electric range top -what do I need to know?

[yitlan]

It's completely flat and smooth. I'm a gas range lady and this is a "con" of the new house we are buying. But with the other pros, I'll deal! No experience with these, though, so looking for help, tips, warnings, advice.....

[SusannahM]

I haven't cooked on a flat-top range, but have cooked on both regular electric ranges and gas ranges a lot. With a gas range, you have heat instantly. With an electric range, you have to wait just a little while (not too long really). Also, when you adjust the heat of the electric range, it's not instant like gas. So, if something is starting to boil over or to burn, just take it off the burner. Same goes for when you turn it off, the heat doesn't go away instantly. Also, with traditional electric ranges, there's a cool spot in the middle, but it might not be that way with the flat-tops. Of course, with gas, there's pretty much cool spots everywhere the flame isn't hitting, so it's not anything that different (and if you cook with metal doesn't matter too much anyway, we cook with Visions glass cookware, though).

It's really not that much different, IMO.

[nascarbebe]

I've been living with a ceramic top, electric range for about 2 weeks now. I'm still getting used to it. I had the coil electric previously so my comparisons are between those two, not gas. The ceramic top is HIGH maintenance. Or maybe I'm just lazy I have a nice brand new one and the instructions manual got me a little paranoid. Apparently, it has to be perfectly clean before using it each time. Not just wiping it down but using the ceramic top cleaner and getting any streaks out because they could set in after a while. Since we use it at least once a day this means I'm constantly polishing it. It heats up quickly but it's hard to get it to cool back down to a lower temperature. You also need to make sure you have nice flat pans and skillets. And if you use cast iron make sure it's flat and has no jagged edges that could scratch the surface. I don't think you're supposed to use any glass kettles or pots. All others are ok. You also need to use both hands when stiring food, one for holding the skillet so it won't slide and the other to stir.

The two pros about it are that when it's clean, it's clean, so you don't worry about gross food in the drip pans. The other pro is that it looks nice and modern.

A good house is hard to find so honestly I wouldn't let a stove be such a deciding factor. You can always get one later that you like.

[mommaof3boz]

I sell home appliances for a living now. The glass top cleaner contains a silicon to prevent foods from sticking and makes cleanup easier in the long run. No copper bottom pots ever!! If you use cast iron only the ones that are flat, not the ones with the little ridge around the bottom. The pot always must be bigger, preferably 1 inch, than the burner. It will get hot pretty fast, faster than the coil, but slower than gas. After dinner put a dime sized squirt of the cleaner on the stove and spread with a sponge and let sit for a few minutes and wipe clean. Do not use the wash cloth you clean dishes etc with as the oils on it will spread to the glass top and make clean up worse. Don't use steel wool either. If you have more questions ask. I do this 6-10 hours a day lol

[beanma]

i don't sell and i don't cook w/ gas, but when we got a new cooktop we went for the flat one. one tip, it looks better if it's black! i think most of them are now, but my cousin had a cream colored one and that thing didn't look so great after awhile. with the black and my lack of persnicketiness about such things i think a quick wipe with the dishcloth (sorry mommaof3boz) does me just fine. i do have a bit of that cleaner that came with it still, but i never use it. i find the clean up super easy. big plus in my book, but then again i already told you i'm not too persnickity.

[lucyem]

I'll trade you. The house we are buying has an electric top. I HATE HATE HATE gas tops. They freak me out. Its going as soon as I can get a plug put in for an electric top. I am so not into having an open flame in my kitchen.

I used to have a really nice ceramic top. Cleanup was easy. Just use the cleaner for stove tops after each use. If you get some bubbling over and crusty stuff on top use a razor blade to take it off like you would remove a sticker from glass. Careful not to scratch. When I bought my stove top it came with the cleaner and razor blade.

[yitlan]

Wow! Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by nascarbebe

I don't think you're supposed to use any glass kettles or pots. All others are ok.

I was worried about this. I have a great tea thingy that is all glass. So that is out?

Originally Posted by nascarbebe

You also need to use both hands when stiring food, one for holding the skillet so it won't slide and the other to stir.

Not ideal, but I guess I'll deal. I use a cast iron skillet quite often.

So you're SUPPOSED to have special cleaner for this? Would a vinegar spray work OK? I'm not the most ...uh...meticulous housekeeper and I am almost anti chemically cleaner. Hopefully I'll have beanma's experience of super easy cleanup!

Thanks for all the advice for future reference, mommaof3boz. One more question: why no glass pots? What happens?

Thanks again, mamas!

[mommyof3andcountin]

Lurking, because I have one too.....

I don't clean mine every day : And I've used my metal spatula to scrape something off once So maybe I'm not the best one for advice

It's been pretty easy to cook/clean. ITA about the cool down time....and pots get hot super fast, and cool down less fast, so it's hard to regulate your pan temp really quick.

Spills tend to dry up really quick and get hard, rather than staying nice and gooey and easy to wipe. I've got some funky shiny spots on mine, and I have no clue where they came from. I've got a black top, and it does hide most stuff pretty well.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

I don't use the special cleaner. I use me a little Mrs. Meyer's and call it good. Things do cake up on it, but I've decided to just ignore it. But I'm not that invested in this stove, since we are in a rental, kwim?

The slowness of temperature change drives me insane. I am used to professional kitchens where the stove can go from low to extremely high in an instant.

[Denvergirlie]

You can't can on a flat top, the weight of the canner with all the water and then the jars of foods will shatter the top of your stove, which then of course it's useless.

[mommyof3andcountin]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

You can't can on a flat top, the weight of the canner with all the water and then the jars of foods will shatter the top of your stove, which then of course it's useless.

I won't ask how you know this :

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

You can't can on a flat top, the weight of the canner with all the water and then the jars of foods will shatter the top of your stove, which then of course it's useless.

Coming out of lurking, but I have canned on mine multiple times. Now you have me worried...is this true?

[Starr]

My co worker has an electric glass top stove. One night he went to break some frozen meat in half with his hands and must have pushed too hard in one spot and the whole thing shattered. Just for the top piece alone the store wanted $600 to fix. Now I am very careful about mine....

[Zach'smom]

[QUOTE=yitlan;9457877So you're SUPPOSED to have special cleaner for this? Would a vinegar spray work OK? I'm not the most ...uh...meticulous housekeeper and I am almost anti chemically cleaner. Hopefully I'll have beanma's experience of super easy cleanup! [/QUOTE]

I use a 50/50 vinegar solution to clean mine. For burned on stuff I use a little Bon Ami and a blue non-scratch scotch brite pad. I have had mine for 5 years and it still looks shiney and new.

I have canned on my ceramic top ever summer/fall since we bought it. I guess I'm lucky I haven't broken it.

[pumpkin]

check and see how far the nearest gas line in your house is to the stove area.

We added a gas stove to a rental (with owner permission) because the line was basically already there. I think it cost $50 to have someone set it up. We then bought the cheap gas stove. After 6 months of dealing with an electric, it was well worth the cost.

Now, my parents installed a gas stove and it cost $600 to run the line, so it just depends upon where the pipes are.

[nascarbebe]

I was told we could can on ours, that's why one of our burners can be set to to accomodate a larger pan. I have a black top and it's new so I don't know if that makes a difference between what you can or can't do. Maybe with the new ones they've ironed out the quirks. I cleaned mined with 50/50 vinegar too to get the huge mess (I'm a messy cook) but ended up using that ceramic cleaner to finish cleaning it because I'm still paranoid. It's a brand new baby after all.

[Denvergirlie]

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe

Coming out of lurking, but I have canned on mine multiple times. Now you have me worried...is this true?

Read your owner's manual. I have never seen a glass top stove top that is is "recommended" that you can can on it.

It is always recommended that you purchase a separte burner for canning.

Here are some links that back this up:

http://www.pickyourown.org/cannings4glasstop.htm

[Yooper]

I have had mine for 8 years. It was a "bottom of the line" model and while I am all for using things to their fullest life, I am not too into making sure I do everything "right" with it. Especially since we moved a few years ago and this house can have a gas stove so when mine gives out, I can switch Here is my experience:

I can on mine ALL OF THE TIME. I have probably spent at least 100 days canning on my stove over the last 8 years. No problems.

I have the special cleaner. I use it about once a month to get it all really clean. For every day, I use a plain wet washcloth. Some things stay on until special cleaning day, but you can barely see them. Mine is gray. It takes a little elbow grease but I have been able to get everything off with the monthly cleaning. I am still on the bottle we bought with the stove. Along with my magic eraser (which also works well to clean it) they are the only non-natural cleaning products we have.

I wipe up any overflows as soon as they happen.

I do use copper bottom pans. I did not know you were not suppose to and it has never been problem.

I do not stir with two hands

I do have some pans that are smaller than the burner circle. It has never been a problem.

Overall I am pretty pleased with it. It is about the best I could expect for an electric stove. I especially like having extra "counter space" when it is not being used as a stove. And I like how clean it always is compared to regular stoves with drip pans.

[momto l&a]

Glass to glass doesnt transfer heat so I salesman told us.

He didn't tell us about copper.

I asked about cast iron and he said it was fine as long as we didnt drag the pan across the top.

I hate gas : It stinks, ruins my pan handles, makes the pan handles way too hot so we are always burning our hands and on and on...

[Owen'nZoe]

Originally Posted by Denvergirlie

Read your owner's manual. I have never seen a glass top stove top that is is "recommended" that you can can on it.

This thread has inspired me to finally read mine. Canning is not mentioned in my manual at all. *shrug* I'm going to take my chances and keep canning.