How to Select Cookware for Flat Top Ranges

Learn what cookware to use on your new cooktop stove.

Now that you have purchased a new flat top range, you need to verify that your cookware is safe to use on it. Flat top ranges are made of glass ceramic and can be easily damaged by the wrong cookware. Knowing what type of cookware to buy can be confusing, especially when you have a cabinet full of old cookware and you don't know what you need to keep or throw out. Take the time to identify what pieces are safe for your cooktop and what pieces can cause irreparable damage.

Instructions

1. Inspect your current cookware. If any of your current cookware is heavyweight aluminum, copper or copper bottomed, enamel-coated aluminum, stoneware or cast-iron, you must remove these from your cookware collection. Cookware made from these materials can damage flat top ranges by scratching, melting, leaving residue, cracking or adhering to the surface. Also remove from your cookware collection, any pieces that currently do not have flat bottoms. Cookware without flat bottoms will not heat evenly on a flat top range.

2. Take inventory of your current cookware. After you remove potentially damaging pieces from your current cookware collection, take note of what pieces you have left and what pieces you need to add to your collection. A good collection of cookware consist of one to two skillets or an assortment of skillet sizes depending on the amount of cooking you like to do, as well as saucepans and stock pots.

3. Choose which cookware is best for you and the type of cooking you enjoy. There are three highly recommended types of cookware for flat top ranges. According to Only-Cookware, stainless steel cookware is one of the most highly recommended types of cookware to use, not only on flat ranges but in any kitchen because of its heat conductivity. Make sure the stainless steel cookware you choose has a copper or aluminum core sandwiched between the inside and outside layers the stainless steel. This type of stainless cookware heats food more evenly. Porcelain Cast-Iron Pots states that porcelain coated cast iron is a good recommendation provided that it is coated both inside and out with porcelain. You get the same benefits of cast-iron cooking without the potential harm that regular cast iron can cause your cooktop. Porcelain coated cast iron also comes in many different colors giving you the ability to coordinate with your kitchen colors. The last cookware choice is titanium. Titanium cookware is the most expensive of the three choices and may never need to be replaced. You will use less oil when you cook and your cooking time will be reduced.

References

• GE Appliances: Range - Cookware Used on a Radiant Smooth Glass Cooktop
• Only-Cookware: Cookware Buyers Guide
• Porcelain Cast Iron Pots: Benefits of Porcelain Cast Iron Cookware
• Cooking Cache: Titanium Cookware Review
• Consumer Reports: Kitchen cookware guide