Ceramic glass panels: how to care for will?

More and more housewives are buying stoves with glass-ceramic hobs. But not everyone knows how to take care of this coating. And although advertising says it’s easy to clean glass-ceramic, homeowners face a few challenges when it comes to cleaning. After all, this material requires a specific approach.

Scraper and foil – that’s the trick

Together with the stove or cooktop you need to buy a scraper for cleaning vitrified clay and a special detergent. All of these are sold in home appliance stores, less often in hardware stores.

Produce means often the companies themselves-manufacturers of stoves. In some cases, these items are included with the stove, t.e. Their cost is already included in the price of the hob or panel, sometimes you have to buy them separately.

The scraper can be plastic. In this case, its service life is not great. But more common and longer lasting steel scrapers with removable blades. They are somewhat similar to a shaving press. Scraper with blades is not cheap compared to sponges, washcloths and dishwashing detergents.

For example, a squeegee for cleaning glass ceramic from Electrolux will cost you 140-160 Dollars, a set of ten replacement blades – 150-170 Dollars.

Not cheap cost and special means for cleaning glass ceramics – 129-300 Dollars. They don’t last very long, though, so it’s best to use a plastic scraper.k. Consumption is low and bubble sizes are usually large, averaging 500 ml.

Buy means for cleaning glass ceramic you have to in any case, because with it is much easier to keep the surface clean and well-groomed. Special detergents not only remove grease stains, food remains and lime scale.

After cleaning with this method, a thin silicone film is left on the ceramic glaze to prevent grease and food residue from building up. That way the surface will be cleaner later on. The film also serves as an extra protection against damage if you accidentally spill liquids with high sugar content on the surface.

How to properly clean a cooking surface?

Here are the recommendations of the AEG specialists: “First remove any food residues with a scraper. After the dishes are completely cooled, spray a glass ceramic cleaner on the surface and wipe with a paper towel or a clean, soft cloth. Then wipe with a wet towel and then a dry one.

Remove burnt sugar, melted plastic, aluminum foil and other fusible materials immediately, while they are still hot, using a scraper. Then clean the cooled cooking zone the normal way. If the burner with the melted material has already cooled down, heat it up again before you start cleaning”.

That’s how simple it is. But… There are also a number of other recommendations for specific cases. What experts advise?

– Never use a dishwashing sponge to wipe the surface, because the.k. There may be traces of grease or detergent left behind, which will burn off the next time you switch on and cause discoloration of the surface. Clean the glass ceramic around the burners with a soapy solution applied to a soft cloth Beko recommendation .

– Remove lime and water spots, splashes of grease and discolored metal stains with commercial ceramics cleaners or stainless steel cleaners. Detergents must not get on the hot glass ceramic panel! All detergents must be removed after cleaning with plenty of clean water, as they can have an corrosive effect when heated up later warns Electrolux .

– Using dishwashing detergents when cleaning glass ceramics can result in bluish stains. They are difficult to remove even with special agents, but do not affect the operation of the panel. Lime residues can be removed with vinegar Kaiser recommends .

– It is not recommended to clean glass-ceramic with oven spray or stain removers AEG specialists write .

– Clean glass-ceramic with glass cleaners Ardo recommends .

– Cooktop damage can be caused by grains of sand on the hob, for example, when brushing vegetables Siemens notes .

– Make sure that the surface of burners is always dry, because salt water or wet bottoms of pans can damage them Siemens recommends .

The razor blade replaces the scraper!

Our people have always been known for their ingenuity. Naturally, the attitude towards cleaning glass ceramic surfaces is also creative. What do the housewives, who visit various Internet forums and conferences, suggest to each other??

– Baking soda is an excellent detergents for vitrified clay. It must be wet on a damp cloth.

– After cleaning the glass ceramic, rinse the surface with water and wipe with a cloth soaked in vegetable oil just a little oil . This is necessary to create a protective film.

– A scraper is an excellent substitute for a razor with a razor blade.

– Some detergents for kitchen cleaning can easily wash the vitrified clay.

How you feel about these tips is up to you. You can clean your stove with a razor and shave with a glass ceramic cleaning scraper, because it is your stove and your beard. Just remember that the miser always pays twice.

You can tell a good cookware by the bottom

Another “painful” question that often worries when buying glass-ceramic stoves is related to what kind of cookware is recommended to use.

Everyone knows that the size of the bottom of pots and pans must correspond to the diameter of the burner. It is necessarily written in the manual of each stove and is accompanied by a diagram showing the correct and incorrect position of the pan.

But what materials to buy cookware from, not everyone is clear. Some manufacturers write that aluminum and copper pans must not be used, others that they can. It is not generally forbidden to cook in this cookware. But specific pearlescent stains can be left on the vitrified clay, and it is very difficult, sometimes impossible, to clean them.

Good cookware is judged by the pot’s base, not the material, reminds us at Electrolux. The base should be as thick and flat as possible. It is not recommended to use pots with damaged bottoms that have rough surfaces or burrs, as they can leave unrecoverable scratches when moved around.

At room temperature, the base of the cookware should be slightly concave, since it is flattened by heat and is in complete contact with the cooking surface. This ensures heating with the least amount of heat loss. According to the European standard DIN 44904 the maximum concavity of the bottom should not exceed 0.6% of the diameter of the bottom. For saucepans with a 220 mm base diameter, for example, the maximum permitted concavity is 1.3 mm.

Ariston experts warn you not to use cookware that you’ve been cooking in on a gas stove, because the bottom of these pots can become deformed due to the uneven impact of the strong flame, so full contact with the worktop becomes impossible.

Enameled cookware can be used. The only thing you should avoid is leaving it empty on hot burners. In this case, there may be damage to the glass ceramic surface that cannot be repaired.

In principle, almost all saucepans and frying pans specify for which surfaces they are designed. There must be a clear indication of whether the cookware is “ceramic” or “pots”. If it says simply “for electric stoves,” then it means enamel work panels with “pancakes”.

If your glass ceramic surface has induction burners, you need to take the choice of pans even more seriously. Steel, steel enameled, cast iron pans and pans are suitable for induction. Cookware with bottoms made of a metal alloy “sandwich” is only suitable if this is indicated by the manufacturer. This means that the bottom includes a ferromagnetic element. You can use a magnet to check whether the pan you like matches your burner. Do not use aluminium, copper, brass, stainless steel if not marked , glass, ceramic or porcelain cookware for induction cookers.

Another small but important note relating to all types of burners on the ceramic hob – first place the pot on the burner, and then turn on the last.

What Glass Ceramic Fears?

– Vitreous ceramic pans do not like sugar, aluminum or plastic.

– It must not be cleaned with an iron sponge, knife or brush.

– Do not use abrasive detergents.

– Fiberglass ceramic is mechanically resistant and can withstand high loads, but is afraid of point-shocks, for example, a crack may appear as a result of the fall of the knife downward blade. In practice such a fall is extremely rare, but theoretically it is quite possible.

– Never spray a red-hot burner with cold water and avoid placing a wet and cold pan on a hot cooking zone while it is still hot. Nothing bad is likely to happen, but sooner or later the coating may fail.

– If the liquid “escaped” from the pan on one burner will get to the next not yet cooled burner, the panel in this place can crack. It is not necessarily that it will crack as soon as you spill liquid. But this can happen in, say, a 10,001 case. Fiberglass ceramic likes neat housewives.

– Do not use dirty or dried out cloths for cleaning. They can do you a world of good, and your hob is dirtier than it was before you cleaned it.

Take care of it, or it might run away…

The smooth surface of glass-ceramic can serve badly if a large amount of liquid is spilled on the panel. Naturally, it will flow down the walls of the stove onto the floor. It’s good if it’s just water, even better if it’s clean. And if a rich broth spills? We will have to wash not only the vitrified clay cooktop, but also the walls of the cooktop, and the floor around it.

Another trouble doesn’t just affect glass-ceramic stoves. Not too often you see models with a heating zone with a small diameter that would fit under a gin or a small geyser coffeemaker. Fans of coffee cooked in this way, have either to violate the rules of operation of the device, risking burner damage, or refuse to cook their favorite beverage.