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JD 06/05/07 |
On Ceramic Cook Top No-No's advice is given not to "slide" pots or pans around on the ceramic top, you must pick up the pots or pans and place them where you want them. Sliding them can cause cuts or scrapes on the glass. Also, on the same page was mentioned "no more stir fries" So just how bad will I screw up my stove top by doing these things? Is it purely cosmetic? Or will it effect the efficiency of the range? Are these cook tops really ceramic? In which case the surface should be very hard. (I'll bet I could slide a hot skillet back & forth on a piece of ceramic tile 'till the cows come home and not scratch the tile) Or is it just a fancy marketing term for glass. Which, by the way, also has a very hard surface. Has anyone actually done this? Or is it just the manufactured warning? Like don't really cook on our beautiful cook tops, they are only for looks? |
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ellen 06/07/07 |
Re scratching, not just a manufacturers warning. Yes, basically they are glass, The scratches set you up for heat cracking the top, which usually occurs after the warranty goes out, and the manufacturers can get squirrelly about replacements even before the warranty goes out ("such damage does not occur with normal use"). Re stirfries, does not heat hot enough fast enough for good results. And using oversize pans on the burners can- you guessed it- crack the top! I don't know any chefs or serious cooks who like these tops... |
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JD 06/13/07 |
O.K. I'll concede no professional chef would use these things. But serious cooks? Just because we don't cook on gas, we're not serious about our cooking? To my way of thinking, anyone willing to invest in high end cookware, which is almost a prerequisite for ceramic cooktops, is serious about their cooking. Not to mention anyone searching the web for infomation pertaining to cooking. I hope some of the manufacturers of electric ranges, especially ceramic cooktop ranges, are reading this. In which case I would suggest they either get serious about their product or post a disclaimer. "Only for use by NON serious cooks" |
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ellen 06/13/07 |
Hmm, JD, you cause me to pause and reflect on my tone. I didn't say serious cooks won't cook on them, just that I don't know any who like them. I have cooked on them, and on regular electric, and kerosenes, and Colemans, and propanes both temporary and permanent and on hotplates of all descriptions in every location from dorm bathrooms to temples. It is so much harder to attend carefully to the food when you are wrestling with the heat source. Sort of like any other kind of spiritual work. Anyway, I hate to see people, especially the daily cooks who have so much else to contend with, have to fight their way through a meal prep and then face a bad clean up. That's why I suggest not buying one unless you have cooked on one happily for at least a week. |
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Marilyn 02/06/08 |
Hi Ellen, Thanks so much for this site, it helps when I read these threads and realize that in fact I haven't been abusing my cooktop even tho it's scratched and pitted. (candy making this past Christmas Holiday). I too bought this stove without doing my homework. But the salesperson sure didn't clue me in when I was so attracted to the pretty cooktop. I am so disappointed. I think it's awful that there have been no improvements. Actually they are getting worse. My sister has a Kenmore ceramic cooktop, hers is about 6 years old and it's as good as new. Now, I'm off to finding cookware that my ceramic will like better than what I bought at the same time as the stove. I really thought Farberware would be ok. btw, how can one NOT scoot a large pot of food over a surface to get it centered on the surface? I told Whirlpool that they sacrificed quality and "cookability" for appearance! (Thanks again for a wonderful and nicely organized site!) |
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ellen 02/08/08 |
Yes, you have to have really good arm muscles to lift large full pans on these stoves! I guess it might help prevent those "butterfly" underarms I see caming on myself... |