Ceramic top stoves

[KPlumm]

Do any of you cooks out there use a ceramic top stove? Most of the villas that we have stayed in have them and I enjoyed using them, so when I had to buy myself a new stove last month I decided to go ceramic. My old stove was the electric coil type.

Well the reason I'm asking is I'm having problems with the new stove and I don't know if I just have to get used to it, or if there is something wrong. The problem is with the burners. The stove has two 7 inch, a six inch and an expandable element that goes 5, 7 and 11 inches. I was told that you should not use an element that is larger than the cooking pot - ideally the element and the pot should be the same size. Well, OK I try to do that. The elements keep cycling on and off. It takes a looong time to get a pot of water to boil that way. I called the service department and they said this is normal. I would have thought that the element would not cycle off until it reached whatever the setting was. For example, I had a pot on the burner and wanted to bring the sauce in it to boil. I turned the element to high (on the smallest size on the expandable burner) and it heated for maybe 30 seconds and then cycled off. It took quite a while to get to a boil.

I also bought new Analon flat bottom pots to go with the stove. I do not recall any villa stove top behaving this way. Are any of familiar with this and does my stove sound normal to you?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Karen

[Jamestown]

KPlumm,
My mom has one of those stove tops and yes, it takes FOREVER to heat up. Drives me nuts. I have a gas cook top and wouldn't use anything else, ever. My oven is another story. It's a Wolf and bakes beautifully, but I have to allow at least 30 minutes for it to pre-heat. No big deal unless you're in a hurry and forget to turn it on!

Jamestown

[Coden]

I have one, it is an Amana, and we have a Love/Hate relationship. I hate the way it cooks, but I love the ease of cleaning.

I do have to pretty much start everything on 9, the mark in-between 10 & 8....and then lower it as the pan heats up. I then finish cooking between 7 & 5. And then eventually to 3, and then to simmer. Depending on the dishes, of course.

After the first of the year I am putting in a gas stove and putting this unit in my rental.

[Coden]

p.s. Don't leave a pan of potatoes to boil...this is the only food dish that heats up quickly and then spills over at a moments notice!!

[KPlumm]

Hah! I know exactly what you mean! This happened to me and I had a LOT of water all over the stove top. I'm thinking I made a mistake buying this.

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[Coden]

kplumm - Really, once you learn how to get the pan heated up, and then learn to maintain the heat, you are good to go. The heavier bottomed pans do take longer to heat up, but they don't slide around. It is a balancing act, but you can do it!!

Also, you just have to learn patience in cleaning it. On mine, as soon as the light goes out, I can clean it. I have this special liquid stuff I get from Lowes. I do love the fact that the top looks just as good today as the day I bought it. That part I love.

Hang in there...you'll be a Master soon!!

[Jo Ann - VA]

I have a ceramic top stove too. The only problem I have is that I can't turn the temperature down low enough. I put it on the lowest temperature setting but it will still boil over instead of simmer.
BUT, I do love the clean up. I've had it for 9 years and it looks just as good as day I bought it. I'm all about easy clean up!

Hang in there....it takes some getting used to.

Jo Ann

[California Girl]

I have a Bosch gas range with sealed burners. Super easy to clean and total control over the heat. I wouldn't have anything else!

[Bob & Anita]

If it is a choice just between electric ceramic top or electric coil, then ceramic top is better in our opinion. We like the way you can turn on the outer rings for bigger pots or turn on the middle portion between two rings for a griddle pan, which you can't do with coils. We think water heats faster (set at max) on our ceramic top then with the coils stove top replaced about a year ago. It did take a little while to figure out which number settings works best.

Our ceramic top does not cycle on and off much when it is set to the maximum setting; it is pretty much full on.

Those who are use to gas will always think the electric stove tops (whether ceramic or coil) are slow and not as controllable.

[RickG]

I have a ceramic top (until I smash it with a hammer) that drives me freakin' nuts. I cook a lot and use thermometers. I cannot hold a temperature with these things. My infrared thermometer shows the elements pogo'ing. Trying to make decent pommes frites is insane!

Where's my hammer...

This stove top is the one reason I'm going to redo my kitchen sooner rather than later. Our big landscaping job finally started today. Hot tub next, then kitchen.

Cheers, RickG

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[KPlumm]

Yes it's the cycling on and off that drives me nuts! Once it gets hot it sure stays hot, it justs takes so long to get there. I wonder if they can change that? None of the villa ceramic cook tops worked that way.

[Teresa_Rae]

If you just got it, can you still return it?

I detest electric stoves in general (sorry!)

My in-laws have the ceramic type at their cabin and it never works right.

[RickG]

Let me know Rick, I'll come up and put your kitchen in. Jorge ps. trade? horney beer for kitchen!

d00d, can I afford you? The way things are in NoVA, you take whatever contractor will fit you in, and don't ask prices. Maybe that will fall off when the banks start calling in the home equity loans.

Cheers, RickG