Higher Tech in Improved Cooktops

Slowly, yet surely, the old electric range surface is being replaced in kitchens all over the world by a sleek-looking cooktop. It’s attractively smooth. No more ugly burners sticking out. No nooks and crannies to clean. (Remember how much extra time and effort you had to spend scrubbing those grease-laden coil systems and rusted drip bowls, lest they become an eyesore in the kitchen?)

The revolutionary, high-tech, smooth top is made of a heat-resistant glass ceramic surface--impervious to spills, grease and encrusted deposits. (Don’t mistake this for the old ceramic surfaces that developed instant heat stains that were difficult to remove.) Today, this new cooking system accounts for about 60% of all electric range sales in West Germany, 50% in Switzerland and Austria and 45% in England. More than a dozen U.S. and Canadian appliance manufacturers are now incorporating this system into their electric ranges. Also, based on positive surveys, industry experts project an additional 75 million purchases over the next decade.

By now you’ve probably seen this new cooktop surface in ranges by companies such as Amana, Dacor, Gaggenau, Caloric, Miele, Jenn-Air, Magic Chef, Maytag, Modern Maid, Roper, Kitchen Aid, Sears, Tappan, Creda and Thermador. Flush to the countertop and looking extremely simple by way of its subtle smoothness, there’s more to the system than meets the eye. An intricate ingenuity lies in both the composition of the glass panel as well as in the heating elements hidden beneath the cooking surface.

Here’s an inside story from the primary supplier of this product: Schott America, a subsidiary of Schott Glaswerke of Mainz, West Germany. Called the Ceran-Top-System, the unit consists of the following: a black glass-ceramic panel; the hidden heating elements and their mountings; a steel frame has a metallic finish or comes in one of several colors, and the burner controls.

The attractive glass-ceramic panels are translucent, nonporous and available in several decorator designs with a wonderful variety of cooking zone placements. But beauty is not only skin-deep; these glossy panels are made to withstand constant temperatures of more than 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. Sudden and severe temperature changes do not affect them and as a result they don’t crack or warp. Another functional consideration is that they are designed to transmit heat efficiently from the hidden burners directly up to the cookware, with the rest of the surface remaining cool.

Depending on individual wants and needs, the Ceran systems are available with a variety of electric heating options. The latest electric cooking systems include radiant, high-speed, ballast, “quicklight” and halogen, the last of which is attracting attention as an energy-saving concept. If you like the instantaneous on-and-off response of gas, the halogen elements uses halogen light bulbs that glow red when hot.

The beauty of this whole system is that all the heating coils and mountings are hidden beneath a glass panel and are designed with consideration for safety and maximum efficiency. The burners range from six to nine inches in diameter, some designed with dual circuits to accommodate two sizes of cook pots. Temperature limiters, which prevent the cooktop from overheating and aluminum pots from melting, are standard equipment.

Speaking of pots, the manufacturer recommends a few simple rules of thumb to get the best performance:

“Match the cookware and the cooking zone. The base of the pot or pan should be as wide as the cooking zone on which it’s used to get maximum efficiency and shortest boiling times.

“Use heavy cookware with flat, smooth bottoms. Nothing fancy is required. Commercially available pots and pans are fine. If made of metal, use thick gauge. All cookware when hot, should sit flush on the cooking surface. Pots and pans with flat, stainless-steel sandwich bottoms have produced the shortest boiling times and maximum efficiency.”

Cleaning, of course, is a cinch. Ordinary spills can easily be cleaned with recommended cleaners applied to a moistened sponge or cloth. Avoid wool and abrasive cleaners and treat spills that contain sugar immediately. Burnt deposits can be easily removed with a razor-edged glass scraper.

Many buyers are attracted to this system by the bright red glow of the heating elements that are visible through the glass-ceramic panel. Combined with this visible glow, an indicator light that remains on until the surface is cool to the touch ensures safe operation of the cooktop.