I hate my stove!!

calico2222

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Ok, we built a house and I gave in to my husband's wish of having a flat range stove. Flat range, flat top...I don't know what you call it...its the kind that the burners are flush with the top. I HATE it! We've only lived here for 2 months, and I'm cleaning it 3 times a day! If anything boils over (and I do that alot
) I have a mess to clean up, and apparently I can't use regular cleaners on it...I have to get "special" cleaners that won't scratch the surface. Plus, my cats think it is another counter to lay on.

Does anybody else have a stove like this and do you like it?
 

gardenandcats

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I have one and I like it. I am very carefull not to let anything boil over! I find it easier to keep clean then other type of burners..I use the cleaner nightly by using it daily it prevents stuck on messes.The trick is to clean any spills before you use the burner. I also Windex the top during the day if it needs it.
I was worried though about the cats getting burned as they do once in awhile walk on it. I just always leave the pan on the burners untill they have cooled off.
 

persi & alley

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Yes, and I despise it. Another problem from the cleaning is that they stay hot so long so you have to worry about your cat getting its feet burned. I keep an extra pot on the stove so that when I am done cooking something, I move the large empty pot over the burner that will take 30 minutes to cool down just in case Persi or Alley decide to jump up on the cooktop.
 

fwan

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My fathers friend has the one by Miele, and literally even if you put your hand on it you dont burn! and the food cooks!!!
 
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calico2222

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I never thought about using Windex on it. We were told to only use specific cleaners made for the stove. But, it does make sense. I'll have to try that. I'm a very messy cook (but a good one!).
 

yosemite

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Keep the stories coming. I need a new stove and my hubby also wants to get me a flat top. I honestly don't want one so I need some ammo to convince him why we shouldn't get one.
 

snuzy

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I don't have one, but I always thought they would be great and much easier to clean than my gas one where stuff can get under the grates and drip pans, etc.
 

hilda>^..^<

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LOL! I posted a thread about my flat-top stove a while ago, wondering how to clean it. I do get spills on it but I don't hate it...in fact, I'm gettin' pretty used to it now! See, I've cooked on a gas range for 10 years and I completely loved it! When we bought this house last year, it came with this flat top stove and although it looked reeeeally pretty, I had the hardest time learning to cook on it!
I was scrubbing it with Comet or SoftScrub and a Chore Boy scrubber...but some of the members here recommended that I use Cerama Bryte. The hubby bought me some at Home Depot (or maybe it was Lowe's) and I've been using it ever since...works like a charm! Several good folks also said that for reeeeally dried on stuff, I should try scraping it off gently with a razor...which I thought was absolutely goofy to begin with...until I tried it that is! The razor technique works really well too! I usually take a sponge (or dishrag) and moisten the stove top then squirt some Cerama Bryte onto the surface, spreading it around with the sponge/dishrag. Then I take my razor and scrape the surface with it gently and then wipe off the cleanser and everything else. Then I take a clean dishrag and wipe of any residue, several times making sure I get it good and clean. It works really well and I'm starting to love my stove!

Give yourself some time...you might come to really enjoy it after all! One of the things I really like about this stove is that you have the entire surface of it to put stuff on...like moving pots and pans around anywhere you want to...its pretty cool! It does stay hot for a long time and with cats that can be a problem. I'd just do what everyone else says here, leave a pot on the burner til it gets cold...not an empty one cuz that'll just cause more problems...fill it halfway with water!

Good luck with it...
Hilda>^..^<
 

momofmany

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I bought one at the old house and liked it a lot, then just remodeled at my new house and bought a top of the line model. I absolutely love it! My new one cools off a lot quicker than the old one and I'm not sure if it's because its a better model.

The great thing about it is all the burner options you can get with flat tops that you can't get with conventional burners. My right front has 3 burner sizes from 6 inches to 12 inches. The left side has a bridge element for griddles. Then of course there is the warming burner.

As long as you wipe it off every time you use it and nothing burns on it, I find it so much easier to clean than a conventional electric range.

If anyone buys one, the first thing you will realize is whether or not your pots and pans are warped. After buying the first flat top, I sold all of my old Revere Ware on e-bay and bought another set with a thick stainless bottom.
 

hilda>^..^<

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

If anyone buys one, the first thing you will realize is whether or not your pots and pans are warped. After buying the first flat top, I sold all of my old Revere Ware on e-bay and bought another set with a thick stainless bottom.
Yep, I forgot about that!!! I had no idea my pots were soooo warped!
I've replaced several of mine too...the thick stainless steal are much better!

Something else important...someone also warned not to use cast iron on flat tops since it can scratch the finish...

Hilda>^..^<
 

fluffysimba

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A flattop is going to be my next stove.
It's got to be easier cleaning than my gas one which I do hate. We bought a new house and this stove has got to be ancient! lol
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by Hilda>^..^<

Something else important...someone also warned not to use cast iron on flat tops since it can scratch the finish...
Nor are you supposed to slide casserole dishes over the top for the same reason. My new stove's panel was so complicated that it looked like the cockpit of an airplane, so I had to read the instruction book cover to cover. But interesting, the stove came with a cast iron griddle to put over the bridge element. The bottom of it looks like steel rather than cast iron, but its extremely heavy like cast iron.
 

gailc

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I always wanted a flat top but I have quite a few pieces of cookware that are larger than the actual element. I was advised that those cannot be used as they could cause the cooktop to crack-they are Calphalon cookware-too expensive to replace. I also can my own produce and my hot water bath kettles are again much larger than the burners and with the length of time I am using them-its harmful to the cooktop. So I am stuck with my icky electric stove and the messy burners!!
 

carolpetunia

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My mom got one of those stoves a couple of years ago. A month later, she was getting something out of an adjacent cabinet and knocked a can off the shelf. It fell on the stovetop and cracked it wide open.

~ sigh ~

So the first rule is: remove all heavy items from cabinets near the stove.

Second rule, as someone already mentioned: use a pot of water to cover hot burners until they cool.

Third rule is: even when the stove is cool, make a fuss if a cat comes near it. Better to make the stove always off-limits than try to get the cats to understand that it's sometimes safe and sometimes not.

It is annoying to have to use a special cleaner on that flat top, but it sure is a lot easier to clean than the old-style heating elements! I like it a lot!
 

peachytoday

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My sister has the flat top and I don't particularly care for it. It doesn't suit the way my husband and I cook. He is a chef and he is always shaking and flipping the pans. He was cooking over there and I had to constantly remind him not to shake the pans. I also am afraid he is going to scratch it.

We love our gas range. You can control the heat better and when it is off it is off. But it depends on how you cook.

Tricia
 

catsallover

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Originally Posted by fwan

My fathers friend has the one by Miele, and literally even if you put your hand on it you dont burn! and the food cooks!!!
I read about those, but I can't remember what they are called (and darn, I wanted to look into getting one when this one eventually kicks the bucket
). Something to do with magnets? It was really cool...


I have a smooth top range, and I love it compared to the coil top ranges (would rather have a gas range with sealed burners, but we have an all electric house). I have a razor blade type window scraper that I use to scrape up any messes when it spills and the eye is hot, or anything that gets burned on, and then it usually just washes up easily with the cleanser
.


Originally Posted by Momofmany

Nor are you supposed to slide casserole dishes over the top for the same reason. My new stove's panel was so complicated that it looked like the cockpit of an airplane, so I had to read the instruction book cover to cover. But interesting, the stove came with a cast iron griddle to put over the bridge element. The bottom of it looks like steel rather than cast iron, but its extremely heavy like cast iron.
My book recommended using those pans instead of regular cast iron, but I had never heard of it before- like encaspulated, fully coated cast iron or something... I can't remember that either. I need to go to bed!
 

catsallover

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Originally Posted by Momofmany

I
If anyone buys one, the first thing you will realize is whether or not your pots and pans are warped. After buying the first flat top, I sold all of my old Revere Ware on e-bay and bought another set with a thick stainless bottom.
I was looking at Consumer Reports and have a couple picked out to replace my 15 year old revereware too
. In the meantime, my dh took them outside and smacked the bottoms flat on the deck stairs (gotta make sure they're gonna hit flat, though
), and they are working a lot better!
 
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