How to Use a Iron Frying Pan on a Glass Top Stove
Iron pans are excellent for cooking especially if you're frying. However, care must be taken when using an iron frying pan if you've got a glass top electric stove. Glass top stove manufacturers warn against using iron pans however, if you use a bit of cook's wit and a little caution, you should have no problem using your iron frying pans. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Know Your Pan's Limitations
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Iron pans, especially cast iron, can pose dangers to ceramic glass top stoves if they are badly pocked and etched on the bottom of the pan. They can scratch the surface or even worse can cause the stove top to crack.
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Don't slide an iron pan across a glass top stove. It may scratch the ceramic surface. Always lift an iron pan. It will be heavy especially if filled with food. Use two hands for more support if needed. Never store an iron pan above your stove. Accidents do happen and a heavy pan dropped on the glass stovetop will crack its ceramic surface.
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Many home cooks and professional chefs recommend drying a cast iron pan on the stove to prevent rusting. However if the pan has any ridges, a wet iron pan may build up steam between them and the difference in surface temperature between the ridges can crack the glass.
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Check the condition of your natural cast iron pan from time to time. Run your hand over the bottom and determine if it's smooth, free of rust, pits or divots. Your pan should sit flat. If you feel ridges or etching, you might want to try to file down the ridges. However, natural cast iron is relatively inexpensive so consider buying a replacement pan or dry your cast iron cookware in your oven.
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5
Consider purchasing a cast iron skillet with a heat ring. They are more expensive and might be hard to find. Check a thrift or seconds store. The heat ring is a small molded rim around the outside of the bottom of many (usually older) skillets. Its purpose is to raise the pan's bottom slightly off the range cook top to equalize the heat. The ring also lifts the majority of the iron pan's surface off the stove's top so the overall surface area of the iron pan in contact with the glass stove top is less.
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