How to Cook on Ceramic Cooktops

In recent years, ceramic cooktops have increased in popularity due to their flat nature and ease of cleaning. A cooktop is a flat cooking surface installed on top of a counter, often without an oven attached. Although ceramic cooktops have many advantages, there also are a few quirks when it comes to cooking on them.

Things You'll Need

• Flat, smooth-bottom metal pan
• Kitchen cleaner
• Soft sponge

Instructions

1. Turn on the ceramic cooktop burner at least five minutes before you need to use it. Ceramic cooktops take much longer to heat up than other types of ranges. Therefore, you should increase your pre-heating time or increase the amount of time you cook the food.

2. Place the food into a pot or pan made of heavy-gauge metal and that has a flat, smooth bottom. Because ceramic cooktop heat radiates upward rather than outward, a flat-bottom pan is important to achieve the best cooking results.

3. Wait until the food is approximately 75 percent done, and then turn off the ceramic cooktop. Although it is slow to heat up, it is also slow to cool down. You can save energy by allowing the residual heat to finish cooking the food.

4. Remove the pot from the ceramic cooktop when the food is done cooking.

5. Clean the cooktop with a non-abrasive liquid kitchen cleaner and a soft sponge.

References

• Cooperative Extension Service, Utah State University: COOKTOPS AND COOKWARE
• Maytag: Troubleshooting Cooktops