Cleaning and Care of Ceramic/Smooth-top Cooktops

[Chris Hennes]

Over in this topic there is a brief mention of cleaning ceramic "smooth-top" ranges, but I could go for some more detail, and any tips or tricks anyone has. I just bought a house with one of these, and so far I am loving it. It is indeed quite easy to clean up, at least when compared to any other option. But I still end up scrubbing away at stubborn bits of burnt-on crud with heavy doses of Bar Keeper's Friend, seemingly to no avail. Is there any advice out there on the best ways to clean these stubborn bits?

[Dave the Cook]

Oh boy. I've been letting my top get particularly grungy just so I could post a pictorial. Give me a few hours to put it together.

In the meantime, are you polishing your top after cleaning it? That goes a long way towards preventing build-up in the first place.

[Chris Hennes]

Polishing it? I guess not! I scrub it down with BKF, wipe it clean, and that's it. I should be polishing it?!?

[dougal]

Chris - if you've got stuff stuck, it has to be scraped off somehow. But, with induction under the ceramic (rather than radiant or simple conductive heating under there) the top stays much cooler - so 1/ immediate collection of spillage is easier and 2/ it doesn't burn on nearly as hard - making cleaning much easier.

However, one of the 'things-to-know' is that there are specialist "ceramic hob {cooktop} cleaners" on the market - at least some of which are/contain a silicone polish. Crud doesn't stick nearly as well to a +polished+ surface! (So its a bit easier to clean next time.)

[Dave the Cook]

I've never done a scientific study, but I believe that finishing up by applying something like this makes the next cleaning easier. Please try it and see if I'm just kidding myself.

[Chris Hennes]

I don't have that exact brand, but the previous owners left me a bottle of the "Easy-Off Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner" that looks similar, and some kind of spray bottle of the same stuff that appears to have replaced the paste version. I scraped mine down with a metal bench scraper and gave it a good polish, so I guess we'll see... still not exactly scientific, but it will do for now.

[MicBacchus]

Well, in a perfect world, I'd clean the cooktop after every meal, but we all know that ... For several years, I used Cerama Bryte and applied it with a paper towel which didn't always quite cut it. So I'd leave the soaked paper towel over the crusty parts and let it do its thing. Not long ago tho, I discovered Weiman Scrubbing Pads so now I use those - much faster and less messy.

[tsquare]

I wet sponge clean daily and once a week or two, use "Cooktop Magic." Looks almost like new. I will also use it after the chef makes a particularly bad mess, if the glass top (basic electric Kenmore) won't wipe clean. Going on two years, under my care. Easist cooktop I've ever cleaned.

[gfron1]

I start with my razor blade, follow with the Weiman's pads, then polish (when I'm motivated to do it). That's with light commercial use.

[Dave the Cook]

Oh boy. I've been letting my top get particularly grungy just so I could post a pictorial. Give me a few hours to put it together.

←

. . . or a few days . . .

The lazy person's guide for cleaning a ceramic cooktop

First, older ceramic tops have an exposed gasket around the edge of the top. It's prone to damage, especially from incautious work with sharp instruments. If you have one of these models, be careful.

Second, promise you will never let yours get this bad:

That's 17 days without cleaning, including a couple of sessions with another avid cook. I let it go just so I could post this lesson; honest, I'm an appreciable slob, but not that appreciable.

For later comparison, here's a close-up of one of the burners:

First, get the surface goo off, along with any crumbs, seeds, mouse droppings (kidding!), etc. A bench scraper works well:

Next, you need to clear out what I call the secondary grime. Soap a sponge and lather up your top. When you've got full coverage, crack a beer, brush the dog or go check eG Forums and let the soap work for a few minutes:

Rinse the top (you needn't be too fussy; after all, it's still filthy). Get out your Bar Keeper's Friend and shake it on. Follow up by misting it with water. You want the BKF good and damp, but not so wet that it floats away from your target zones.

Again, walk away for a few minutes. Chemistry is your friend.

Now comes the toughest part -- scraping of the primary grime. I use a putty knife, but a paint-scraper loaded with a single-edged razor blade would probably work better. The trick to not raising a sweat is to keep working the BKF slurry, scraping in one spot, then moving on to a few others and coming back in a minute or so. Most of the dirt has been softened up, but if you've really burned something in, you'll have to exert yourself.

After the initial scrape, you'll have a top full of sludge:

Give it a quick wipedown to see where you've missed. Sure enough, some touch-up is needed:

Go at it with more BKF and a spritz. These areas aren't any harder to clean than what you've already done; you just couldn't see them through the primary-grime slop.

Once you've finished scraping, go around the edge to pick up any goo that got sloshed. On some ranges, there's a gasket just under the rim, so be extremely careful, especially if you're using a razor.

Wipe down the top and dry it, and you're ready for the polish. It doesn't take a lot, and you don't need to worry too much about the area outside the burners. This is more than enough for this one:

You can use pretty much anything to apply the polish: paper towel, dishcloth, shirtsleeve. Damp sponges don't work very well. Just rub it in -- it's like waxing a car or polishing silver. Keep rubbing until the haze disappears. As you can see, I'm from the circular school of application, but you may use any pattern you wish.

That's it. Elapsed time, 16 minutes, about 9 of which were hands-on.

Oh, I promised a close-up:

[Chris Hennes]

Wow, I'm glad mine is black!! Thanks for the write-up, Dave. I wonder if some of these specialty cleaners aren't more effective than BKF, however. I'm thinking especially of the ones made by the oven cleaner companies. Of course they don't seem to contain lye which is what works the magic when cleaning an oven, but something that does a bit better job at dissolving the burnt-on bits would be appreciated!

[Sam Iam]

The single edge razor blade in a retractable holder is perfect for any burned on nasty bits, and large quanities of duck fat (I buy it in 10 pound tubs).

First, I use a light spray of vinegar commercial Windex or 409 to dissolve the grease, then the blade, then "Bar Keepers Friend Multipurpose Cooktop Cleaner". It is a thick goo, but thinner than thoothpaste. Then more Windex.

By far the best thing I've found for my Dacor glass electric top, with computer sliders. No knobs.

Paper towels rule for polishing, although I'll probably get a handful of microcloths now that they've come down in price.

However, the last time I tried to find this cleaner, I couldn't.

UPDATE: It's available on the web site. Six - 13 oz. bottles for $15, shipping included. I'm outta here!

[Sam Iam]

BTW, just in case anyone is wondering, glass cooktops will crack. A 1.75 Grey Goose hit the Dacor from ~ a 4' dive.

However, this should probably go under the "VERY Stoopid Things" thread.

No, it's fine here, the title includes "Care".

Anyone looking for a repairable, working, 36" spare?

[Marlene]

The Kenmore double oven with ceramic cooktop that I have at the cottage, came with a retractable razor blade which is handy for quickly removing stuff that is stuck. Cooktop magic is good, and I also have the barkeepers friend for ceramic cooktops. I'm not sure that one is better than the other though.

[CKatCook]

I was very happy to have stubbled on to this thread! I just bought a ceramic cooktop range and was wondering how to properly clean it. I may have to hunt down some of that Cooktop Magic.

What type of pans should be used? I have an old t-fal stock pot that is still good, but my cooktop is black and I noticed places where the top itself has gotten little white dots from where the pan was sitting. I am thinking the bottom of the pan scratched the surface when I moved the pan while cooking. The dots do not clean off and this a new from the store range and I don't want to ruin it with my pans.....should I ditch the pan?

Thanks!

[Dave the Cook]

We discussed pan materials over here.

[Mjx]

The Kenmore double oven with ceramic cooktop that I have at the cottage, came with a retractable razor blade which is handy for quickly removing stuff that is stuck. . .

 

The single edge razor blade in a retractable holder is perfect for any burned on nasty bits. . .

 

I start with my razor blade, follow with the Weiman's pads, then polish (when I'm motivated to do it). That's with light commercial use.

 

This (I know this is old, but I just came across this now). A blade is the most efficient at removing almost all the muck.

 

I use a scraper that's designed for this purpose (Gaggenau thoughtfully included one with our cooktop, but at least in Denmark, you can find these in any supermarket, and they're also great for removing polymerized fat from the inside of oven doors, so they're not single-use-only gadgets), which is essentially a holder for a razor blade. It loosens pretty much everything except hard water stains, and the mildly abrasive cleaner for glass ceramic cooktops takes care of the rest. This appies toinduction cooktops, too, by the way, since the surfaces are identical. With the icreased popularity of induction cooktops in the US, the cleaner may be more readily available than it was, last I looked.

[dcarch]

Paint with a Nylon brush drain cleaner such as "Liquid Plumber" on the  stubborn burnt-on greasy crud. Cover with thin grocery plastic produce bag.

 

Next day, wipe off with paper towel. No scrubbing required.

 

Don't forget to wear rubber gloves, and read the user instructions on the cleaner's label.

 

 

dcarch

Edited August 25, 2015 by dcarch (log)

[palo]

Is Comet/Dutch Cleanser basically the same as Bar Keepers Friend?

Another tip, if using induction and you have a spill or boil-over, just lift the pot, wipe and continue cooking, no hot element/burner to worry about.

p

[gulfporter]

I "inherited" a black Kenmore smooth cooktop.  Not what I would have picked but there's no gas service where we live and frankly I like the looks of the cooktop.  I tend to sear foods outside (Florida) on the side burner of my propane grill. 

 

I did manage to put some light scratches on the cooktop from some pans/pots.  

 

I found that a dab of toothpaste will take those light scratches away; done when the cooktop is cooled.  

[patris]

As I was cleaning my cooktop just now, I noticed a few blemishes that I initially thought were scratches, but I am becoming increasingly convinced are actually hairline cracks. They range in length from one to about three inches and are concentrated on one burner. The cooktop has taken a bit of a beating lately, so hairline cracks are definitely not out of the question. Am I risking life and limb to use the affected burner,  or should I not use the cooktop at all until I can get it repaired or replaced? Any advice as to whether it makes more sense to simply replace the whole stove? It's a Whirlpool, about 10 years old. Never given me any trouble – in fact I really like it.  Any advice appreciated. Happy holidays!