[Laker14]

Well, looks like we finally did it. Haven't closed yet but have an agreement to purchase a home. I love cooking with gas, but the house we are buying has a nearly brand new smooth top electric.
We've been renting a few years, cooking on smooth tops, with crappy pans that are warped, so only a small portion of the pan is actually touching the surface.

What is a good product that will cook well, not warp, and not destroy the range top?

[retiredguy123]

I like cast aluminum pots and pans. But, make sure your cooktop is not an induction type. Those require a special type of cookware.

[bluedivergirl]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I like cast aluminum pots and pans. But, make sure your cooktop is not an induction type. Those require a special type of cookware.

I doubt the Villages installs induction routinely. An induction range is around $3,000. I have one and love it.

The only requirement for induction is the pan needs to be magnetic. The stronger the magnetic attraction, the better the induction.

My pans are All-Clad, and I love them. They are very heavy, though. A person with weak or arthritic hands would have a hard time with them.

[Sweatman]

We’ve used a smooth-top stove since the 80’s. Any flat bottom pan will work. Warped, not so much. Pans will warp if taken from hot to cold quickly, like placing hot pan under cold water. Even cast iron will work on smooth top, just be careful not to slide the cast iron on the glass top to avoid scratching. We inherited an existing gas stove when we moved here. We found the heat from the open burners warmed the kitchen excessively so we bought another smooth top. Hope you enjoy.

[karostay]

Been using my Lodge cast iron 10 years no issues love it

[OpusX1]

We used strictly cast iron on our electric smooth top. Always worked great. Keeping the top very clean is very important.

[Cupcake57]

Originally Posted by Laker14

Well, looks like we finally did it. Haven't closed yet but have an agreement to purchase a home. I love cooking with gas, but the house we are buying has a nearly brand new smooth top electric.
We've been renting a few years, cooking on smooth tops, with crappy pans that are warped, so only a small portion of the pan is actually touching the surface.

What is a good product that will cook well, not warp, and not destroy the range top?

All-clad. after 10 years look brand new. Would not recommend cast iron-can scratch the cooktop if slid across the top.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by OpusX1

We used strictly cast iron on our electric smooth top. Always worked great. Keeping the top very clean is very important.

I agree with keeping it clean. I thought it would be easy to clean a glass cooktop, but it is very difficult to get baked on food off of it.

I am afraid to use cast iron because, if you drop it, you could break the glass cooktop.

[Carla B]

Originally Posted by Cupcake57

All-clad. after 10 years look brand new. Would not recommend cast iron-can scratch the cooktop if slid across the top.

And if the cast iron pan has a ridge on the bottom, it can etch the smooth cook top permanently. How do I know? That happened to me.

Originally Posted by Laker14

Well, looks like we finally did it. Haven't closed yet but have an agreement to purchase a home. I love cooking with gas, but the house we are buying has a nearly brand new smooth top electric.
We've been renting a few years, cooking on smooth tops, with crappy pans that are warped, so only a small portion of the pan is actually touching the surface.

What is a good product that will cook well, not warp, and not destroy the range top?

My wife uses good quality stainless steel pots with a clad bottom and also cast iron. We use Ceramabrite to keep the cooktop clean , which is my job.

[dtennent]

We have used All Clad for several years and have found that it is worth the cost. Despite an earlier comment, there are induction cook tops in TV homes. Also, even though the glass surface has been strengthened, it can be broken if you drop a heavy pot from a high enough surface. So I would be careful to clean the surfaces quickly with a non abrasive cleaner. Good luck - I hope that you have a great time here.

[Jazzcat]

Originally Posted by Laker14

Well, looks like we finally did it. Haven't closed yet but have an agreement to purchase a home. I love cooking with gas, but the house we are buying has a nearly brand new smooth top electric.
We've been renting a few years, cooking on smooth tops, with crappy pans that are warped, so only a small portion of the pan is actually touching the surface.

What is a good product that will cook well, not warp, and not destroy the range top?

We recently sold our relatively new electric smooth top range for a professional brand gas range and couldn't be more pleased! There's no comparison. It was nearly impossible to adequately control the heat settings on the electric range, while the gas range allows for infinite heat settings. As for cookware, I have used my Lodge cast iron skillets, as well as Calphalon and Circulon pans on both ranges, with success.
Best of luck with your new home!

[Mrmean58]

Originally Posted by bluedivergirl

I doubt the Villages installs induction routinely. An induction range is around $3,000. I have one and love it.

The only requirement for induction is the pan needs to be magnetic. The stronger the magnetic attraction, the better the induction.

My pans are All-Clad, and I love them. They are very heavy, though. A person with weak or arthritic hands would have a hard time with them.

Our home in Pine Hills was built with an electric induction stove top. We love it. We can barely tell the difference between it and our prior electric stove top. We bought all of our cookware from William Sonoma with ceramic lining on sale. Would definitely buy them again

[geobet]

When we purchased a new electric range we were told to clean the top before the first use. 7 yrs later it still looks great. We use clad aluminum pots.

[sdeikenberry]

I've used Calphalon non-stick on my smooth top with good success for some 10 years now. The lifetime guarantee with Calphalon as been a very worthwhile benefit also. I've used the guarantee numerous times since first purchasing my set in 2003. When the non-stick coating gets scratched or starts to wear off, I get a new pan for the price of postage. Calphalon also doesn't warp if used correctly.