You're over reading over reactors. Glass cooktops do NOT "stain", nor are they easily scratched. I know plenty of people who have had glass cooktops for 25 years or more and are perfectly happy with them. If you don't clean a bit as you go, then you make work for yourself no matter what type of cooking surface. And if you slide cast iron with burrs on it around on any surface, you'll either catch it on the coils or grates, or you'll scratch glass. So, wipe up spills as they happen, and don't use cast iron with burrs on it! Really, it's NOT as problematic and complicated as you are making it out. Really.

I had a KA gas range with the white glass underneath, and loved it! Cleaned it with a razor blade. Polished it with BKF.

Then I had a Jenn-Air electric with a glass top cartridge and a coil cartridge. Never had a problem with the glass top. The coils were a MAJOR pain, and I could only get replacement drip pans for one size. The other coil was an odd size somehow.....

Nancy

Glass top Kenmore here. No issues with cleaning and I tend to make a mess when I cook.

I use a large stone pan in the oven. I do take care to not set it directly on the top as the stone would scratch it.

I have seen some glass tops that look bad. I do wonder why. I use a microfiber cloth with just water most of the time. Once it a while I use a cleaner for glass top ranges. Only once did it have to break out the razor.

I do have black so I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Agree with all above. Had a glass-top Kenmore for several years and it was no problem at all.

I did use the razor blade to clean gunk when it ringed around my most-used burner. That's totally not a big deal at all, took like 30 seconds, and was WAY WAY WAY easier than trying to scrub at an areas with a scrubbie and ceramabryte.

The stovetop looked great and was no problem to maintain; loads easier than cleaning the old coil top.

I believe there are 2 different companies that make the cooktops. Corning and Schott/Ceran.
Has anyone noticed a difference between the 2. I just looked and my Wolf is Schott/Ceran.

I'm willing to bet a lot of the complaints are from people who have white tops. I had white and swore I would never again. It took a ton of effort to keep clean. However I now have black and cleaning is loads easier. I think manufacturers may have realized this too as many of the white ranges are now coming with black tops.

If you can afford it, induction is easier to clean because spills don't sear onto the hob. But it's exactly the same ceran top as radiant electric. Mine has faint scratches, and it doesn't bother me a bit.

I had coils before this. I think you will be pleased with how much easier it is to clean a smooth top, whether radiant or induction.

The *ONE* thing about glass cooktops (I have one, and LOVE it!) is that you cannot let sugar-y things boil over and get on your cooktop. My understanding is the sugar can pit your glass (not sure how true).

So, if you make candies, or jams, or simple syrups, make sure you don't let it over-boil.

Also, get a black top, rather than white. The white shows everything.

But, we have electric only as an option, and I like my glass top. (would maybe consider induction in the future, but would definitely buy this again if induction was out of the price-range).

Also, these little scratches the black tops can get are only visible from about 2 feet away. A person has to walk right over to the stove and prepare to use it. No one standing on the other side of the island is going to notice. Not a casual guest. It's not as though the whole top looks all scratched up.

The scratches (mine has only three about 1" long) are in the middle of the burner circle where a cast iron pan made them. If a pan is sitting on that burner you can't see them at all. Mine is 4 years old, and it was scratched very early on.

Maybe it sounds worse than it is when I describe it? If you want I'll try to take a photo.

I think you aren't sitting a heavy 14" cast iron frying pan on your cell phone and moving it around! :)

BTW, I switched to stainless steel for my big frying pan and I love it. It's a Kitchen Aid with a very heavy bottom. Get a really good one and it will be fine.

Thanks everyone for the detailed and encouraging answers; you have given me many things to consider. I will be sure to look for a black top. I think Mrs.Joe may be right; I don't recall prior threads understanding that their problems may have stemmed from a white cooktop.

I admit I'm uncomfortable about using a razor: do you have to keep it at a certain angle (like a sharpening steel)? Did it cross your mind when you first did it that you could or would make things worse?

Biochem, and others, a photo would be welcome. You're right; I don't move heavy cast iron pans on my cell :-). I am thinking more about moving 6 quarts of boiling water, or a frying pan where you want to remove it until the element has reached a lower temperature before continuing cooking. I would also slide a cookie sheet or pan that has just come out of the oven. It still seems to me that if the improved technology is available, why not incorporate it and use it as a selling point?

I am looking forward to the responses to a2gemini's theory that it could be related to which company manufactured the cooktop.

Ginny20: I am not sure about induction because of having to replace pans. I know there still is not much choice or variety and while the price has come down some, it is still high.

Kirkhall, thanks for the advice about sugars. I don't make candies, jams or syrups, but I would use a little sugar in a tomato sauce. My experience is that no matter how low the element, the sauce always bubbles onto the cooktop. I will clean it as I stir the sauce; maybe every 10 - 15 minutes or so. While that may be enough time to dry onto the surface, I suppose that isn't enough time to really 'bake' into it or be so bad as to be a problem.

What do you use for cleaning the top? Do you use a certain brand or something you mix yourself? I suppose you should not use Soft Scrub (I use it occasionally on the enamel now, but I am not scrubbing so hard that I am 'sanding' the surface.)

Thanks again all.

I grew up with electric smoothtop ranges and have had them all of my adult life. They do NOT scratch or stain easily.
They are very durable. They look like new after years of daily use. My mother canned for years on hers and always had good results. She also used cast iron frying pans and had no problems with scratching. The manufacturers warn against allowing sugary type products to stay on the cooktop as this could lead to pitting, but I have never encountered that.

Most manufacturers include a straight edge razor for use in scraping up burned on food. The razor is very simple to use and I've never caused a scratch by using the razor. A sample of the cleaning product is also typically included, but truthfully, you don't need to use that routinely. Maybe once or twice a month for a thorough polishing. Most of the time a simple wipe with a damp dishcloth is all you need after the burners have cooled.
I would have no hesitation in purchasing a smoothtop range. The only thing I would recommend you look for is one with a power boost feature as it can take a long time to boil water without it! Good luck!

I have a white smoothtop and no problems with scratching or staining. We use cast iron frequently, slide cookie sheets across the top, and use soap and water to clean, BKF if something is burned on.

I've had a bisque colored smooth top for 5 years & there is not a scratch on it. I am a slop when cooking & I've never used a razor blade either. For tough spills I use cook top cleaner with a wet paper towel and let it soak a bit. I love my stove.

I just use a paste of baking soda and water if I really need to clean up (like when my peas boil over; or my hubby boils pasta water over).

The razor blade isn't scary at all. Just hold it at an angle (almost any angle). It is just really useful to scrape up most of the boil over, then you can (when cool) put some baking soda on it, with a wet washcloth over the top and leave for 1/2 hour or so (or when you remember) and go wipe it off.

btw--I've maybe done that 4 times in 9 years, and I am a SAHM who regularly cooks dinner at home. This is a well-used cooktop/range.

Using the razor blade scraper uses the same tool and technique as scraping paint off of glass. If you've ever accidentally had a drip of paint on a window, then you've already done this without any issues. Or if you've scraped an inspection sticker or parking permit sticker off of your car windshield. It really is NOT a big deal! If you clean spills as you go, and put a moist paper towel on the burner as it's warm and cooling down, then cleaning up after you eat is a breeze. You just wipe it off with that moist paper towel, and maybe give it a spritz of Windex or Fantastic if you want it to sparkle. Greasy spatters do need something that will cut the grease, but they aren't any worse than anything else you'll be cleaning up.

Take a refrigerator magnet and see if it will stick to some of your current pots. Induction is the standard in Europe for a reason! It's more energy efficient, doesn't put as much heat into the room, and you can even put down paper towels directly onto the cooking surface and place your pot on top if you've got something messy planned like frying up a big mess of Sunday chicken in your cast iron skillet. Just wrap up the paper towels with the splatter on them and toss them and you'll be done with the cleaning chore.

We had a Whirpool stove at our old house. It was white, with the light grey speckled top. I have never hated a stove so much in my life. It did seem to stain, or at least they left huge black marks that I couldn't clean with ANYTHING. I am sure that in retrospect, I maybe just didn't clean them fast enough, but I am a messy cook with small children, so it just wasn't practical for me.

Now I have induction, and I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Thank you all for your help. I have taken the advice that many have suggested about an induction stove and I am going to consider one. I am sure I will be back with lots more questions.

I have had a Kenmore Elite true slide in range with glass top for 15 years. In all those years my wife and I never, ever had a scratch on it even though we often times would use old iron skillets but mostly Farberware pot and pans. Our old glass top after 15 years was hauled out of our house also with no food stains, scratches or mars on it. If needed for food stains we would also use a flat razor that the Kenmore manual instructed. That unit needed to be replaced due to the oven starting to go out on us. We picked out a new Samsung true slide in with glass top just 5 days ago. Using the stove top three times produced two scratches on a burner area using the same smooth bottom Farberware pot not iron skillets. After reading that the new glass tops scratch easily we were very careful not to drag the pot on the surface. Also just tonight after making some mashed potatoes we turn the burner off and noticed a very small amount of the potatoes (with no spices or additives) was on the burner. We quickly wiped off the potatoes and then once it cooled down we went through the process of properly cleaning the small area with recommended cream glass top cleaner with micro fiber cloths etc.. We did exactly what we did for all the previous years and now we have that stain. Using baking powder with cream cleaner also doesn't work.

The new glass tops from all the makers that I have read about through new owners have got to be true and we know it now from experience.

Notice above that any one saying that this isn't a real problem are those from several to many years ago just prior to us getting our good old Kenmore Elite when it wasn't a problem.

Does anyone know of a glass top that doesn't easily scratch and stain?

I would also like to know if the new glass tops scratch more easily than the old ones. Planned "obsolescence"???

Our old stove that was in our house when we bought it never marked up easily, and I didn't baby it either. We just replaced all of our appliances 4 days ago and my brand new stove top already has a scratch on it. I also cleaned it with glass/ceramic cook top cleaner and now have a "cloudy" area of tiny scratches on one of the burners.

I'm in the market for a new electric range. We use cast iron pans daily and process canned vegetables or jam several times a year. We have four kids and cook quite a lot. I broil almost everything haha My husband has given up on the idea of a smooth top, but the options for coil ranges are absurdly rudimentary these days. Manufacturers seem to only have a couple token models available anymore.

I was so heartened to read all of these accounts of hard-using cooks who didn't baby their ranges and never had problems. I shouldn't have to fuss and pamper my cooktop for goodness' sake! But then I realized these accounts are all referring to models ten, fifteen, twenty years old. The more recent posts accounting decreased durability in newer models made my heart sink.

Does anyone have any tips for finding the most durable new radiant smooth top range?

I'm sure that manufacturers would NEVER make less durable cooktops in order to induce you to buy a new one every 5-10 years. :D

If you use a canner you will probably need to stick to electric coil or gas range. The last time I researched ranges for my mom smooth top and induction ranges were not advisable for use with canners. I hate smooth top ranges just due to the two I had in past, but love my Frigidaire induction range. I’ve had it about 8 years now and it looks brand new with no issues. It’s responsive like gas, and if you get a spill you just lift the pan and wipe up immediately.

Maybe 10 years ago there were no problems with cooktops. i had a glass cooktop for many years and spilt many things? it did require wiping up right away and a razor blade at times but i could always get it clean. I moved and bought a new Frigidaire Gallery range with glass cooktop and never saw such problems. Frigidaire also gives no customer service so forget emailing or phoning them. just give up. Within 3 years, the range needed a whole new wiring as all the burners would not work. New Frigidaire DW also needed repairing within 3 years. had never bought Frigidaire before and never will again. Moved again 5 years later and LG 4 year old range is all damaged from spilt burned food and cant get it off with my usual techniques of glass stovetop cleaners, razor blades etc. What to buy now?

I had my old smoothtop for 25 years & the glasstop was like brand new. It was easy to clean too. One week ago, I bought a G.E. BLACK smoothtop, & in one week's time, has some spots that are UNDERNEATH the glass. No way can it be removed. I've sent an email to G.E. Product Services to complain. WHY WERE THE smoothtops better made 25 years ago? I'm meticulous when it comes to immediately cleaning any spots on it. Afraid with increase usage, the problem will only get worse!

Since my comments above we have since bought a Samsung induction slide-in range. it has a black glass cooktop. I have had it for approx. 6 months and have been careful with cooking but still have spilled and boiled over. The instructions say to wipe spills up immediately so I have and then after cooking and it has cooled, clean it with a Glass Cook Top cleaner and polish. So far, it looks like new. This particular cooktop has burners that, if turned on high (level9/Boost) it will boil water etc within a minute. You have to have pots that are “induction ready” i.e. a magnet will adhere to them. i would also recommend getting new pots if yours are old so that any grease or stains from the bottom of the old pots don’t cause stains/damage to glasstop.

We just moved into a newly constructed home with a brand new whirlpool black glass electric cooktop. The first day I cooked, without any spill, noticed marks that looks like scratches. No heavy pot, just a normal 8" flying pan. We thought it was a manufacture defect on the glass. Called the company, the technician came today. He said you just need to polish it every time after cooking with special stove top polisher!! (Unbelievable solution! ) We have used electric cooktop before, never had such problem! I wipe and clean my stove after every use. Our kitchen is always spotless! Our friends who visited thought I never cook! If any regular pot or pan will cause the "scratches" and having to "polish" in order to get rid of the "scratches", that is just too much work!!

We are thinking of changing a model/brand, but after reading all the comments above, looks like it is quite a common issue?! Or maybe there is a better brand/model ............ ??

I had a smoothtop for 30 years & although the top looked like new the interior was showing signs of wear. We bought a Whirlpool & immediately had issues trying to keep the glass scratch free. I've read that most smoothtops have this issue. To me, the quality of the smoothtop glass has diminished. It is discouraging to say the least!

i have an LG range, and im here to tell you. one burner turned purple, its scratched. and the oven doors are horrible inside oven is clean except some stains never came out. but cant clean inbetween the glass doors, and it looks terrible. i cant take off the doo and get a yard stickwith cloth and slide it between glass to clean it. its way too heavy, and i was told soon as you cook, its back. i just want a regular stove now. i hate this stove

Excellently worded question - it’s frustrating ..also the oven window is useless and another antiquated item that makes the oven look old. I think the only solution I found is after cooking and surface cooled put a cover top on it so no one walks in and sees the messy looking stove top?

Planned obsolescence is another crime that needs exposing.

A German company, Schott Ceran, makes a proprietary scratch resistant “ Ceran” cooktop. Miradur and Luminoir are two of their proprietary products. In addition to their own products, they also partner with Bosch, Miele and some other brands that provide this cooktop. My Jenn Air electric range is 23 years old. It has a Ceran cooktop that has held up beautifully and still looks amazing. Unfortunately, I must now replace the range. My research shows that Ceran is only available now on high end luxury brands. Jenn Air is now owned by Whirlpool. So far, I find no reference to Ceran still being used for the new Jenn Air cooktops. I’m seeing reviews on many name brand ranges indicating low quality finishes that peel or rub off, faulty components, inadequate self cleaning features, unpredictable temperature variations and limited customer service. I try to find reviews from customers who have had their new range long enough to experience the real result; not just the beautiful new range in the kitchen. I’m very discouraged in my quest for a new electric slide in range. In our household, the range gets a lot of use. It is a major consideration. I don’t want to replace it again in a few years. Looks like I may have to commit to a far more expensive purchase than originally planned in order to get the cooktop and more reliable features I need.

I had GE electric glass ceramic cooktop for 30 years and no scratches in it. Never had anything go wrong until the tempature control panel for oven cracked and could not get a replacement part. Just putchased a GE around Thanksgiving and there are several scratches and discoloration on cooktop which is so frustrating when we use the ”approved pots and pans” and clean it with the Weiman cream. So the quality just isn’t there.