Kitchen

[house_cat]

                             

I've been researching electric ranges for days, and I'm only getting more confused. If you have a glass cooktop, please share the pros and cons - I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

[Kachina624]

I got a glass cook top because I'm really short on counterspace and I can use it for chores other than cooking.  Mine is black and looks like new, however, I've noticed many light colored ones always look dirty.  They seem to be permanently stained.  I like mine.

[author]

Because I have a terrible sensitivity to natural gas fumes, even the slightest amount,  I had to switch to an electric range.  At first I had the traditional coil burners which I hated, so hard to clean, things tipped off, boilovers and spills a mess to clean, just didn't like them.

I replaced that range with a GE Profile stainless steel/black glass cooktop about 14 years ago (that's a guess) and I love some things and other things I still grumble about.

It looks gorgeous in your kitchen, provides a nice flat top that doubles as extra counter space, or a place to put a hot pan quickly. 

It is very easy to clean, mine looks like new.  I use a damp microfiber cloth with a bit of foamy dish soap I make in a dispenser, polish it clean with a miracle cloth that I got here or one of the Campanelli puppy fur cloths.  Easy.

It has fairly fast heat but not as fast as those narrow electric coils, so there is a wait time for it to get to the set temp.  It also responds to temp changes more slowly so you have to get on to adjusting the temp before it gets away from you. 

It stays hot a long time after it is turned off so you can save energy by using that heat for the final few minutes of cooking or just keeping food warm for awhile before serving.

If pots boil over it's an easy cleanup.

I can get a great sear on pan-fried steaks, meats, fish, chicken, all that very easily, great heat available.  I couldn't ever get it quite that nice and hot with my gas range.  It seems to provide more even heat in the pan too.

There is one burner that cycles on and off during cooking and I don't know if it is a defect or it is made that way, but not good for pan frying things as it cools then heats, etc.

The oven is a convection oven and is fine but I prefer my Oster countertop one, get faster, better results at a nice convenient height for the two of us.

Since I bought mine there are probably improvements in how the burners work, but I like mine, just have to give them time to heat up before I try and start cooking something.

Would I buy another one?  Probably would.

[millieshops]

@house_cat In my ideal kitchen I’d have gas but that’s not happening.

in my condo I bought glass. It did take me some time to get used to it, but it’s so much easier to care for that it’s worth that aggravation.  I’ve had my glass for maybe 7 years with no troubles ( It’s by Kenmore - not sure I’d buy it again but just because I’m leary  whether sears will survive.

in my apartment, I cook on an old electric with coils. I find it every bit as annoying to regulate the temperature I want as fast as I want it and I can’t wait until I move and no longer have to mess with cleaning.  Seems as if the burner pans get more costly to buy yet poorer quality all the time. If I had known when I moved here in hat I would still be in place for so many years, I would have bought a new glass top 

[Janey2]

I love a glass top. It is easy to clean and always shines. I have one that is a year old and I find it cools down very fast, much faster than my previous one. I have nothing negative to say about it. 

[Carmie]

My first choice would be a gas cooktop with an electric oven, but I do not have gas in my home and do not want to do propane.

I have to have electric, but thankfully no longer have the coil electric burners.  They were difficult to keep clean and if you had a boil over, that mess was almost impossible to clean up.

Glass tops are easier to keep clean, you can use the top as counter space.  The newer ones have great features.

 I have one turbo burner that will heat a pot of water in minutes.  One of my burners can also be used as a warmer. The burners are adjustable for the pot size.  I can put a small pan on a large burner and only heat a portion of it that is under the pan.

The con...you have to remember to lift up pots and pans and not slide them or your glass top will scratch.

[Etoile308]

I love mine. As others have said, easy to clean and extra work space.

[Still Raining]

Did you know that if someone places a hot, steamy lid face down on the glass surface that the suction needed to lift it when cool will cause the glass to crack??  Yes indeed.

[SilleeMee]

I have a regular electric glass top stove. If I could buy another glass-top then it would be an induction type.  Glass makes it easy to clean plus it makes for an extra counter space.

I want an induction glass top b/c they don't get hot and food doesn't get burned onto the surface so it's a snap to clean.

[MildredM]

Standard glass cooktops are hard to clean and to keep clean. The glass gets hot enough to burn spills (etc.) onto the surface. Induction cooktops remain cool and spills (etc.) do not burn onto the surface of the glass. Clean up on an induction cooktop is quick and easily done with a simple wipe down.

Standard glass cooktops can be a fire hazard if items should be left on them accidentally such as dish towels or plastic storage containers while still hot.  Induction only heats up magnetic surfaces so a paper towel left on the cooktop surface while turned on will not burn. 

Having had both I would say that induction cooks the most similar to a gas cooktop. It heats up fast and cools down fast. Very easy to control.

Induction needs cookware where a magnet will stick to the bottom. My old cookware needed to be replaced. This may be an additional expense to calculate into the budget.

Induction cooktops have a low hum when in use. I was worried about this because of my tinnitus but I found that it didn't bother it. 

Induction (not sure about regular electric) depending on the make/model, may need a higher amp rating then your fusebox may have. My home is older and I needed to look at the lower amp induction cooktops.

Induction cooktops are more expensive and we expanded the budget slightly because I wanted one with knobs.

It has been several years now using the induction and I remain happy with the choice.