Glass Cooktop: Risk of Breaking? Hard to Keep Clean? Are they worth it???

Question

My Mom is finally going to replace her Jenn Air downdraft cooktop and likes the idea of the glass/smooth surface because it should be much easier to clean than coils. As long as one is careful NoT to use anything abrasive on it, and uses the right cleaning product, are they easy [or hard] to clean? and keep clean???

Also, she's worried about the possibility of breaking the glass top. I know many people have...and she's worried that she may accidentally drop a pot and ruin her new stove. Does one have to be extremely careful? not to break it? It seems to me, one has to simply learn a whole new way of caring for/cleaning and a new way of cooking, basically. Is this right?

We'd just like some help from those of you with experience with this type of cooktop. Is ceramic really best, or should she be satisfied with coils? Thanks Very Much!

Answer 1

I guess you have to weigh the pros and cons of both. If you are klutzy in the kitchen and drop your pots a lot then glass cooktops probably aren't a good idea. Otherwise, my glass cooktop operates very similar to an electric coil stove for stovetop cooking. There really isn't a learning curve. They ARE very easy to clean up as the surface is flat and you just wipe them off like you would your countertop. Sometimes I use the special cleaner for them when I burn something and it works very well. You can even use them as a work surface (if they aren't hot) because they are flat. The burners are adjustable depending upon pan size. Also, you must have flat bottomed pans, warped pans won't conduct the heat very well. As far as touching them when they're hot, the light for the burner stays on until they cool off. Regular coil stoves don't have such a feature that I'm aware of. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I have a Maytag stove that is now four years old and I LOVE IT! The top is easy to keep clean and doesn't have a chip or scratch on it. I have dropped a few things including a heavy stone ware with a pizza on top of it. I don't know if I just got lucky but again not a single chip on the stove so I would venture to say yes I try to be careful but you dont have to treat it like a glass from your cabinet,LOL. Follow the manufactures directions as far as cleaning and it is a breeze. I have heard of people buying some of the stoves that have raised little white dots on them, I would probably stay away from them. I have M.S. so I need the easiest and best appliances I can afford and I can honestly say I would never have any other type of stove. Your Mother will Love it.

Answer 3

For most stains, I've found a microfiber cloth that has been in some hot soapy dishwater does the trick if you lay the cloth on the spot and let it "soak" for like 5 minutes. For those nasty burned on stains, I use a powdered cleanser named Barkeepers Friend. It's similar to a scouring powder but is much less damaging to the surface. It still takes some elbow grease and it does help if you dampen the area and then sprinkle the cleanser on and let it work awhile before scrubbing. And to remove the residue from the cleanser, go back to the same microfiber cloth. My husband has been wondering why I switched to them and he was cleaning the stove top the other day and trying to wipe up the cleanser residue with a sponge and not making out very well. I handed him one of the microfiber cloths that I had been using as a dish cloth and he was amazed at how much more efficient they are at wiping up stuff. Truthfully, and I am guilty here too, the best way is to prevent them and wipe up spills as soon as they happen and wipe the stove down with hot soapy water after use.

Answer 4

stl_aer and Hodgie are absolutely right. I have been using one for over a year and it is a delight. I don't clean it with anything special, just warm water with liquid dishwashing detergent and a Scotch brand sponge with the Green Scrubber backing. The green part is just the same as the scrubber in the kit that came with the stove. It is gentle enough to remove any cooked-on spills. I just rinse it with a clean wet dishcloth and polish it dry with a clean dish towel. It looks like new.

Answer 5

don't go with glass top, they are impossible to keep clean. everything burns on top of them, and no amount of scraping will remove all the dirt. also if you have pets, the glass really attracts pet fur. it looks nice but it's too much maintenace

Answer 6

Yes it can break if you accidently drop something on it and its expensive to replace. Further there is always the possibility of accidently touching it when its hot because we tend to forget when its on. On the whole it doesnt seem worth it.

Answer 7

i think they are harder to keep clean,after the stove cools it is difficult to clean the burn rings even with the special cleaning products for this type of stove tops.