Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type).
Wife is considering the smooth top type.

What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner
type?

(Going gas is not an option in this case - it Must be electric).

Bob-tx

On Nov 19, 4:15*am, "Bob-tx" wrote:
Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type).
Wife is considering the smooth top type.

What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner
type?

(Going gas is not an option in this case - it Must be electric).

Bob-tx

Smooth tops have problems with cracking, which is expensive to fix.
Smooth tops are necessarily brittle and so won't take the abuse that a
ductile coil burner structure will. I also don't like the heat
response of typical smooth tops.

You cannot use a canner or a griddle on a typical smooth tops. If
something boils over or spills on a coil burner, you can easily clean
out or replace the drip pan, and the coil itself is self-cleaning. On
a smooth top, you'll have to get out a razor blade to clean off crud.

The wife has had both [she tipped a KitchenAid mixer on the first,
shattering the top] and really likes the kind with "touch controls" and no
knobs. More expensive.

I agree that sold white is probably harder to keep looking good.



"Bob-tx" wrote in message
. ..
Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type). Wife is
considering the smooth top type.

What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner type?

(Going gas is not an option in this case - it Must be electric).

Bob-tx

On Nov 19, 11:57*am, "John Keiser"
wrote:

I agree that sold white is probably harder to keep looking good.

If white I suggest all new cookware. Any pan "seasoning" tends to
transfer rather easily and is not easy to remove.

We got ours at 25% of retail and wouldn't have another if they were 3
for a dime, 6 for a quarter.
-----

- gpsman

On Nov 19, 11:14*am, gpsman wrote:
On Nov 19, 11:57*am, "John Keiser"
wrote:



I agree that sold white is probably harder to keep looking good.

If white I suggest all new cookware. *Any pan "seasoning" tends to
transfer rather easily and is not easy to remove.

We got ours at 25% of retail and wouldn't have another if they were 3
for a dime, 6 for a quarter.
*-----

- gpsman

My wife would not go back to exposed coils, she is very enthusiastic
about her Sears Kenmore smoothtop. It is a little slower than a coil
type electric cooking element, but soo much easier to keep clean. It
is also a great place to put things during the rest of the day that
might otherwise roll off a smooth countertop as the edges are raised
1/4 inch.

"Bob-tx" wrote in message
. ..
Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type). Wife is
considering the smooth top type.

What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner type?

(Going gas is not an option in this case - it Must be electric).

Bob-tx

Same answer as the last time you asked. Go to propane.

Bob-tx wrote:
Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type).
Wife is considering the smooth top type.

What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner
type?

(Going gas is not an option in this case - it Must be electric).

Bob-tx



I have a flat surface range, and I like it. It is black, so it does
not have the problem keeping it clean that others have stated. It does
require flat pots and pans, and it does retain the heat longer than
other ranges. This being said, it certainly has an advantage with
regard to keeping it clean and appearance. I suspect a real chef would
prefer a gas range over an electric one, but since I do less cooking
than that of a large family, it suits me fine. Good luck.

"Bob-tx" wrote

Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type). Wife is
considering the smooth top type.
What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner type?

Pro's, they tend to look spiffy. I stretched for another one and can't find
it.

Con's
- Much harder to clean a spill if it bakes in at all. Easy to damage
surface when trying.
- Often a favorite pan or so can never be used on it (my best cast iron for
example)
- Somewhat fragile, leading to chips or cracks
- Expensive to repair (pretty much replace)
- Pots leave marks, the time you 'save' wiping gets used scouring pot
bottoms
- Slower to heat, lower final heat (this may be dated info and newer models
may be better)

Reality is the usefullness tends to degrade fast with a person who *loves*
to cook and and is more interested in performance than looks. Seen any
cooking shows? You won't find any glass tops at all in them. Electric and
gas (both slightly different but both work well).

Now, if most of the time you folks are just reheating a soup, or boiling a
few veggies etc, glass top is ok. If using it to put up canned goods, make
jellies/jams, or any of the other assorted things some of us really enjoy
doing, you will find a glass top 'looks spiffy' and after a month, you will
wish to hell you had a regular stove top again. That big pot of tomato
sauce, perking slowly all day to perfection? Nope. Not as efficient as a
regular burner for that.

I had a fortunately *short* 4 month time when I had a temporary place with
one of those glass top units. With no experince with them at first, I
thought it looked really neat and liked the idea. The honeymoon ended in
less than a week in my case. I was really glad to move by the end of that 4
months to a place with a real stovetop.

Cooking precision varies per model/brand.
Our old Amana was perhaps not as efficient as a regular burner.
Our new Bosch w/touch controls is vastly superior for high heat cooking or
slow simmering.
Of course, nothing beats gas but in Hawaii electric rules.

"cshenk" wrote in message
...
"Bob-tx" wrote

Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type). Wife is
considering the smooth top type.
What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner type?

Pro's, they tend to look spiffy. I stretched for another one and can't
find it.

Con's
- Much harder to clean a spill if it bakes in at all. Easy to damage
surface when trying.
- Often a favorite pan or so can never be used on it (my best cast iron
for example)
- Somewhat fragile, leading to chips or cracks
- Expensive to repair (pretty much replace)
- Pots leave marks, the time you 'save' wiping gets used scouring pot
bottoms
- Slower to heat, lower final heat (this may be dated info and newer
models may be better)

Reality is the usefullness tends to degrade fast with a person who *loves*
to cook and and is more interested in performance than looks. Seen any
cooking shows? You won't find any glass tops at all in them. Electric
and gas (both slightly different but both work well).

Now, if most of the time you folks are just reheating a soup, or boiling a
few veggies etc, glass top is ok. If using it to put up canned goods,
make jellies/jams, or any of the other assorted things some of us really
enjoy doing, you will find a glass top 'looks spiffy' and after a month,
you will wish to hell you had a regular stove top again. That big pot of
tomato sauce, perking slowly all day to perfection? Nope. Not as
efficient as a regular burner for that.

I had a fortunately *short* 4 month time when I had a temporary place with
one of those glass top units. With no experince with them at first, I
thought it looked really neat and liked the idea. The honeymoon ended in
less than a week in my case. I was really glad to move by the end of that
4 months to a place with a real stovetop.

On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:15:48 -0600, "Bob-tx"
wrote:

Am replacing an electric cooktop (exposed burner element type).
Wife is considering the smooth top type.

What are the pros and cons of the smooth top over the open burner
type?

(Going gas is not an option in this case - it Must be electric).

Bob-tx



Pros: easy to clean, safety, energy saved using induction heating
with special cookware, modern appearance

Cons: can be scratched,chipped, cracked; expensive to buy/repair