"phaeton" wrote in message

Something else to note, is that my roommates have a bunch of (cheap,
probably) stainless steel saucepans that have all gotten warped by the
smoothtop- if you turn the pan upside down and look at it, they all
have a high spot in the center of the bottom. I think it's the
heatup/cooldown pulsing that does this.

Good pans have a low spot. When heated, it becomes flat. The best are clad
with aluminumor h ave a tripel ply with aluminum in the core. There are
many good brands, You don't have to spend $100+ per pan.

Cast iron has many advantages, one is that it doubles as a roasting pan in
the oven. Once seasoned, it is easy to clean.
Ed