Improving cast iron skillets

[CrimsonRose]

I love my glass top... of course I never follow directions to it and use all the things that are a big No No! hahaha

I use my cast iron pots pans and griddle (although the griddle doesn't heat up as evenly over the 2 burners as I would like...) Never had a problem with scratching

I pull things straight out of the oven and put them on the glass top... no mit between...

and I use my big huge pressure canner 22 qts on it and never had a problem! Last year I had my 20 qt stock pot on one big burner and my canner on the other both full and if weight would have been a problem I think it would have caved in then... but it held it's own... hehehe

I found baking soda and vinegar clean it the best... it gets all the burn on food that I spill everywhere off pretty easy... and since I spill things a lot the easy clean up as opposed to gas or the regular electric burners... makes it all worth while for me!

 

[moolie]

We have a glass top, came with the house, but we had one in our old place as well.

Never had any problems using any type of cookware on it: stainless, cast iron (frying pan as well as waffle iron), enameled cast iron (le creuset), or either of my canners (just need to ensure you don't get a canner with the "dent" in the bottom--must be flat).

Pressure canning works just fine, it actually doesn't take too high a heat to keep it to pressure (15 lbs due to our altitude, I have the rocker weight rather than the dial gauge so I have to use top pressure).

Never had any problems cleaning it either, occasionally hubbie boils the rice over and gets some black on it but that usually wipes right up if I leave a damp hot dishcloth on it to soak it off.

Haven't scratched either stove top either--can't think of anything that would scratch it, and I slide pots off hot burners pretty often (to hard-boil eggs I heat eggs in water to boiling, then move off heat to sit for 15 minutes).

 

[Chickenkitty]

We dispise our glass top stove! it will not heat evenly, canning on it is terrible, pressure goes up nd down.............. We want GAS! best to cook and can on is gas.

 

[feather and mountain man]

I would never get a glass top stove. You can not can on them or spill a lil sugar while your cooking or it will be ruined forever. I had on years ago and I simply threw it away after about a year. Never again.

 

[Denim Deb]

I can on mine w/no trouble. Maybe it depends on the stove itself?

 

[Marianne]

I would never get a glass top stove. You can not can on them or spill a lil sugar while your cooking or it will be ruined forever. I had on years ago and I simply threw it away after about a year. Never again.

Oh, I glop on my stove on a regular basis. The one really good thing is that it's sooo much easier to clean. Baking soda and some elbow grease, most everything will come off. And after reading these posts, I think I'll bust out my cast iron skillets and use them.

As for canning, here's what I found:

In summary, some smooth cooktop manufacturers say do not can on them, while others who say it is okay add stipulations on the diameter of the canner compared to the diameter of the burner. Boiling water or pressure canners may not be available that meet the maximum diameter pot they allow. All agree that the canners must be flat bottomed. Be sure to If you have a ceramic or glass stovetop and still have the manual, look it up there.

The whole page can be seen at
http://www.pickyourown.org/cannings4glasstop.htm

Towards the bottom of the page she has a list of several brands of stoves and info on whether you should can on them or not.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

 

[so lucky]

Marianne, thanks for the link about the glass top range and canning. I found that my new Frigidaire cook top is safe for canning, but my largest burner is only 9 inches in diameter. I checked the dimensions on the All American pressure canner I was going to get, and it is about 13 inches! So I was wondering what other SS-ers have done in this circumstance. Has anyone canned with the All American on a smaller-than-recommended-dimension burner? Maybe I should opt for a separate burner, possibly the coil type that is not as particular?
I know, I need to do some research to answer these questions but I wanted to whine a little first. Waah! Thanks for indulging me.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

I apologize for hi-jacking this thread, but while we are on the topic of cast iron skillets....

I found a cast iron skillet that is covered in rust (but it doesn't seem to be rusted through - if that makes sense). Is there any way for me to salvage this skillet? If so how would I do this?

 

[valmom]

We had to replace the electric stove that was in the house when we bought it, and I thought I wanted a glass top. I changed my mind when the dealer said we couldn't use cast iron on it. Gas isn't really an option here- that's what I grew up with, but it wasn't around in New England when I moved up here so I have been cooking on electric for 33 years now, and I am getting used to it.

What I really would love is one of the new (expensive!) induction cooktops that generate heat in steel or iron cookwear magnetically. Ooh, I really want one of those- they are sealed burners that look easy to clean, too. I just can't justify a new stove- there are too many other things I want to buy that are higher on my list!

 

[Marianne]

I apologize for hi-jacking this thread, but while we are on the topic of cast iron skillets....

I found a cast iron skillet that is covered in rust (but it doesn't seem to be rusted through - if that makes sense). Is there any way for me to salvage this skillet? If so how would I do this?

Actually, you're getting back on topic. I have some rust on mine and I was going to try vinegar to remove it. Maybe someone with some experience will chime in?