Ceramic (smooth) Cooktop Range

[Angel!]

Any thoughts?

I have never used one and have heard some people hate them. There is a good deal today & I really want to buy it, but am afraid I will hate it & will be mad that I wasted the money.

[justme]

I love them compared to a traditional electric range. Though that probably has something to do with my burners aren't level and there's not a damn thing I can do to make them level. The flat tops are also a lot easier to clean, so that's part of it too.

[formerroomate99]

I have a glass toped flat top. The thing is impossible to clean.

[Malarky]

SIL hates hers. Impossible to clean.

[thyme4change]

My mother hated hers.

[zibazinski]

I've had two. Loved them both. Hate ugly gas stoves.

[lynnerself]

I love the look of mine. But it does take care. Spills need to be cleaned up immediately.
I've been able to keep it nice with special ceramic top cleaner and scrubbers. That is the only stuff that works well.

[justme]

Those little metal scrapers work wonders to get things off.

[chiver78]

Nov 26, 2012 14:52:02 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

I love the look of mine. But it does take care. Spills need to be cleaned up immediately.
I've been able to keep it nice with special ceramic top cleaner and scrubbers. That is the only stuff that works well.

to what I didn't cross out. I absolutely hate mine. but it is SS, and that's what was needed for the real estate listing checklist.

don't do it!

[Peace Of Mind]

I love mine and don't get why people say they are impossible to keep clean. They are super simple to keep clean. And no pieces to take apart or areas where food is dripping down where you can't get to it, etc. The secret is this simple product to use called Cook Top Cleaning Creme. And your hands don't get sliced up like the other kind of cook tops. One bottle lasts years and keeps the cook top looking brand new.

[midjd]

We have a glass-top and I have a tendency to let things boil over, making a mess. Still have no problem keeping it clean. Those Lysol wipes with the little scrubbies on them seem to work nicely, as does a Magic Eraser.

[wvugurl26]

When I moved I went from gas to a smooth cooktop. I hate it. I suppose if I must have electric it is easier to clean than traditional electric.

Your pan/pot bottoms need to be smooth and level for the best results. Some of mine aren't and it is a pain in the ass when I grab one of those pans.

I'd kill to have gas again. I hate cooking on electric with a passion!

My stepbrother opened a restaurant this week. If I won that Powerball jackpot, I'd be getting one like his.

[formerroomate99]

I'll have to try that. I bought some product especially for cleaning the glass top ranges. It smelled horrid and did nothing. The only thing that has worked has been elbow grease and baking soda. When some overboiled liquid gets on the burner, it is pretty much there until it burns off.

[justme]

POM - I don't get it either. I had one at my last apartment and it was spotless even without the special cleaning creme. My traditional cooktop in my current apartment is a (#*$*#&$ mess because I can't get the damned burners out to save my life so anything that falls is just stuck down there.

[Bluerobin]

Crabby and I have the glass topped range. We burn lots of stuff, and they are much easier to clean. You do need a specialized cleaner. We use Barkeeper's Friend. Much better than taking the burner apart to clean it. One caution, most reccomend that you do not can due to the higher temps required.

[Peace Of Mind]

justme - I had the same problems with the other style stoves too.

The polish makes everything look brand new again but I use a sponge with the scrubby side on it and it works fine most days. And I'm a pretty messy cook! I do notice that after I polish the stove top messes are easier to wipe up so I try to use it twice a month - at least.

There was a brand of polish that smelled like dead fish to me. The one I posted above doesn't smell bad at all.

ETA: It also works pretty good on our stainless steel sinks!

[lexxy703]

Put me in the I hate mine category. It is a bitch to keep clean & it attracts dust worse than electronics.

[Deleted]

We have a glass top range. It was there when we bought the house. We thought we would hate it. But we have grown to love it. I don't love the way it looks; nice 6 burner Viking gas range is a thing of beauty. But the glass top is so easy to clean. No having to pull up burners to clean under. Just wipe it off, or a little scrub and it is all clean. Love it.

Also, we user a large canner and cast iron pans on ours without problem.

[illinicheme]

Both of my houses have had smooth, glass top ranges. I've hated them for a total of 7 years now! I suppose they're moderately better than traditional electric because of the "easier to clean" component. But the heat control is sub-par and many of my pans (even the high quality ones) spin on the surface. Give me a gas range any day.

I couldn't update in my old house, because there was no gas service at all. My current house has a gas furnace, so I'm thinking about swapping over to a gas range sometime in the next year.

[8 Bit WWBG]

...:::"I suppose if I must have electric it is easier to clean than traditional electric.":::...

This is what I was going to say. If gas is not an option (as it is not for me), then I think the flat top is vastly superior to those wretched black coils. I hated the way stuff dripped down there. Yes, you do need flat bottom pans to take full advantage of it.

At some point, I'm considering getting an induction burner. Those are wicked cool! But my next house MUST have gas.

[wvugurl26]

There is gas about a mile down the road from the house. It is a monster gas line too, you can see and smell the vent on it. A little ways down from that they are running new gas lines. I am sooo jealous of the development that is getting that.

If they offered it to our development, I'd come up with the cash. Cooking on gas is a much better experience.

[Deleted]

I'm in the camp that loves it for all the reasons already listed. I don't find it hard to clean at all. I also like that I can use it as extra counter space when I'm not cooking.

[Tennesseer]

I like mine but as others have said, it collect dust ad can be hard to clean.

One other thing I don't like about it is when you're trying to turn over food with a spatula (or spoon, fork, etc.) you have to use one hand to turn the food and the other to hold onto the pan. Flat bottomed pans tend to 'slide' around on the burner. I bought some pans that are rough on the bottom so the don't slide.

[CarolinaKat]

My mom LOVES hers. I like it too. Gas is not an option at either of our houses, and the glass top is much better than my traditional one. You do need to use a special cleaner, but it's pretty easy to clean. I don't think I'll ever get one though, DF is in love with cast-iron cookware and that's a no-no on glass top ranges.

[wvugurl26]

Nov 26, 2012 15:56:13 GMT -5 deminmaine said:

When we built our house we were seduced by the smooth top, despite our preference for gas. What idiots we were.

As others have said, it is preferable for an electric stove, as it beats hell out of the coils. It does clean well with the right cleaner too. But it's electric.

We kept hoping it would die, but after 12 years we finally said the heck with it and put in gas and a nice five burner stove with the grates. Whew, life is good!

I might be in love. Or I may just want that stove ;D

[wvugurl26]

Nov 26, 2012 16:05:41 GMT -5 CarolinaKat said:

My mom LOVES hers. I like it too. Gas is not an option at either of our houses, and the glass top is much better than my traditional one. You do need to use a special cleaner, but it's pretty easy to clean. I don't think I'll ever get one though, DF is in love with cast-iron cookware and that's a no-no on glass top ranges.

We use cast iron on ours. I have more problems with my pans that aren't flat than cast iron. Sliding the pans around and dropping them are the no nos from what I read.

[Angel!]

argh! So many varying opinions.

Gas is not an option, at least not an option I'm willing to pay for given the cost of installing a gas line.

I think I will give it a try since the biggest complaint is keeping it clean, which is one of the main reasons I hate my coil stove. That and the fact that none of my coils lay flat anymore & one won't stay in at all & can't be used.

[Angel!]

Any thoughts on Frigidaire vs. Whirpool? Is one a better brand?

Only a $30 price difference & very little difference in options, the only one I noted was one of the front burners is a dual size in the more expensive range.

[midjd]

I think brand-wise they're pretty much the same. I don't think there are huge quality differences between Kenmore, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, etc.

If it's only a $30 difference, I'd go with the dual-sized burner - we have 2 of those in the front, and 2 small burners in the back. The back burners are rarely used because the dual-sized ones are so handy. Large pot, small pot, no problem!

[zibazinski]

Grates are so ugly. If I wanted the industrial look I'd have bought a factory