Speaking Of Flat-Top Stoves..

hilda>^..^< · Jan 31, 2007

I've cooked on a regular gas stove for over 10 years now. However, when we bought this house last April...or was it March (I forget)...it has a flat top, electric stove. Several months & several cooking disasters later, I finally seem to have a handle (hehehe) on cooking on this kind of stove. My question today is...for those of you who have a flat top stove...what is the best way you've discovered to clean the top? I usually just scrub it with my dish scrubber whenver I'm washing dishes, seems to work. However, sometimes I get some pretty stubborn gunk on there...so I use a steel scrubbie (Chore Boy) and either dish soap or some sort of cleanser...like Soft Scrub or Comet. I'm afraid this might be a little harsh and eventually may wear down the finish. I'd love any of your advice and suggestions!

I'd also love to hear any cooking stories y'all might like to share...successes and/or failures! We've all been there!

Thanks!
Hilda >^..^<

jugen · Jan 31, 2007

I just use one of those throw away scrubber pads from..... Oh shoot, hold on...Brillo. The scrub and toss ones. They seem to take up anything my hubby gets on the stove when he cooks. I wouldn't use a steel scrubbie it might be bad for the finish.

catsallover · Jan 31, 2007

NOOO!

Don't scrub it with the steel scrubby! You're right! It will ruin the surface. Get a razorblade window scraper from any home improvement store or Walmart, etc. and scrape the thick gunk off with it. Then get a cleaner for smoothtop stoves (I use Creamabryte- have it at Lowe's) and a non metal scrubby thing; crap, can't remember what it's called, but I'll put up a pic in a little while (it's the 3 yr old's bedtime

) and scrub with that. Also, don't let sugar or sugary things get on the hot stove top- it can ruin the surface (use the scraper if something goes overboard while your cooking

). Let's see, I think that about covers it- if I think of more when I post the pic, I'll let you know. We don't have gas in our house, and I love my smoothtop!

. Oh I know (gotta hurry, I've just been "summoned"

), no cast iron pots and pans- they will ruin the top too. Be back in a little while!

Okay, the book says to use only the "BLUE Scotchbright Multi-Purpose No Scratch scrub sponges by 3M"., but I know Ceramabryte makes one too- mine came with the stove, and is yellow.

I'll try to load some pics of my directions that came with my stove- they'll be "clickable thumbnails"

:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections5.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections407039.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections3.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections2.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/directions1stovetop.jpg

Well, they're not great, but I think you can decifer them- LOL!

Enjoy your stove!

jugen · Jan 31, 2007

Originally Posted by catsallover

, no cast iron pots and pans- they will ruin the top too. Be back in a little while!

I didn't know this. Brad uses a cast iron pan on it once in awhile to cook his steaks, (YUCK!) so he can put it in the oven and sear it I think. What does it do to the stove?

catsallover · Jan 31, 2007

Scratches the surface, and I also think that it has an uneven cooking surface, but I don't know if that is a problem just with what is inside the pan, or if it causes a problem to the surface

I'll read a little and see if I've got the reason in this book

. Oooo! on a total side note, I hear sleet pellets on the roof!

catsallover · Jan 31, 2007

Okay, just says it scratches, but also recommends using totally flat bottomed cookware. Porcelain Enamel covered cast iron is okay, as long as it is completely covered, otherwise it may scratch (won't be telling the HD about this one- he loves cast iron, but it's just too heavy for me

). Copper bottomed pots may leave a metal residue. Copper marks must be cleaned immediately, otherwise, may become permanent. OVERHEATED METAL CAN BOND TO GLASS COOKTOPS-

-didn't remember that one, okay...Don't allow the pot to boil dry (I can attest to that one- got the marks on my stove top to prove it -now I know why

).

Oh, I edited one of the previous posts with clickable thumbnails of my instruction book's cleaning directions

.

hilda>^..^< · Feb 1, 2007

Originally Posted by catsallover

NOOO!

Don't scrub it with the steel scrubby! You're right! It will ruin the surface. Get a razorblade window scraper from any home improvement store or Walmart, etc. and scrape the thick gunk off with it. Then get a cleaner for smoothtop stoves (I use Creamabryte- have it at Lowe's) and a non metal scrubby thing; crap, can't remember what it's called, but I'll put up a pic in a little while (it's the 3 yr old's bedtime

) and scrub with that. Also, don't let sugar or sugary things get on the hot stove top- it can ruin the surface (use the scraper if something goes overboard while your cooking

). Let's see, I think that about covers it- if I think of more when I post the pic, I'll let you know. We don't have gas in our house, and I love my smoothtop!

. Oh I know (gotta hurry, I've just been "summoned"

), no cast iron pots and pans- they will ruin the top too. Be back in a little while!

Okay, the book says to use only the "BLUE Scotchbright Multi-Purpose No Scratch scrub sponges by 3M"., but I know Ceramabryte makes one too- mine came with the stove, and is yellow.

I'll try to load some pics of my directions that came with my stove- they'll be "clickable thumbnails"

:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections5.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections407039.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections3.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/stovedirections2.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/boxart/directions1stovetop.jpg

Well, they're not great, but I think you can decifer them- LOL!

Enjoy your stove!

Oh wow! Thank so much for all this great info! (sure wish I knew how to do that clickable thumbnail stuff)

Hilda >^..^<

catsallover · Feb 1, 2007

You're welcome!

If you use photobucket, they're pretty easy! You simply

1) click on the small box directly under the pics you want,

2) go to the bottom of the page on the right, to the "generate html and (something or 'nother-img perhaps

) code and click on it and

3) a page with several boxes containing code will come up. Just find the one that says "Clickable thumbnails for message boards, forums" (or something really close to that

)- etc.

4)click on the box you want, it will turn blue, then copy and then paste it in your post

.

My nickname on another forum is "Computer Idiot Andee", but I was the first one there to figure out how to do the "clickable thumbnails"

, so you shouldn't have a problem!

That's about the extent of my knowledge on how to use photobucket

!

hilda>^..^< · Feb 1, 2007

Hmmm, I use photobucket for hosting my pics too. Guess I've just never really paid much attention to the clickable thumbnails thingy...but I will from now on!

Hilda >^..^<

gailc · Feb 2, 2007

I would love a flat top stove however I have alot a Calphalon cookware that the bottoms are larger that the burners which can damage the cook top. Plus I freeze/can all my veggies and the kettles are too big too. I was told I could get just a single plug in electric burner but there are safety issue I have to consider.
So I'm stuck with what I currently have.

persi & alley · Feb 2, 2007

My big worry about the flat tops is not the cleaning but that they stay hot so long and can burn a poor little unsuspecting cat's feet. (After they quit glowing thay can still do damage.) When you turn gas off, it is off. If you already have your cat trained not to be there, that is great. When we first got out kitten we were afraid to even use the cooktop because of how long it took to cool off. Yes, paranoid enough to lock the cat in the back room when using it until it had completely cooled off. One thing we DID learn right away is that these things clean up a lot better before they get all the way cold.

yosemite · Feb 2, 2007

My hubby wants to get the flat-top stove and I'm resisting so you won't get much support from me

. The only ones I've ever seen (after a couple years of use) have been scratched and not so nice looking.

I clean my stove each night after dinner and give it a thorough cleaning at least every 3 weeks to a month because I cook a lot and can't stand a dirty stove.

hilda>^..^< · Feb 2, 2007

As I originally posted, I used a gas stove for over 10 years and I LOVED IT!!! Yep...when you turned it off...it was off! And when you turned it ON...poof...there it was! none of this having to wait for the elemant to heat up and all...ugh...I think that's the part I dislike the most about this stove...but I have gotten used to it and I love the fact that I have all this area on there to put stuff on.

Thanks everyone...
Hilda >^..^<

catsallover · Feb 2, 2007

Yep, I'd rather have a gas stove too

, but this house is all electric, and the price to get gas run and hooked up here is ridiculous!

So when the original coil top stove died, we got the glass top. I'll take it any day over a coil range

. It cleans easier, heats faster and more evenly, and cools faster, plus has the indicator lights so you know when it is cool, not just off. We had a really old (one of the first, I think-over 15 yrs ago

) glass top stove in the first place we rented, and I hated it! It took forever to heat up, forever to cool down, didn't heat right...The one we have now, we got about 5 years ago, and they still sell the same one (my mom bought one last year in white- mine is black) I really like it, and the surface has a painted texture to it, so the scratches don't really show as much as they do on the older ones. JMHO!- If you can't have a gas stove, this is the next best thing

.

I'd love to have a stove with the gas top, and electric oven!

yosemite · Feb 2, 2007

Originally Posted by catsallover

Yep, I'd rather have a gas stove too

, but this house is all electric, and the price to get gas run and hooked up here is ridiculous!

So when the original coil top stove died, we got the glass top. I'll take it any day over a coil range

. It cleans easier, heats faster and more evenly, and cools faster, plus has the indicator lights so you know when it is cool, not just off. We had a really old (one of the first, I think-over 15 yrs ago

) glass top stove in the first place we rented, and I hated it! It took forever to heat up, forever to cool down, didn't heat right...The one we have now, we got about 5 years ago, and they still sell the same one (my mom bought one last year in white- mine is black) I really like it, and the surface has a painted texture to it, so the scratches don't really show as much as they do on the older ones. JMHO!- If you can't have a gas stove, this is the next best thing

.

I'd love to have a stove with the gas top, and electric oven!

Reading this is encouraging to me. It seems they have improved on them and I'd take a second look for sure. Thanks.

gailc · Feb 2, 2007

Our house is all electric too plus we have do natural gas line on our road and I do not want an ugly propane tank in my yard so I have to stick w/electric for now. But my stove is nearing 20 yrs old and showing no signs of failing (other than losng the self cleaning oven feature yrs ago!) I would like a convection oven though!

gardenandcats · Feb 2, 2007

I have had my glass top for about 3 years now. I love it. I always use the cleaner made for the glass tops after each use. Anything that won't rub off I use the blue no scratch claning pads and gently scrub. I have indicator lights that stay on untill the surface has cooled. The key is clean after each use with the glass top cleaner if you don't clean off any spills and use the burner again then its muvch harder to remove. The cream cleaner also helps the top repel spills..
It heats up quickly and cooks evenly. I wouldn't ever use a cast iron pan on it though. I don't have any scratches yet.

jcat · Feb 2, 2007

We've had a flat-top range since 2001, and I like it much better than our old electric-coil range (we don't have gas in the house). It heats up and cools down much faster than the "old" type, the indicator lights don't go out until it's completely cool, each burner has 9 settings, so you can adjust the heat much like with a gas range, and it's very easy to keep clean. I wipe it with warm water after each use, scrape off burnt-on spills with a razor blade, and use a special cream cleanser on it about every two weeks. It doesn't have any scratches or stains.
You can also get glass covers/cutting boards for it if you're worried about cats jumping up and burning their paws.
My cousin had one in the 70s and 80s, and hated it, so my mom kept advising me against getting one, because A.'s was badly stained and scratched, but I believe that was caused by faulty handling. She used cleanser and pot scrubbers to clean it. Also, the technology is probably far more advanced nowadays.
I love the oven, too. It has conventional, convection, broiler, and defrost settings, plus any combination thereof.

catsallover · Feb 2, 2007

Originally Posted by jcat

I love the oven, too. It has conventional, convection, broiler, and defrost settings, plus any combination thereof.

Ooooo! You got the fancy one!

That sounds wonderful!

momofmany · Feb 2, 2007

Originally Posted by Persi

My big worry about the flat tops is not the cleaning but that they stay hot so long and can burn a poor little unsuspecting cat's feet. (After they quit glowing thay can still do damage.)

I've lived in all electric houses for about 15 years now bought a flat top stove about 3 years ago. Keep a kettle of water on the stove and move it on top of the hot burner when you are done (or fill the bottom of the pan you just emptied with a little bit of water and leave it on top). Remove after an hour or so. It is odd that when I had a regular coil electric stove, the cats never got on it, but I do catch them scooting across the flat top from time to time. It's almost like the coils were a visible barrier to them.

For cleaning the top: stores that sell flat topped stoves carry a cleaner specifically made for them. They work very well. Like others have said, clean after every use and don't let things cook on or they are very hard to remove. I have seen the cleaners in Lowes, Home Depot and Sears by the appliances.

I just bought a new one for my kitchen remodel: flexible burners (up to 12 inch with a bridge element and warming element), huge convention oven with racks that can be split in 2 side by side and a warming drawer. I'm hoping to plug it in tomorrow for the first time.

Speaking Of Flat-Top Stoves..

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