Gifted myself an induction cooktop for Christmas, silicon mat worth

[mattl]

it?

Been many decades since I've had a smooth top range.  The last and only was a Corning 3+1 range.  Over time the top got a lot of wear.  I'm sure newer tops are more durable, so I'm wondering if it's worth it to pick up a full sized silicon mat.  I will be using some cast iron, worry about scratches. Don't know if the mat would help with cleanup.

 

The cooktop comes with a "free" set of Circulon cookware - I don't expect much. I'm after a 12 piece set of Taratina stainless that is OOS everywhere so I will be limping along for a while. Been using a mishmash of cookware for years, copper bottom Revere, Visions and ancient Club aluminum. None will work on induction so a nice complete set of stainless is welcome.

 

This will be a change from the gas cooktops I've been using since the late  80's, looking forward to it.  Any induction tips are welcome...

 

[aquarius1984]

Are you using it to …

Cook on or is it a showpiece ?

If it’s to cook on just accept scratches will happen.

If you got it because it’s an art installation then maybe just don’t use it and get some camping stoves you can hide away.

I’m really not understanding the obsession and mentality behind everyone needing liners/protection mats/ or whatever when it comes to everyday household items in use.

The cook top would have been designed to be used in direct contact with cookware. Why potentially affect its performance or efficiency which is why you’ve presumably bought it in the first place.

This is what I don’t understand about air fryer liners. The whole point of the air fryer is that food is on a basket or tray with holes for air to fully circulate. Now we’ve got all sorts of waste going into landfill in the shape of disposable liners and silicone cookware that has a finite lifespan.

Just my opinion. My appliances are there to be used.

 

[combo52]

New induction cooktop

Congratulations Matt I think you’re gonna love it.

I would skip the silicone mat. It may affect the thermal safety performance of the cooktop. Also when you’re doing very high temperature cooking the mats are only good up to 500° in a skillet can get nearly that hot so you may put off some really toxic gases if the skillet is touching the mat.

My induction cooktop is 35 years old. It barely got a scratch on it and it’s seen a lot of heavy use every day. They are so easy to clean the having the mat just make the whole thing harder to clean.

There’s lots of good cookware available for induction ranges if you have an IKEA near you , everything they sell works on induction and is fairly reasonably priced.

 

[henene4]

Glass cermaic tops do get scratches, no matter what. But my mums IKEA induction top is going on 10 years or so and doesn't look horrible.
And honestly, I don't think that's bad. Having appliances being actually used shows you actually cook.

Most important thing is to keep anything granular off all the time. Given it's induction, you can just lift and wipe any time during cooking, either with a dry or wet cloth.

 

[ea56]

My GE ceramic top is 2 years old and doesn’t have a single scratch on the cooktop. I’m careful to not slide pans across the surface and I don’t use my cast iron pans on it. A small price to pay for the ease of keeping this stove clean. It’s hands down the EASIST stove to keep clean that I’ve ever used or owned.

Eddie

 

[petek]

If I'm cooking in a frying pan I'll sometimes put a sheet or half sheet of paper towel under it so I can slide it around a bit if need be. I use that piece of paper towel a few times and for wiping the stove top off

 

[petek]

If I'm cooking in a frying pan I'll sometimes put a sheet or half sheet of paper towel under it so I can slide it around a bit if need be. I use that piece of paper towel a few times and for wiping the stove top off

 

[mattl]

Thanks - I think my apprehension stems from the fact the Corning top was white and by the time it was retired it was looking pretty worn.

 

John, sadly no IKEA near by, I have enough usable stuff to get by.

 

[joeekaitis]

Blue Scotch Brite and water . . .

 

. . . are all you need for daily cleanup. Saturate the pad, squeeze out most of the water, and rub with the scrubbing side down until you can feel the surface is clean.  Buff dry with a folded dishtowel. ALDI sells their own version under the Radiance brand.

 

Weiman glass rangetop cleaner on a waffle-weave dishcloth takes care of the tougher stuff.  I use it every few weeks.

 

And don't forget to post the obligatory picture of boiling water on a napkin.

[this post was last edited: 1/1/2024-15:00]

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations!

You are going to love this appliance. Keeping granular things like sugar and salt cleaned up promptly is the best way to eliminate scratching. I have not had anything cook onto the glass so a paper towel or a cloth with window cleaner is all I need to use. This is completely different from a range where actual heat comes through the glass.

 

[fisherpaykel]

silicone pieces arranged in tripod fashion on burner circles

Just came across purchase paperwork May of 2012 for Electrolux slide in induction range, I've been using 2-3" cutouts arranged 3 per burner, from the same solid colour silicone baking mat since purchase, just replace the cutouts when they eventually darken, almost 1/2 mat left, or as just happened today and I boiled dry the kettle while distracted in another room- don't turn your back on induction set on High, and I had to replace the cutouts because they were smoked- partially melted-the cooktop did what it is supposed to do and shut itself off after detecting an overheat situation. Three goes with paper towels and Cerama-Brite cooktop cleaner and it looks like new. As others said keep salt and sugar crystals off the cooktop- wipe up any sugary boilovers immediately. Using these spacers raw cast iron fry pans are not a problem. Don't use fibreglass reinforced SILPAT mats if you are going to cut out spacers. It has worked for me for 11 years. I hope you enjoy the new cooktop, besides boiling water quickly at the low end you don't need a double boiler to melt chocolate, etc.

 

[combo52]

Do not use silicone mats on your cooktop

This type of material starts to burn and put off highly toxic fumes when it gets near 500° it also interferes with the safety sensor that shuts down your cooktop if you boil a pan dry.

If the material is discoloring from heat, you’re getting it too hot, if you’re going to do this, make sure you’ve got a powerful range hood operating that fence outdoors so you at least don’t poison yourself you may damage the cooktop or the cookware, however.

I also go into homes every month and see people using this oven liner mat stuff that’s designed for cookie sheets and they put it on the floor of their gas and electric ovens and the stuff becomes badly burned. I can’t imagine how many toxic fumes this releases it’s not a good idea and it is not an approved use of this material.

Salt and sugar will not scratch an induction cooktop surface sugar is a big risk if you have a conventional, smooth top cooktop, because the sugar can get so hot that will cause the glass to pit. This will not happen on an induction cooktop. The sugar cannot get hot enough to cause this problem.

John

 

[mattl]

Thanks, good to know.

 

Now I have to decide if I should wait until I put in new countertops or swap out the cooktop now, leaning toward now rather than in a few months.

 

[kb0nes]

I'm still unclear on how one actually manages to scratch any glass range top, induction or thermal. Glass is harder than any metallic cookware and I know in my case the bottoms of all my cookware is entirely smooth. Only thing I can figure is if someone manages to get a bit of sand or grit in there. Keep the cooktop and the cookware clean and use a bit of care and you will remain scratch free.

As for cleaning the induction top, you aren't ever going to burn anything onto it so clean up is easy. It is totally different than boiling a pot over on a thermal cooktop. Just lift up the pan and wipe it clean and return to cooking. Only time I ever cover the induction top is when cooking foods that spit or spatter, then I use a sheet of newspaper. I can't imagine the need for a silicone sheet.

You are going to love Induction cooking. It won't take long to adapt and appreciate the vastly greater control and speed as compared to your gas stove.

 

[jamiel]

The issue it seems is mostly with the odd grain of sand in a cast (iron, aluminum) pan which catches the surface wrong.

Further, in some cast iron pans there's a bit of a rim which creates some air space above the surface (meaning limited conduction).

 

[henene4]

I don't think that you can blanket statement say glass is harder than metal - keys in your pocket with a phone still scratch the phone. Glass ceramic exists in a lot of qualities as well, so does metal.

But metal to glas contact isn't the main issue. Anything between the surface and the cookware will create a pressure point as the same weight is distributed over less surface area.
If that bit just happens to be particularly hard - a particularly strong grain of salt, or some odd dust, or some other odd debris - you will get that typical type of micro scratches that aren't really obvious.
They don't really have any depth, you can't even feel them, but especially under the quite directional lighting of a range hood, you can see them.

 

[foraloysius]

Be careful with vinegar on glass cooktops. Some of them easily etch when cleaning with vinegar.

 

[combo52]

Reply number 14

Pans do not have to be flat for an induction cooktop. You can raise the pan up to a quarter inch or more and it will cook just as fast. The pan does not have to touch the top, the safety sensor might be a little more responsive if the pan is in good contact, but it will not affect cooking speed.

John