Felinity > wrote:

> I have a GE profile slide-in electric range with glass ceramic cooktop
> and I've been too chicken to buy a Dutch Oven for fear of scratching
> or cracking it. An acquaintance mistakenly put a non-flat roasting pan
> on her stovetop and it resulted in having to have the entire stovetop
> replaced. I know that dutch ovens are flat, but are there issues to
> take into consideration? Like enamel maybe?

How old, and what type of ceramic top did your friend have? I only ask
because I inherited a glass smoothtop when I bought my current house.
It was already installed and I just figured I'd use and abuse it until
it broke. We have used pans larger than the burner sections, smaller
than the burner sections, not flat on the bottom, cast iron, you name it,
and 13 or 14 years later that top still works and looks fine.

Who is making all these delicate smoothtops that can't take some normal
cooking? I know the old Corning smoothtops that looked like Corningware
had problems with cracking, but they haven't made that type in years.

> I can't find any good documentation on the relative safety of dutch
> ovens from their manufacturers and this has me worried. A "Safe for
> use" sticker would really help me out...

"Safe" in what way? As far as I can tell it's really not that easy
to damage the new generation of smoothtops.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.