Also notice what diameter the burners/coils on the stove are.

Then buy ONLY pots and pans with flat smooth pbottoms that make complete contact with the flat top of the stove. If your mam has a favorite cast iron pan with the little ring on the bottom that makes an edge, find her a flat bottom one. If she does not have a flat bottom groiddle, that is a great choice too. They can be anozided, regular or nonstick, as they prefer.

Thanks for the advice. I greatly appreciate it. I did see a thread with info on the Ceramic Cooktops and I did notice some info on pots and pans but most of it seemed to be on cleaning these surfaces and info on what does not work. Again, Thank You so Very Much for your suggestions.

I use all types of pots, including iron which I brought from America, but the most effective are the multi-ply or tri-ply because the heat is distributed evenly over the whole pot-not just on the bottom. If you ask me there is too much heat concentrated on those sandwich bottoms. In Europe the best brand is Spring from Switzerland (very expensive but once used you never want to use any other), and Berndes has started a new line called Berndes TRICION®, and then Rösle has a new multi ply. Is not All-clad a multi-ply?

I have used copper and copper bottom Revereware on my Schott stovetop with no adverse effect, but I can imagine that is you would let the water boil away or you were to put the burner on and forget to put food in the pot, the copper could very well melt- it is a soft metal. So caution is in order for copper. I also use pots which are not the exact size as the burners, but I use multi ply pots mostly (not always). So I would advise to buy products which employ German made glass from Jena, Germany. As Mary Anne said- Schott.

I read your thread, but I have some questions. I am gathering that the reason you cannot use cast iron on the flat top stoves is because they will scratch it, are there any other reasons, will it crack the top? What if you are careful? (I don't mean to be dense) I have been afraid to use my cast iron, as I hear it was a big no-no.

Also, I canned applesauce on my stove last year, and it was fine, but now I am concerned having read this thread, is it dangerous? I recieved a whole set of canning materials for Christmas last year and now I am not sure if I should try it again?

My most important qeustion is: My Mother-In-Law has a cast iron Krumkaca (spelling?? I am not Norwegian :) maker and she is worried about using it on her new stove. Will it actually damage her stove, or will it just not work correctly?? By the way the device has a round base that is open in the middle and then a griddle-type center that does not touch the element and also flips over.

Thank you for any help you can give! This site is great!

I called Sears Canada, the warrranty was expired by 6 months. Short of buying a new one (ours cost almost $800.00) they couldn't do anything.

I am not pleased. I will never buy another glass top stove.

Thanks for the tip. I chose the Circulon Infinite. I felt it may be the best for now. Hope I'm right.

The reason for the caution about dark cookware, I am told, is that the glass itself gets too hot under it, whci can crack the top.

Thank you so much for your post that you are using Circulon Elite cookware. I am about to remodel my kitchen and have my new KitchenAid ceramic cooktop sitting in my garage along with my new Circulon Elite cookware waiting for installation. I was beginning to worry as I read this complete thread and starting to think I should take my new cooktop and the pots back! I am actually getting a sick feeling in my stomach because I so wanted this cooktop. Before reading this thread, I had only heard great things about ceramic cooktops. I really want to move forward with my plan and probably will, I just hope I am not making a mistake. My best friend has had hers (Sears) for 8 or 9 years and has had none of the problems mentioned above. Anyway, Dana, thanks again. I now feel I haven't made a mistake with my cookware.

Also, there are a couple of raised stains & scratches on the cook top. Can these be removed?

Are there pots made especially for this cooktop?

Should the bottom attract a magnet? I have a wonderful large pot; the sides attract the magnet but the bottom doesn't. Can I use this?

I also read the comments about boiling water. I don't have a problem with water boiling, no matter how big the pot. Must be it's the bottom of the cookware I have that is stainless steel with aluminum layer inside and is flat and has good contact with the stove. I also make sure I use it on the correct size burner.

Ellen, I kept in mind all the suggestions you gave when I was looking for cookware about a year ago. Flat bottom, use correct size burner, and clean the outside as well as the inside of the pots and pans. I chose Curculon Infinite because it has the flat silver bottom, and is also hard anodized. Easy to clean, easy to store, just put a piece of paper towel between each pan. I also changed the utensils to silicone for cooking.

I was worried before but now I'm scared to death to cook on it! I love my convection oven.

Guess I'll just have to take the plunge & hope for the best.

On the up side both my sisters have had ceramic surface cooktops for years & have never mention a problem.

With these stove tops you MUST clean the outside as well as the inside of the pot and rinse well, every time you use them.

My question is this: the black metal pots (I don't know the brand) have a warning not to use them on glass-tops stoves. I am imagining that they are only one layer. Why is this a problem? Since I have broken all the other rules, I am wondering if this one could be broken too!

I have a question. I just bought an 8" T'fal, color collection (blueberry) omlet pan. It has this 'thermo-spot' indicator when the pan is hot enough to cook food, says it's suitable for all heat sources except induction, ok for gas, coil/solid electric, ceramic, and halogen. It's silver, blue and black on the bottom, and sits steadily on the stove top, so the bottom is flat. So, is it actually ok to use on my white Frigedaire Gallery Series glass stove top? What do you think? Hate to think I could ruin my stove top because I used this pan.

I was so afraid to use it after reading the threads here but it has been a joy. The information here was very informative & has saved me from making many costly mistakes.

I have a set of old caphelon type cookware that works perfectly on the ceramic top.

On to my questions..... Do Le Creuset dutch ovens work on a ceramic top as long as they don't exceed the heating circle more than 1 inch? Also, I would really like to have All Clad pots and pans - are these reccomended?

Finally, I have a cast iron pan that fits in the heating circle. It does sit flat on the heating element, but has an indent ring around the bottom. Is an indent ring a problem or just the raised bottoma s problem? Oh, and if the top gets scratched, is this a hasardous issue (you never know if somethign might leach out sort of thing) or simply asthetic? The top has random "dots" on the burner area and much of them have rubbed off.

I feel so bad now, I've not used care these past 2 years with my range and I see now I should be.

Thanks so much.

I have noticed many peoples that have problem finding cooking equiptment designed for glass top stoves and induction tops, we market them for the last 8 years and many thousands of users are more than please with the product.It is designed for regular,glass top and induction stoves. Manufactured and designed in Germany.

If interested go to www.davidkaiser.net

You can count me in as one of the thousands of satisfied customers.

I don't know what's going on with some of your ranges, but it seems to me that there must be some kind of inferior(not genuine)type of glass being used on some of these stoves. As I previously mentioned, I've got a Frigidaire smoothtop that sees daily use. My top is made by Euro-Kera in France. I've NEVER had a problem with staining, scratching or heat control. I regularly use the cleaning cream, and make sure that my pots and pans are all clean and dry before placing them on the cooking zone. Following this regimen has kept my range in showroom like condition, day in and out.

THE ORIGINAL MAGNALITE
IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

--

Peter Pike, President of American Culinary Corp., states he purchased the Magnalite and Wagner brands and original molds, and is the only source for parts that fit the original Magnalite pans.

There apparently exists a dispute between American Culinary and World Kitchen (formerly Corningware) regarding the use of the Magnalite brand name. World Kitchen has been manufacturing some cast aluminum pans in China under the brand name of Magnalite (which look like the original Magnalite but are of different materials and sizes). These are currently available at many WalMart, Sam's Club and Corning factory outlet stores at discount prices. Also available directly from World Kitchen at full price by calling 800-999-3436.

Keep the elements at or below mid-high, not on high, for best results.

Thanks!

We just moved into this house we love except for the cooktop, which you can guess is glass. Those things are from people who warm or reheat. The people who cook need something else. Anyway, since it is really new, I suggested we trade it in for something I can actually cook on, rather that spend $$$ on new pans. My husband said, "Just use it. If it breaks, then we'll replace it." Guess what--after ruining some heirloom pots and buying something cheap to make do until it broke, I have found that I own one of the few that will not malfunction. Oh, the warm function died, so we cannot keep a pot of coffe warm anymore, but basically, the thing just keeps on. I start spaghetti water before I start the sauce and we get along fine.

Any suggestions on what might be better???

Janice, all are much slower than gas or electric coil. Some people think the pans with the aluminum diskc inside the stainless work a little better.

I have a new electrolux smooth top (non induction). Like many other I have been searching for ways to minimize scratches. I bought new ss pots and pan (emeril brand) and one Expensive All Clad, since my old caphalon pans were aluminum and would scratch. One trick I have learned is to carry a magnet when I am pan shopping. The magnet will not stick to aluminum or copper, so when I am at TJ Maxx or Marshalls, I can quickly determine if the pan will be ok.

Now my question. I am still looking for a protective matt that i can put down on the stove top when I pull something out of the oven, as I noticed that my cookie sheets, baking dishes, roasting pans can scratch the surface. I was putting a dish towel down, but my DH, is worried if a burner is still hot I will cause a fire. So, can I use a silicone baking sheet? If a burner is still slightly hot will it melt? What is the temperature resistance? I know that you can bake up to like 400 degrees, but I have no idea how hot a burner can get?

I don't even clean the top after every use, and have only used the expensive cleaning agents a couple of times and then only because I thought I should (mfg sugg.), not because it was necessary.

For what it's worth, I suggest keeping the heat a little lower than you might on coil types or gas (start high then turn down) and don't drag anything around on the top, it seems to me that's just asking for scratches.

I'll be replacing my crummy cookware with flat bottom stuff because it is more efficient and will save on the electric bill.

As for cleaning the ceramic top, I just use a regular kitchen sponge with a soft yellow scrubber to wipe the stove top down as part of the after dinner routine clean-up. I use a little extra dish liquid and water to "presoak" the burners after a cooking spill. So far it's worked like a charm every time. My son says his scratch-free cook top looks cleaner than it did using all those expensive "specialty" cleansers.

The tenants need to scrub the bottoms of their pots and there are lots of care issues with these, I do not ever recommend them for rental units.

I've got pots and pans from the 1950,1960,1980 eras such as:
FARBERWARE, WAGNER/MAGNALITE, anodized CALPHALON, my favorite the SCAN PAN, and finally, ALL CLAD. I never liked buying sets.

I have a Samsung 2 burner ceramic cooktop with an 18cm burner. I tried using a 30cm frypan on the 18cm burner and some sort of safety cut in and the cooktop swiched itself of (I assume due to overheating). I gather that the cooktop cannot handle items that are too oversize for the burner. How far outside the 18cm zone of the burner can I go with the base of a frypan please ?

See this helpful manufacturer's link and do clean the bottom of your pans:

Thanks for your help.

Teresa, I suggest flat bottom iron cookware, or top quality stainless steel. Just don't slide it.

If Emile Henry is not safe, is there another brand of ceramic better to use that does not contain any metal?

Jose, it needs to be perfectly flat on the bottom, some have rings, and you should not slide it around.

I have a Frigidaire Gallery Series white glass cooktop and have circulon pots and pans, which I love. Just today I purchased an omelette pan, non-stick folding omelette pan made by Bradshaw International, Inc, cost $10. I am wondering if it will be a problem on the cooktop. There is no mention of what the pan is made of and what kinds of cooktops it can be used on. I don't want to make a mistake and use it and have a problem. What do you think?

Thanks,

I've been told about a new way of cooking food, i.e. on a block of Himalayan salt (the circular blocks are available on Amazon).

On an electric stove, they recommend using a "spacer" (i.e. like the bottom of a springform pan). This is put directly on the burner and the block of salt is put on top of it. You then cook food right on the block of salt. I'm pretty sure that there is no way this would work with a smooth top.

However, they also recommend using a (circular) wok ring (you can look this up on Amazon to see what I am referring to). The bottom of the ring sits on the stove surrounding a burner. The salt goes on the top of the ring which is about .5 - 1.5" higher, and slightly smaller than the bottom ring. The salt is essentially securely suspended over the burner. Food is then actually cooked directly on the salt block.

My question is whether this is a reasonable way to cook food on an electric stove.

What about this as an alternative.... If I had a stainless steel pan (either a crepe pan or a straight edge saute pan)and heated that up with the salt sitting directly on top of it (the base of the salt block sitting securely in the pan and taking up just about all the room in the pan - do you think this would be OK?

See this guide:

www.atthemeadow.com/shop/Resources/How-to-Cook-on-Pink-Himalayan-Salt-Blocks

I have a new Whirlpool black ceramic cooktop that came with the new house. After a week of researching cookware, I am leaning toward getting either Cuisinart Multiclad Pro cookware or Cuisinart Multiclad Unlimited cookware. The Multiclad Pro is stainless steel inside and out; the exterior is shiny brushed silver in color. The Multiclad Unlimited is stainless on the inside and anodized (aluminum) on the outside (for ease of cleaning); the exterior is matte gray/black.

I am new to cooking on a ceramic cooktop and would appreciate any guidance on whether the silver stainless steel exterior or the matte gray/black anodized exterior would be a better bet for good performance by the black cooktop - I have found on the internet that either finish could confuse the stove's thermostat(and therefore the other finish is better).

Within 1" diameter of each burner.
Don't buy pans in sets.
Stainless steel yes, aluminum or copper no (magnet should stick)
((Hard anodized, it depends?))
Flat bottom (check with ruler)
Triple or multi ply

Clean after every use.
Ceramabrite yes, barkeeper's friend maybe, softscrub no?
When hot, metal scraper tool yes, towel no.

Not an easy switch. Hard to get used to the fact that it does not cool nearly as well as a gas or regular electric. So, for example, you will overcook your rice until you learn to turn it down earlier.

You have it, otherwise.

The magnet is not necessary- these are not induction tops- but it does not hurt.

NO Barkeep's Friend! Use liquids, please.

The most deadly spill is hot sugary liquid. Using a wok is usually not very successful. Consider a hot plate for these.

These elements work by sensing the heat in the bottom of the pot, which they cannot do with any sort of pad or grid on the burner.

I got a Blanco ceramic cooktop a little while ago what has been driving me crazy is that some of my frypans just don't work properly on it. What happens is that it heats and stops, heats and stops so I can't maintain a decent cooking temperature with them.

I got told by the repairman for my oven that this is a common problem with non-stick pans and that is it designed to ensure we don't overheat the pans. He said to get stainless steel pans. I have been trying to figure out what it is on the pans I have that lets the stove recognise this.

From reading this site, it appears that what he said isn't quite right and it is more to do with the base. I have checked the base on all the pans and none of them are made perfectly flat. Some have the name of the manufacturer engraved prominently on the bottom, others have small concentric ridges although in the case of one of the Circulons, the ridges are pretty miniscule. All of thse pans say they work on induction stoves but of course, this isn't an induction stove. It is an electric ceramic cooktop.