Cast Iron & Glass Top Stoves

Cast Iron and Glass Top Stoves – it is really safe to be using them together? If you are cautious, this can easily be a match made in heaven!

Cast Iron and Glass Top Stoves

Cooking with cast iron comes with a set of rules that are different from all other pan options. For years, I have been hearing that you can’t use soap to clean your pans, but the biggest no-no has been against using them on glass top stoves. The truth is that modern cast iron pans are perfectly safe for using on your glass top stoves!

A cast iron pan is heavy and a glass top stove is (obviously!) made of glass. Numerous cooks – professional and hobby – use them together without any problems. With any type of cooking, there are precautions you will want to take, but with these tips and tricks, you can confidently begin using your cast iron on your glass top stove, too!

How to Safely Use Your Cast Iron and Glass Stove Top

When switching from coil or gas burners, there are a few things you will need to take note of when starting to cook with your cast iron again.

Do not slide the pan around! Some of the older pans have rough edges. Sliding it around will scratch and damage your cooktop. Set it down in one place with a soft, smooth motion. Do not move around while cooking. Once cooled, pick straight up from the cooktop.

Upgrade your pans. Newer cast iron pans do not have the rough, sharp edges like many older pieces do. Consider upgrading to my personal favorite – Tennessee-Made Lodge!

Keep it clean. Scrubbing the interior part of your pan is a no-brainer, but are you scrubbing the sides and bottom of your pans, too? This is an important step to prevent food from burning onto it and the stove top.

Use a heat diffuser. These are specifically designed to evenly distribute heat evenly across the pan. These are particularly useful for cooking sauces or when you need a slower cook time. You’ll want to gently place the diffuser on the stove just as you would the pan.

Keep your stove top clean! If you allow splashes and spills to create a build-up on your glass top, this will increase the chance for scratching. Clean spills as soon as they happen and use the proper tools to do a deep clean at least once per month.

Use proper-sized cookware. It is recommended to use cookware that is no larger than 1-inch bigger in diameter than the burner you use. Using a pan that is oversized can cause damage to or reduce the life of the heating element.

Still not convinced? Switch to enamel-coated cast iron pans!