with a new razor blade when it softens up. If that is not sufficient, turn it to the VERY LOWEST heat and let the heat soften, then turn off and carefully scrape all you can get. It may take several rounds. DON'T heat/ cook on the burner till you do your clean-up.
Yvette 07/10/08	Hi Ellen. I just chipped/cracked me Jenn Air smooth cooktop. It is right under the name on the bottom. It is mostly chipped and has fine crushed glass, but it also has a small crack. I am afraid to use this in fear it will crack completely. I read these posts and will try the epoxy. My question is, will the epoxy keep the crack from spreading? Replacement won't happen, my hubby is upset with me.
ellen 07/11/08	Yvette, replacement will happen; eventually, or you will just get to stop cooking when the top cracks! Sorry for the trouble, but this is a known risk with these tops and to get upset about it is a waste of energy. Be sure to vacuum out all the dust/chips before trying any repair. Just use it until it cracks all the way, not using any burner at/ near the crack and NOT SETTING ANY HOT DISHES OR PANS ON OR NEAR THE CRACK.
Joanna 07/14/08	GE Profile: the word from the experts I just purchased a GE Profile radiant range. It wasn't until I had the unit home that I discovered the recommendation about using flat bottomed pots. I called the GE Customer Service department and asked about this recommendation. It took three people before I could get an answer. No one seemed to know anything about this! In the end, I was assured that the flat bottomed pot recommendation is just that, a recommendation, and it's only to ensure even heating. I was told that ridged pots will not harm the stove, and using them will not void the warranty. Perhaps the older models do not have the "temperature limiter", which turns the burner off automatically when the glass gets too hot?
ellen 07/14/08	Joanna, my experience is that the non-flat pans do not heat evenly or quickly, are harder to adjust the heat on, and do not trigger the temperature limiter as well. It may not void the warranty, but it does add to the already ample headache potential.
Heidi 07/23/08	I purchased an LG black glass cooktop stove last year in September. I finally got the hang of using it. I recently purchased a 10" cast iron skillet because I've always wanted one. I've used it several times and love it. However, last Sunday I used it to cook chicken on the big burner. I put the lid on the pan to let the chicken cook. When I took the lid off, moisture and some grease dripped off and underneath the pan on the hot burner. When the stove cooled, I used the CB cleaner to get off the grease and burned on food. But now I have a cloudy ring on that burner. When I run my hand over it, it is perfectly smooth to the touch. When I use the CB and pad, it feels like there is something there. I tried scraping it with the scraper but nothing came off. I have scrubbed and scrubbed. It sort of looks like it might be fading. I went back to Home Depot to talk to the salesman and he said it sounded like it just needed to be cleaned. Is the burner damaged? My owner's manual didn't say anything about not using cast iron, just that cookware had to be flat. Does writing on the bottom count? I have used this pan on another burner and had no problem. I don't scoot the pans across the stove so there aren't scratches, just the cloudy ring. Can I use my stove?
ellen 07/23/08	This fading has happened to other readers. Yes, you can use the stove. It may not be fixable.
jimmy nickle 07/24/08	I hate my smooth cook top. We recieved it as a wedding gift. It looks awesome, but we cook a lot of home made meals that require some time and it is not ideal. It boils water faster than anything I've ever had, which is great. I would much rather prefer gas. Next time you go out to eat in a restaraunt with an open kitchen check out what they are using.
Brad 07/25/08	Jimmy, You're entitled to your opinion, but my smoothtop has outperformed MANY a gas range that I've ever used. Gas is fine for restaurants, but not necessary for domestic use. Besides being dirty, I also found gas ranges are terrible at simmering and can't boil beans... Trust me, I cooked on a $6000 Viking and found it to be the biggest disappointment! For what it's worth, Consumer Reports advises to steer clear of those "pro" ranges. They aren't what they're cracked up to be... Interestingly enough, in test after test, year after year, electric ranges always came out on top of their testing scores... Maybe you received a defective stove? I cook from scratch too, using all sorts of different pots/pans, and I've never encountered a problem... I have to admit, smoothtops aren't for everyone, especially careless cooks or those with cheap cookware... That stuff is no good on these stoves. Sorry you're dissatisfied...
Brad 07/25/08	Heidi, Sounds like you've got the infamous "hard water" stain that plagues many smoothtop users in hard water locations. I've got a water softener here, so these were never an issue for me. Did you try using some vinegar? Soak a paper towel with pure vinegar, and let it sit on the stain for about an hour. If that doesn't do the job, go and get the blue 3M NO SCRATCH scrub pad, and some Cerama-Bryte or Weiman's cooktop creme. It might take a lot of elbow grease, but it SHOULD come out unless the glass has been mysteriously damaged in some way... I've used cast-iron skillets on my Frigidaire without any issues. As long as it's flat-bottomed, no ridges or embossed designs, it shouldn't present any problem. Also, make sure the bottom is CLEAN and not gummed-up with grease or oil. Just be careful to not move the pan around much once you've set it down on the cooking zone. Let me know if this solution works for you...
Kim 08/04/08	I have a glass top stove. Yesterday out of nowhere there was a huge crack across it after cooking noodles. I had not noticed it before hand and doubt I could have missed it. The worst part of the crack however is in between two burners as if something fell there, but it didnt. The crack through front burner and back are hairline type crack and it goes completely from front to back of stove. The part that is worst is in between and actually raised up some as if something dropped there. I am trying to figure out if this could have been caused by heat. The pot I was using I had used before but it does have upraised squares on bottom of pot. Is it likely there was already a hairline crack and then it got worse? But why the big impact looking spot where nothing was? Baffled
ellen 08/04/08	Not a flat pot and bigger than the burner by a lot? This can cause a spontaneous crack, it is called thermal shock and some manufacturers cover it for replacement for up to 5 years, but it does not say so in the consumer booklet. The "impact spot" is the center of the heat fracture. DO NOT CALL IT THIS WHEN YOU ARE TRYING FOR A REPLACEMENT OR THEY WILL ASSUME YOU DID DROP SOMETHING, which is NOT covered. DO NOT use any burner which has any cracking across it.
julie 09/04/08	I am so glad to find this website. My ceramic cooktop (GE profile)was installed in May and has me baffled and ticked off. First, despite spending 100s of dollars on all new calphalon pans, and being so careful never to slide pans, I am getting numerous scratches. Second, two of my burners (same side) have cloudy areas, with "ghosted" images of prior spills (that did clean up) The spills were boiling over of pasta, and milk. I wipe spills up right away, and clean with Ceramabrite after each use. (yes, I am a rules oriented person) Tech was just here, and had no explanation for either scratches or cloudy problem which he claimed "never to have seen before". He is getting a replacement top for me. But I do not know what else to do to prevent this happening again so... Anyone had the cloudy and "ghosting" problem, and most importantly know what causes it and how to prevent it? Any advice on how to prevent scratches? I will say that despite some of my expensive pans sarting out flat, with heat, the bigger ones bow a bit - was calphalon a poor choice even though it says it works for these tops? Thanks-- I am really frustrated, and even the prospect of a new top (after only 4 mos) has not eased my worry about this.
ellen 09/04/08	This ghosting is discussed on all the threads about these tops. Yes, pans that warp with heat are a problem on these tops- you could try a lower heat- I NEVER turn them above medium high when I am forced to use them. You got lucky with the new top. Not all sellers will replace. Pet them well and be sure to have the extended warranty.
John 09/07/08	I was replacing the vent fan with a microwave above our Maytag ceramic/glass stove top which has been cover with plastic trash bags for protection. One of the burners accidently was turned on and the plastic trash bag partially melted on the burner. How can the plastic be removed or the cook top cleaned without destroying my wife's beloved cook top?
Joan 09/07/08	Was looking for advice on using cast iron on cooktop. Sounds risky. I have had the stove for 4.5 years, and the top still looks great. It is a Schott ceran from Whirlpool. I did have to replace my Revereware with Cuisinart stainless. The set was only $130, and there are often open stock pieces for sale in TJ Max. I also use the non-stick fry pan with no problem. I did melt a plastic bag on the stove, but was able to clean it with a plastic scraper and cooktap cleaner. I always clean the top after every use, usually just with soap and water. I think it's easier to clean than other stoves - no places for grease to accumulate, or drip trays to remove. The top is not solid black - it is a flecked pattern, so maybe that is less problematic for discoloration issues. I much prefer the ceramic cooktop to the old style electric range - heat control is much more sensitive, and cooking is a lot faster.
ellen 09/08/08	John, glad your stove has worked for you. As advised elsewhere on the threads, equip yourself with a new scraper or razor blade, turn the burner to the lowest possible heat just long enough to soften the plastic, turn of, and carefully scrape until it is clean or cools down. Repeat as often as needed until clean. Joan, cast iron is fine if it is perfectly flat bottom and clean on the outside, and you remember NOT to slide it around, as the heavier weight can contribute to scratching.
Allison K Mulgrew 09/15/08	Hi Ellen. Here's my question/dilema..I want to start canning fruits and vegtables (to make jellies/jams, etc.) but my mom has a glass/ceramic stove top. In all my googling I read that the best way to do this is a water bath canning method but then I can't find any pots that will work without my mom killing me for ruining her stove.... Please help!!!!! Thank you! allie :)
ellen 09/15/08	Buy a hotplate. Waterbath is not safe for most vegetables and some fruits, you need a pressure cooker for these. It is OK for many jams and jellies.
Ken Greby 09/18/08	I have a Whirlpool stove, Model RF364PXPQ1, with 4-burner Ceran surface. I badly cracked the surface through one of the heating areas by leaving an unattended teapot on it. The whole top will need to be replaced by me (it's in a rental) eventually. I don't use the cracked area, just the other three. How long can I continue this? Is there an electrocution risk for liquids penetrating the cracked top? Any idea on replacement costs for this model? Thanks much-- Ken.
ellen 09/18/08	The replacement runs 2/300 to way up depending on who installs it and the cost of the top itself. You might be better off just to buy it at the end of the contract and donate it for a tax write off to a local charity. Yes it is important not to get any liquids down the top cracks and not to use the cracked area. Readers have continued to use the unaffected burners for a long time...
Ken Greby 09/18/08	Ellen-- Thanks much for the info. Ken.
faith canali 09/26/08	I have a crack on my front burner that is now going to the back burner..my stove is 4 years old. I have been cooking on this for at least 4 months now. Why aren't you supposed to?
ellen 09/27/08	Because when you cook on the cracked burner it tends to spread to the adjacent burner and because boil-overs/ spills that get under the glass can ruin ALL the burners.
faith 09/27/08	your right Ellen, I ordered the part on repair.com. it was only 215 plus 2nd day shipping. Is it hard to install?
ellen 09/27/08	On one of the threads there is an instruction from someone who did it. Different brands vary, be sure to UNPLUG the stove before you do the job.
ellen 09/27/08	Here is a website to help: forums.partselect.com/ Go to the range repair section.
faith 09/29/08	repairclinic.com This is the best site!
faith 09/29/08	my brand is a maytag..it looks rather easy. My daughter is going to help me put it in.
faithy 09/30/08	my oven door is discolored the top part from using the self cleaning oven..any suggestions on how to clean it? Thanks:) and is soft scrub ok to use on glass top
ellen 09/30/08	Don't know, and no, soft scrub sometimes has larger particles of scouring powder which can scratch the top.
Karyn 10/08/08	ceramic cooktop base under gas burners I got rid of my electric ceramic cooktop stove after only a couple of years because I hated cleaning it - LOTS of elbow grease that still left faint shadows on the cooktop (it never looked completely clean no matter how hard I tried). I switched over to gas (which I love!) however, due to configuration issues, and......unbeknownst to me, I ordered and got a gas burner stove with a ceramic base - yuk! Now I'm back to really having to use elbow grease to get this thing clean - I feel like I'm waxing a car. Have there been any new developments or products to make this job easier?
karen 10/12/08	i have a kitchen aid glass cook top and was looking to buy a pressure cooker. while researching pressure cookers, i came across a line that said not to be used on glass/flat top surfaces. does this translate that i can not use a pressure cooker (t-fal sensor 2) on my cooktop? thanks.
ellen 10/13/08	Yes, they arenot recommended, the reasons are discussed in the variousceramic cooktop threads.
cathy 10/22/08	What are the threads that you mention?
Amy 10/22/08	After cooking with sugar I noticed several pits on my glass cook top. Is is safe to continue using the burner? Will it eventually crack? Thanks for your time.
Yan 11/08/08	My glass ceramic cooktop has been used for aboout 8 years. Currently I noticed that the part of the sealant aroud the glass (actually between the glass and the stainless steel frame) is broken. Can I use the silicone sealant to repair it? Is there any specific sealant for the cooktop?
ellen 11/09/08	You need a heat resistant sealant. heck out your automotive store.
Naomi 11/23/08	I am looking for a stove top cover for my glass ceramic cook top, so I can use it for extra counter top space. I see them for gas and electric, but have not seen one ofr the Glass Ceramic Glass top stoves. Anyone know of where I could purchase one?
viola 11/27/08	I'm searching for a heat diffuser to use on a glass ceramic stovetop. I have Le Creuset pots and also soapstone pot and soapstone pan. Le Creuset works just fine on my glass ceramic stovetop but I hesitate to use soapstone pot and pan because I need a diffuser. I found a copper heat diffuser but I have heard that it's not ok to use copper on a glass ceramic stovetop. The manufacturer (of the copper diffuser) claims that it won' t harm the stovetop. I am totally confused. HELP!
ellen 11/27/08	Naomi, you are not the first person looking for this, and nobody had one yet. I have put a big cutting board on it as a temp cover. Viola, I NEVER use diffusers on these stoves. I have seen a copper bottom revere pot fuse to a burner...
Viola 11/27/08	Thank you, Ellen! Here's another question: is it OK to use the soapstone pan which is much larger in diameter than any of four burners? It is also said that the soapstone pan " to be used ONLY in the oven or on the STOVETOP WITH A DIFFUSER".
ellen 11/27/08	If you use a pan much bigger than the burner, you risk cracking the top. The diffuser is used for a regular stove to protect the very large pan from getting way too hot in one place over the heating element and splitting.
Donna 11/30/08	my 14 year old daughter was cooking marshmellow on my fisher and paykel ceramic glass cooktop it has black glass she left the mixture of sugar, water and gelatine on the stove and let it boil over it burnt on to the cook top so i used the scrapper to get most of it of but now have a bubbly ridge effect not deep though not that it matters i guess can anyone give me any ideas or solutions on how to fix it i am desperate this is in a new home
ellen 11/30/08	Oh, I am sorry for you and yor daughter! Hot sugar is about the worst on these tops, and does cause permanent changes on the glass, especially if the burner is used again before every bit is off the top. None of my readers have had any luck with this. If you read up this thread, there is info on replacing the glass- it is about the only option. In the meantime, use this burner as little as possible and never above medium to medium high heat, to avoid cracking the top.
Victoria 12/08/08	my daughter has a glass top black ceramic stove, I put a small pan of water on to boil and forgot it, when I remembered all the water was gone and when taking the pan up all the coating came off with the pan is there any way to repair this?
ellen 12/08/08	I am so sorry to tell you that the only choice besides leaving it as is, is to replace the wholw glass sheet.
photo_chick 12/10/08	I've been cooking on a ceramic cook top for 8 years now. I come here and find all these thing's I'm not supposed to do that I've been doing... but the only problem I'm just now having is one small spot on it where my beloved scooted the pizza stone on it. I use cheap cookware from Walmart.. I've found it heats the best. I used to use Tfal and a few other higher end pots on it and they never work well. I use cast iron on it all the time, as long as you don't scoot it your good. I've treated it horrible badly when it comes to cleaning... my tool of choice is a magic eraser and it works great. No scratches, no discoloration, no damage to the cooktop. I've melted plastic, sugar and many other things on this thing.. and it's still working and looking great for me. No stains form these things. I've never boiled a pot dry on it though... so I can't attest to that. I totally understand the reasons professional cooks don't use them, they are not as accurate to control the heat as a gas stove, but they are as good as any electric I've used. For the average housewife who is cooking for her family they are wonderful in my book. Just use a little common sense and don't scoot a pizza stone across it.
mollymom 12/22/08	I have a ceramic top on my GE stove and would like to know if it's okay to use a preseasoned iron steamer with porcelin inside and out?
Laura 12/23/08	I have a brand new Whirlpool stove. We've used it 3 times. I'm noticing that there seem to be places where the black is coming off...it's not like a stain from food, it's more like the color is dissolving? I use Calphalon Hard Anonized pans. In our last house, I have a glass stove as well and these pans never caused any problems. What's going on?
ellen 12/23/08	Different brand of stove, different water with different minerals. Disappearing color is one of the most common complaints on ALL the ceramic cook top threads. Read 'em and weep.
pam 12/28/08	just purchased a used GE Profile ceramic top that already had a big crack in it. I did not know much about this before and was told it was still ok to use by the seller. I'll use the non-cracked area for awhile before I would consider buying a new top. This site has been VERY informative.
Jenny 12/29/08	A teakettle was left on and burned itself dry. It appears to have burnt into the burner leaving what appears to be small pits in the burner (approximately a millimeter deep). Can the burner still be safely used?
ellen 12/29/08	Oh, Jenny, that is disappointing! You can use this burner, but the less you use it, the less likely the top is to crack. I would never turn it above medium; one of the things that happens when the burner overheats is that the thermostat can be affected.
Lisa 12/30/08	Help we are so confused. Just installed a FCI electric cooktop with the Schott ceran top and have no idea what kind of pans to buy. We don't cook alot, I just thought the stove was pretty and I love the fact it has no knobs, only touch keys. Now I'm a little freaked out by all of the blogs. If anybody has any pan suggestions, please be specific-name brands and styles. We just spent 2 hours looking and hearing spiels from sales associates-I don't even know what language they were speaking. We are tired of eating out and want to use our new stove. Thank you!!
ellen 12/30/08	Lisa, the Schott glass seems to be a better top than most brands. You just need a perfectly flat bottom pan that won't warp when heating. Several brands are discussed and recommended in these threads.
Donna 01/14/09	ceramic cooktop cracked I have a lightly used glass cooktop range that my tenant reported to be cracked. The range is 6 years old - but most years the place was empty for 8 months a year. Could this crack have been a natural event or do these cracks generally come from abuse, accident, or dropped items?
ellen 01/14/09	Donna, as you will see if you look at the several threads, these definitely can occur spontaneously, without any error on the cook's part. It is also easy for folks who are not used to them to make mistakes, they really are different from regular stove tops. If I had a rental property, I definitely would NOT put a smooth top range in. If concerned about cleanup, consider a closed element electric.
Hammer 01/16/09	I have a cermic cooktop & I was boiling water & let the pan go dry making a very black ring on the cooktop. I was boiling water in a pan with a copper bottom. I tried to clean as much as possible off with cermic cleaner & razor blade but it seems to not working. Can anyone help?
Barb 01/16/09	I'd like to know what brand of stove photo-chick has. Long ago I had a ceramic top that could take a beating. It came with the house and I can't remember what it was. These newer ones are too fragile. The only thing I had happen to that one was that I put an empty glass pot on the hot stovetop and it exploded. I just got a Kenmore and I can tell it is not nearly as sturdy.
ellen 01/17/09	Hammer, that is the biggest risk of the copper bottom pots. Turn it on the very lowest heat and keep scraping. Barb, yes, folks who write "you dummy" messages tell us a lot about the state of their own hearts.
char 01/17/09	does it damage the oven in my kitchen stove by turning it on to '200 degrees' & running it empty? We've had some bitterly cold nights lately & I do this to help the kitchen sink water pipes from freezing.
ellen 01/20/09	It is much less expensive and easier on the oven to run a small space heater in front of the opened sink cabinet.
Karen 01/30/09	I have ruined my good porcelain stockpot and dutch oven trying to simmer on my glass cooktop (came with the house.) Is there a particular diffuser that works best on this (bleeped) cooktop? I'm ready to just invest in some 8 & 12 quart double-boilers for simmering stews & such. Also, for Char & others worried about pipes freezing (especially when the power goes out): heat some bricks in the fireplace, wrap in cloth or put in buckets or pans & place near pipes. My dad suggested this when my power was out - it was how they kept their feet warm before cars had heaters!
ellen 01/31/09	NO!!! Diffusers make the ceramic cook tops completely crazy- ruin the thermostats. Keep the heat below medium high for enamel pans.
NewUserCeramicCooktp 02/01/09	I have a Black GE Ceramic cooktop. For some of those stains that appear to be within the surface of the cooktop: Try a regular disposable white plastic knife. Hold firmly with both hands. Use small short motions. Takes a lot of wrist and elbow action. It's a slow process, but it worked for me. I was afraid that anything else would scratch. I've learned alot from this forum and I am glad to know that I can try a razor blade if the plastic knife doesn't work.
Frustrated 02/18/09	Spontaneous crack The other night I heard a pop that sounded like glass snapping. Went into the kitchen, didn't see anything glaringly broken so thought nothing of it. Found out last night that it was my stovetop! The burners weren't used that night and nothing dropped on it.... it literally cracked on its own in an empty kitchen. What makes this happen? Also, is it safe to use the stove (have guests coming over) and of course not the burners? Can you replace the entire top of the stove (is it one piece?) or do we have to get new individual elements for under the glass? ugh
Barb 02/18/09	Oh boy, I've heard this story before. I read on a repair site that sometimes there will be a tiny crack from something dropping on it or hitting against it and it causes stress. It can also happen to glass in the oven door. If the door shuts fast or hard it can cause a minute crack you would never see or even know was there. It causes stress in that area. After awhile it just can break ( or in the case of the oven door, explode). If you search online for repairs for the type of stove you have, you can ask someone. If you just need a stovetop, I am pretty sure it is just one piece.
ellen 02/19/09	Most of the ceramic top stoves have 4-5 individual, thermostatically controlled burners under a single ceramic top. On most brands, any one of these (burners or top) can fail and can be replaced individually. Several handy readers have described replacing some of the tops themselves. BE SURE THE STOVE IS COMPLETELY UNPLUGGED FROM THE WALL, not just turned off. Yes, you can use the oven while the top is out of commission.
Dave 02/19/09	We got a GE Profile black glass cooktop a week ago. Three issues: using Cerama-Bryte with their yellow pad left a dull spot on the burner area. I called CB and after explaining HOW I cleaned the area, the fellow thought it MIGHT be a defective batch of CB. He suggested cleaning with soap/water, dry, and clean with another bottle of CB that I had yet to open. I did what he said, but used a paper towel instead of the sponge, pressed far less hard than before, used a circular motion, and wiped til the haze disappeared. The dull area was slightly diminished (it's only noticeable with the overhead Halogen lights in the range hood turned on). It's very difficult to prevent pot/pan movement. When stirring/flipping, the pot/pan tends to move like it's on ice. After one week, we have a few small scratches and two pits in the surface. No sugary foods have been prepared on the stove. No bad boilovers. It just seems like the surface isn't all that tough. We got black because my wife had white years ago and claims that they can become discolored more readily than the black. In any case, the shiny black shows every speck of dust. sigh. I can only wonder what shape this thing will be in, a year or two from now. oh, besides CB, I have liquid Barkeepers Friend on hand. BF seems to me, to be more difficult to remove, than CB. All in all, the black glass top seems awfully fussy. On a positive note, the evenness of heat is superior to our previous range, an electric Kitchen Aid. It was a battle keeping it's stainless top spotless, and the reflectors...well, we replaced them several times. They looked ok for about a week or so. :)
ellen 02/19/09	Sounds like you are getting about par for the course. With things like barkeep's friend, you have to be VERY careful to completely rinse it after cleaning. The moving pans really do suggest that they are slightly warped once heated./ Check this out with a metal or metal edge ruler on the hot bottom.
Barb 02/19/09	Dave, my new pans that are not warped also move, skate across the top of my new black glasstop range. They all check out okay with the ruler test,and food cooks evenly; but they still move quite a bit. I think the top is just so slick! As far as cleaning, we got a couple of scratches, but with repeated cleaning ( or waxing as I like to say) they weren't as noticeable. Use that cleaner every day and it kind of builds up a protective coating. Once it is cleaned, I use a magic cloth to rub out all of the smudges and it will pick up all dust too. I have a Kenmore, but I think GE's glass top is supposed to be better quality.
Bruce 02/19/09	Dave, You realize you have to BUFF out the CB after it has dried to a haze? Use a paper towel or microfiber cloth and buff it out as you would if you were buffing off your car. THE CB is designed to clean AND protect the surface, but it must not be left on WITHOUT buffing it off first! As for the strength of the glass, ceran is a mechanically VERY strong material. It would literally have to take a blunt hit from a sharp or heavy object to destroy it. The ONLY other way it can crack is if the glass was somehow defective. Highly unlikely, but not unheard of. Scratches are usually the result of salt being spilled unto the cooktop, or dirty pots/pans. "Shaking" your cookware or sliding it back and forth across the surface(a bad habit we developed from our coil-element days) can also scratch and mar the cooktop. For what it's worth, my Frigidaire smoothtop is going on over a year old now. Still look and performs brand new as the day it was delivered...
Ron 02/20/09	We have a Maytag electric stove with a black glass ceramic top. I purchased online Amish popcorn and popcorn popper. Aluminum popper which literally fused to stove top and I can not get off. Any suggestions other than replacement. Cannot wait to go back to gas as this would never happen on a conventional gas top. Very poor choice of tops on our part.
Bruce 02/20/09	Ron, I find cooking popcorn on ANY type of range --gas or electric-- leaves a lot to be desired. Stick with the microwave for popcorn, or use an air-popper. As far as getting the aluminum off the cooktop, the scraper, some Cerama Bryte, a lot of elbow grease and a LOT of care and patience, is the right course of action. If that doesn't work, the only solution is replacing the top. BTW, popcorn that comes in those ready-to-use aluminum poppers carry specific warnings to NOT use them on ceramic cooktops...
ellen 02/20/09	Also, set the burner on the lowest possible heat and let the mess warm up before you try to scrape it.
Dave 02/21/09	Bruce, yup, I know about buffing the CB. I use a clean paper towel to remove the haze. The problem I encountered is that there is a permanent hazy spot where I concentrated my cleaning efforts with the CB and their yellow pad. thanks to all who responded. Dave
dan 02/23/09	I have a Kenmore Elite black glass cooktop and for the most part it is great! But, I have one problem that I can't figure out. I have had it for a year and 4 different times now it starts making a sizzling noise from inside the unit. It sounds like water sizzling. The noise lasts about a day on and off every couple minutes, then it disappears. I have not spilled anything on it or had any boil overs, just basic cooking when it occurs. Any ideas or theories???
Nalisnusa 02/24/09	New to this forum Hey, I am new to this forum, I am from the US and love figure skating.
sharon 02/25/09	Can I put a tempered glass acroo top top of the cermaic stove top, including the shoulder? The temp glass will be about 1/2" from ceramic surface. I want to protect the stove top. Thanks, Sharon Delray Beach, Fl
LISA 02/26/09	I was watching a TV progam and heard something about take a lid off a hot pan and setting on a ceramic cooktop, causes problems. Let when you go to pick it up, it blows a hole in the stove. I can't find any information. Does anyone know anything about it? Thanks for your help
LISA 02/26/09	if I could spell, someone might be able to help. Like when you go to pick it up, it blows a hole in the stove.
Barb 02/26/09	Yes, you can't put a lid on the stovetop. Something about the lid will create a vacuum and gets stuck on the stovetop. when you force it off, the stovetop will crack. this is the case with glass lids. I do not know about any other kind.
The Australians 03/02/09	Hi - I've just read over the whole thread, and have what may be an entirely different problem... The problem is that only 1 of the 4 burners works normally, the other 3 only provide very high heat - glowing red, whatever heat setting they are actually set on. For them, it's boil or nothing. It's a westinghouse black top stove, and we're very careful w/ cleaning and pan size now, but didn't used to be. Anyone had this problem? Do we have to buy new?
ellen 03/02/09	The burners are separate from the top. Each has an individual thermostatic control. It sounds like you have 3 that need to be replaced.
Bruce 03/02/09	I'll bet money on the switch. I've replaced so many of these darn things over the years. The technical term is "infinite heat switch". They do go bad after awhile as they tend to run hot. Call the manufacturer, or go to repairclinic.com and give them your model number. It's a very simple repair, about 10-15 minutes. Just make sure the range is unplugged before attempting to replace the switch. Do not forget this step. 240 volts can be lethal! Let me know if that solves your problem, and feel free to ask me.
hot_gospeler 03/22/09	I have a new GE cooktop and there are parts of the surface that are transparent. I can see areas of red crosshatch next to the large burner and in the corner. Should the cooktop have transparent areas? Is this a defect that can affect the longevity of the cooktop? thanks
ellen 03/22/09	I have never heard of transparent spots. Check with your seller.
Bruce 03/22/09	Not a defect, strictly a cosmetic issue that most likely happened during the manufacturing process. Unless the glass is cracked or otherwise physically damaged in someway, I wouldn't worry about it. Chances are it's perfectly fine. If it does cause you concern, give GE a shout and explain to them your dilemma. They may indeed determine the glass is defective and send out a replacement. Good luck!
Todd 04/02/09	Well, for my kitchen remodeling, I had done a little range research and last night I had purchased a GE Profile ceramic top slide in, and today I was just doing a little extra research after the fact and discovered this site. In the store I was a little wary about some of the requirements for the glass top... seemed like too much fuss, but I figured it would be easy to clean and I'd be careful about the rest. Anyway, after finding and reading through (most of) this thread today I realized I don't want something that you have to be so careful with. I hate high-maintenance, fragile things anyway, and I love my seasoned cast iron frying pans. So I went back this evening and changed my order to the GE Profile Dual-Fuel model instead. A little more cost, and I'll have to get extra gas lines run to my island (already have gas to the house), but I already know how to cook on gas and I don't want to sink all these thousands into the remodeling and be irritated at how ginger and super-attentive I'll have to be everytime I cook... just to save a few hundred dollars and try something new. I feel so much better. Even with the extra cost... That little nagging feeling I had in the store after buying the ceramic top... I'm certain now it would have grown into full blown rage at some point after buying new cookware and using that thing for a while. For those of you who love ceramics, you're not alone... I know several people personally who also love theirs, but the hoops they had to jump through to get used to it, and all they have to do to be careful with it... I realized it's just not for me. So thanks for all these posts, and a big thank you to Ellen for this site and the great job you do keeping it maintained and answering questions!
Todd 04/02/09	One correction: using the word "ginger" above, I meant "step lightly"... but I realize that's not the actual definition... so just doing a little grammar cleanup here.
MaryAnn 04/04/09	I've had a ceramic smoothtop for 8 years and am thankful that I haven't had any problems like the ones mentioned here. We are building a new house and thinking of using an Electrolux smoothtop 30" slide-in range with wave touch controls. This range also has a second smaller warmer/oven at the bottom. It really appears to be a desirable range, but I was wondering if anyone was familiar with it or has had any problems with the cooktop surface? Thanks in advance for any advice and thanks to you, Ellen, for such an informative site!
KelleyM 04/11/09	I got my new Frigidaire glass top last year - there aren't that many options out there for a good stove without the glass - and I hate it, hate it, hate it (and that was before today, when I cracked a burner!). The smallest burner, that I use to boil water for tea, goes hot-hot-hot UNTIL the water is ready to boil - then goes black... then red till the water is ALMOST ready to boil... then black - takes forever to boil a cup of water! Also on a 1-10 scale you'd think 5 was 'medium' heat - but it's actually 3! So, many scorched dinners... And now - I was boiling (too high) some water and baking soda in a pan (that had bacon cooking on '3' and burned it), the water evaporated and the glass cracked under the pan. Yes, I should have turned down the heat, AND I should have checked that under those bubbles the water had evaporated, but - UGH. Thanks for this site, and thanks for letting me know that I need to live with a cracked cooktop till I can afford yet another new stove... (this one, believe me, will NOT be a glass top)...
barb 04/20/09	I have had my glasstop now since December. I am liking it now. There were just some adjustments I had to make. Probably the hardest would be not being able to put a pan from the oven onto the top of the stove. I also worry about the others that live in the house not following the new rules - no sliding pans, no putting lids on stovetop etc. I do like how it cooks and it is so easy to clean! So, as of now I recommend getting one.
Dee 04/28/09	ceramic cooktop cracking We recently rented a place with a ceramic cooktop. It had a hairline crack in the corner when we moved in. It became worse at the edges after a about 6 months of using it. We never dropped or bashed it. Do they breakdown with age and has any one had cracking just happen? I am trying to find out the age of it also. The model is a Chef EHC640U - Doesn't anyone know how old it would be?
ellen 04/29/09	Yes they do break down with just age, and once even a small crack starts, the top is a goner. If you did not note this as an exception on your lease, you need to start negotiating this with the landlord; replacement of just the top is $2-500.
rich 05/17/09	are there hazards to cooking with a hard anodized pan or pot that has lost the color on the inside cooking surface?
ellen 05/17/09	No idea- depends I'm sure on how it was harmed. Suggest you check with the manufacturer. But any pot with this kind of trauma won't do as well as a new pot.
Carolyn Zaha 06/09/09	I have had a Frididage glass cooktop for 5yrs. Acutally I love it. Manufacture suggest no canners, but I can alabacore with an All American 940 Pressure Canner with no problems so far. I realize I do risk cracking the top since this canner is larger than the burner. Also the pressure holds better than on a gas stove and on previous coiled cooktop. This cooktop holds the pressure exact. I figure I have canned so much tuna that if it does crack I have my monies worth. Also I use Le Cruseut pan on this cooktop and they work great. I am not recommending canning or particular brand canner only it has worked for me.
Linda 06/11/09	I have a Kenmore black ceramic stovetop that came with the house we bought; it's about 4 years old. I just got a glass kettle to use to boil water. It came with a metal diffuser to be used on an electric range, but if I read the previous posts correctly, I should not use the diffuser. Is it OK to use the glass kettle without the diffuser; the bottom is flat. Thank you.
ellen 06/11/09	It would be good to check with the manufacturer, but this type kettle is used on the ceramic tops without difficulty. And correct, no diffuser.
Linda 06/12/09	Thanks, ellen. This is a very informative site. I was thrilled with the ceramic stovetop until I read the manual, that fortunately, the house seller still had. My biggest disappointment is not being able to use the wonderful well-seasoned cast iron that belonged to my mother. From this site I can see there are even more no-no's. Who needs an appliance that has to be babied so? We like the house & would have bought it anyway, & can't justify spending the money to replace the range. However, if the top should crack, we'll replace the whole thing & not with a ceramic top. Thank you again.
ellen 06/12/09	Get a hotplate for your dear iron pan and keep an eye on the appliance sales. Life is too short to cook with a range that makes you unhappy.
Joyce 06/22/09	I have a broken corner on my ceramic top. What would be the best product to use to "glue" the broken piece back on. This area does not get hot.
ellen 06/22/09	There are a few automotive glues that are clear, black, or white and heat resistant (designed for use around engines). You might try one of these.
Kathie 06/24/09	Can't believe people don't like the ceramic cook tops! Have had mine about 10 years with no problems, no cracking etc. Remodeled kitchen last month, and now it is right next to an oak refrigerator cabinet. My problem is--Is there a space requirement in the manufacturer's recommendations? This new set up seems close to me simply for the heat and grease factor--I can't find the recommendations if there are any--Thanks for any help Kathie
ellen 06/24/09	Check with the manufacturer of the stove- customer service. There is without a doubt a space requirement.
Sharon 07/08/09	Canning season - Aluminum spacer?? I canned on the cooktop last year, not knowing I wasn't supposed to. Now I'm wondering about getting a round piece of aluminum, same size as the cooktop element, perhaps 1/4" to 3/8" thick, and putting that between the cooktop and canner. Seems that would resolve the issue of the canner not being flat-bottomed and being larger than the element. The stovetop would heat the flat aluminum and the aluminum would heat the canner. Thoughts? Also, for Carolyn Zaha, I want to know if NOT being able to immediately turn off or quickly reduce the heat under a pressure canner--as on can do with a gas stove--poses any safety worries?? There would be no way to immediately take a full pressure canner off the element. My mother was severely burned by a pressure cooker once and I've always stayed away from getting one, but I'm tempted for canning purposes.
Sharon 07/08/09	Okay, maybe steel spacer, not aluminum I just read the old thread about a cooktop and all the warnings about non-anodized aluminum. So, same principle, but maybe a space disk made of steel or stainless steel rather than aluminum or copper. Steel would be cheaper than aluminum or copper anyway.
ellen 07/09/09	Sharon, DO NOT use a spacer, If you want to use a pressure cooker, get a hot plate.
Sharon 07/09/09	No spacer Okay, but you didn't say why it is a bad idea. I spoke with a metallurgical engineer today who thought it should work.
ellen 07/12/09	The thermostat in the burner works by sensing the heat of the metal it contacts. You have to maintain a steady, constant temp for safe pressure canning. There is no way to make sure that the transfer of heat from the spacer to the pot is steady and constant. If the thermostat senses that the spacer is hot enough, it cuts off until it senses that the temp drops again. This is why most manufacturers say, don't use pressure cookers; they need constant heat.
Lucille 07/21/09	I tried making marmalade and it boiled over. Got most of the mess up but am left with quite a mess that doesn't seem to want to leave . Is it because of the sugar. Any ideas on how to remove my marks.
ellen 07/22/09	Sugar is the very worst on this top, if it is not too late, do not use it again until it is as clean as you want it to be. Use an all cotton dishtowel soaked in the appropriate cleaner and let it sit all night, then use your razor blade.
Lucille 07/22/09	I'll give it a try even though I have turned it on a couple of times and also used the cleaner sold for these stoves. I will let you know if it works.
Tori 07/24/09	My mom and I have made hard crack cinnamon candy for years and both recently upgraded to ceramic top stoves. I've heard that you shouldn't make this type of candy on this type of stove top. Can you please tell me if this is true? It's a tradition in our family and I just hate to think that we can't do it anymore!
ellen 07/25/09	Safest to use a hot plate- it is recommended to keep these burners at medium high or lower.
Jaimie 07/26/09	I have a cast iron pot that is cracked...can I still cook in it or is there a way to repair it?
ellen 07/27/09	You can still cook in it, it will eventually crack further, you have to ask a real blacksmith about repair, but I would suspect, no.
marie 08/04/09	We purchased a new Jenn-Aire glass-top stove this past year. When we purchased it they said nothing about canning with a pressure canner on the stove top. We use our garden extensively and will be upset if I find that we cannot use it. I did can on the previous ceramic top that we had. Is there somewhere where I can find out for sure??? I checked the Jenn-Aire website but found nothing. Thanks!!
ellen 08/05/09	Call their customer service line. Get the name of the person you speak with.
Keith 09/01/09	Boiled dry a steel pan on a new GE PB970SM3SS ceramic cooktop range. Sadly, it left a long fairly deep scratch (easily felt by fingernail) from the right rear into right front burner. It doesn't look like a crack - just a surface feature not as deep as the top thickness. The accident also seems to have very slightly warped the flatness of one side of that rear burner. Tried cerama bryte on paper towel - eliminated the residue but wouldn't touch the scratch. So I tried cerama bryte and also other scratch products with fine steel wool. That "flattened" the scratch so you can't feel it but you can still see it. But it also left a "haze" on the surface I can't seem to get out, even with a power polisher (the kind you use on fine car finishes), although it's better and not very noticeable at this point. Have I blown the top, or can I just go on using it?
Bill 09/05/09	I have just moved into an apartment with a Whirlpool glass ceramic cooktop. I have Circulon hard anodised cookware and already my large Risotto pan and my large pot are warped (used once each). I have always used gas previously. The Meyer/Circulon information does not warn against this type of cooktop from what I can see. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
ellen 09/05/09	Keith, the scratch is not bad, but the warp is a big problem, as it will interfere with full contact between pan and burner and thus with the operation of the thermostat. Use this burner as little as possible, and only when you are actually in the kitchen. Bill, you have to keep these burners at medium hot or below, and for the pans that are already warped, get a hot plate- they really don't do well on the flat tops once they warp.
Misty 09/12/09	I also have a glass cooktop that has the corner piece broken off. You suggested some type of cooktop thread.What is this and how does it work?
ellen 09/12/09	Sorry, Misty, the thread is what you are reading. The only suggestion I have for this if it is truly a corner and nowwhere near the hot, is engine epoxy, available at auto parts stores.
Ann-Drea 09/13/09	I have a ceramic top stove and my Presto pot says on the box that it is safe for smooth top stoves. My Maytag manual says it is save as well assuming you have a smooth bottom, the bottom fits on the burner, and you turn the heat down once steam and pressure are met. All of these you need to do for a pressure cooker no matter what stove you use!
pat gnau 09/21/09	How would I know the temperature is 300 degrees on a glasstop?Is that medieum heat? Do I need to get out a thermometer?
ellen 09/21/09	There is no simple way to check this- you can't use water in a pan because it will only go to 212.
Laura 10/05/09	I've moved into a home with a ceran stovetop. I have Paula Deen cookware. I read that the porcelain/enamel finsih can melt onto your cooktop. Is this true? Should I buy new cookware?
ellen 10/06/09	Yes, it can, but if they are the ones with the flat bottoms and you use some care, they are usable: 1- never turn heat above medium high under these pans (good idea with glass top for ALL cookware) 2- never heat empty ever, or allow to boil dry 3- only use pans that are within one inch of the diameter of the burner- not too large or too small You might consider one or two new pots/pans in your favorite sizes, but these tops can melt and fuse even copperclad bottoms, so new pans are no guarantee.
Eric 10/13/09	Hello, I have Maytag Gemini range model#mer6875bas, my dual element on the glass top burn out... I ordered the replacement, need help on how to lift the glass portion up so I can replace the element. Thank you.
ellen 10/13/09	there are several DIY sites on line that describe this process in detail- please google them up.
Eric 10/14/09	I looked everywhere with no success. Manufacturer told me I need to contact service man... I know i can do this my self, just need a jump start on how to rise the glass top. thanks,
ellen 10/15/09	www.ellenskitchen.com/forum/messages/2344.html -scroll down for reader description of replacement www.fixya.com/support/t653150-replacing_glass_cooktop_ge_jpb82 www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/sears-kenmore/14544-how-replace-ceramic-glass-cooktop-range.html www.ehow.com/how_4913921_replace-glass-ceramic-cooktop.html www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/kitchenaid/6299-ceramic-cooktop-glass-replacement.html www.appliancejournal.com/appliance-repair-help/oven-range-repair/solution-for-a-broken-glass-cook-top-8/
Cassie 10/16/09	We bought a new home with the appliances included,the range was a glass cook-top,. I figured it must be ok seeing so many people have them. Boy was I wrong!! Why have somthing you have to worry about breaking or what kind of cookware to use ,plusand most important not being able to control the heat. I HATE IT!!!! and am replaceing it this weekend because the thing cracked all across the top while I was cooking dinner. How bitter sweet, did not want o spend the money on a new one when this one is only 4 yrs. old, but hurray i am getting my gas stove back this week-end
DANITA KAY BANNING 10/22/09	ceramic cooktop deep cleaning my ceramic cooktop is black with white dots - i have taken good care of it but was confined to bed for a year and my husband did not take good care of the stove top. the burners now have black circles in the middle where the pots sat for the cooking process the size of the pots. we tried to use the polish and scrub those areas but they are not returning to their original black and white new look. do you know of any products that would remove those dark circles? i appreciate any suggestions you may have. thank you!
ellen 10/23/09	Unfortunately, the white dots are probably gone, not covered; happens from high heat on not quite perfectly clean pot bottoms.
Eric 10/23/09	Ellen, Thank you very much for your help... it was pretty simple two screw in front of the glass top and went straight up.
ellen 10/23/09	Good for you, Eric.
Amanda 10/25/09	I have a ceramic stove top (Kenmore) and we suffered a "thermal" crack one year into the warrenty. Sears replaced the part for free but as the story seems to go on this site they charged me the labour (300.). Now my new glass top is not covered under warrenty and would run me about 600. for the parts and labour. I love the convience of the ceramic top but concidering a thermal crack was said to be not my fault even by Sears I just think these stoves are such a waste of money. What a lazy society we live in that we think even our large purchases should be disposable after a short time. Our first house came with a gas stove that was close to 50 years old. But hey it worked. My mom has had the same coil element stove since I was born or before I would imagine. If you care about where your money goes and dont mind a little effort once in a while (I have 5 children and homeschool them all and have a PT job ) I would recomend not wasting your money, if I can find time so can you! It would be interesting to poll the readers of this site to see to date how much money they have spent just to have a ceramic glass top stove me 1400 for the stove + 300 for the labour = 1700 and it could crack tomorrow and I would have to buy a new stove.
ellen 10/25/09	Amanda as you can see from Eric's notes above, a handy person can switch out the glass panel by themselves, which helps. Yes, they are not as good as they should be, considering what they cost.
cherry 10/26/09	Dear ellen I have kenmore ceramic stovetop for there years, I always use Vim cream to clean up.Is there anything wrong with that.
ellen 10/28/09	Vim is not available in most of the USA. If it works for you and your stove, go for it.
cherry 10/28/09	Thanks, ellen. The best thing I found this year is your website which gave me a lot of knowledge about cooking, kitchen equipment and recipes, etc. etc. Thank you! I'm not alone.
Phil Batts 10/30/09	Purchased a Frigidaire ceramic top electric range (with extended warranty-fortunately)less than 3 years ago. Also purchased a set of copper bottom Belgique cookware. Contacted retailer about some problems: surface heating element failing to turn off after being switched off (occasionally), one element on without being switched on (once,that I know of) and all the elements heating to different temperatures than the ones selected (always too hot-could not get things to just simmer or warm even when only the lowest setting was used-actually burned food in the cookware). This model is not on the recall list-yet. The serviceman sent to check things out said that the temperature problem was caused by the Belgique copper bottom cookware because on the cookware it says to use only medium or lower heat settings. He said that with this cookware medium settings would produce hot temperatures and low settings would produce medium temperatures due to the copper bottoms-which would explain why I could not get things to just simmer or warm even on the lowest settings. Is this correct? I thought the reason the settings should be medium or lower was because higher settings may melt the copper bottoms and damage the ceramic stove top. He will be returning to replace the controls for the elements that occasionally won't turn off and turn on spontaneously but blame the temperature problems on the cookware. He seems to be very reluctant (refused) to do anything else even though the unit is still under warranty (not sure why). Your imput on these issues would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and your Website.
carmela 10/31/09	ceramic cooktop s Have a new Fisher Paykel ceramic cooktop. Does anyone have any experience with this product?
ellen 10/31/09	Phil, you might try phoning customer service at the main site. Carmela, I don't know their tops, but other equipment by FP is top-notch, You should follow the guidelines for cookware, medium heat, cleaning discussed above, and let us know how it goes.

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