Glass top stoves and iron griddles both have their pros and cons. As you have asked, can you use a cast iron skillet on a glass-top stove? The straight answer is yes, but it has its secrets.
But is it the best option? No, it is not, but it can be a damaging choice for your cooktop. This heavy iron cookware can create scratches and even cracks.
But there are some ways that you can follow to use it on a glass cooktop safely. Your hesitation is a reminder that this kitchenware needs extra care at your work.
You should avoid this grill if you don’t have much time and often get careless at cooking. Those determined to use it should read the article to learn how to use it safely on a glass stove.
How to Use a Cast Iron Griddle on a Glass Stove?
Glass top stoves are made of glass and have a ceramic mixture. These cooktops’ smooth surface looks appealing and feels like more modern kitchenware.
As they are flat and don’t have any gaps on their tops, there is no chance for food to get spilled out on the coils. Anything that spills on these cooktops is easy to clean.
Low maintenance and appealing look always attract more people in this techy era. It does not like the traditional cooking space. Instead then, it looks like an extra countertop space for your need. These things have created a craze for glass stoves.
Many think using cast iron cookware on these cooktops is a suicidal decision. But you can easily use a cast iron griddle on these stoves, but how?
Things to Follow While Using an Iron Griddle
It would be better to be extra careful when using an iron griddle on your glass cooktop. Even a single mistake can destroy your stove cooking ability. But if you follow a series of safety measures, it will be a piece of cake.
Let’s look at some of the protection points you must follow.
Don’t slide on the stoves.
Suppose you are frying an egg; then you might slide to flip the egg. During this flip, some of you might slide the pan.
You can’t do it using a cast iron skillet on a glass cooktop. Otherwise, it might create scratches on your new cooktop’s surface.
Use heat diffuser
The iron skillet has a rough bottom. Using the heat diffuser, you can create a gap between these two cooking elements.
The heat diffuser is also helpful to distribute the heat evenly throughout the iron skillet. The heat will go through the surface eventually, even if it is not touching the cooktop.
Heat diffusers are not so expensive and will protect your stove from any unwanted incident.
Never put it hard on the stoves.
You need to be careful when working with fragile things. Glass cooktop can easily be cracked if you place the iron cookware hardly above it. So, put it carefully on the cooktop every single time.
Don’t hurry
If you are busy and always cook in a hurry, iron cookware is not the best option for you.
You need to be soft and at ease during the cooking period on your glass stove. If you are not careful, it can lead to scratches or even break the cooktop surface.
Clean it before using it.
An iron skillet collects more oils and debris than any other pot. It can get carbonized and start burning at any time.
This circumstance will leave stains and smudges on the surface of the cooktop. So, it is a better choice to wash it before heating it.
How to Clean an Iron Griddle?
Cleaning a grill could be challenging unless you know the correct procedure. To back you up, here are some steps to clean the hard debris of a spider.
Heat before wash
Food can quickly get stuck on the iron skillet. It is hard to clean them up in a regular way. But slightly heating them before the wash will make the work easier.
You can kick out the debris easily from the skillet if you heat it a little before the wash.
Get a mesh scraper.
It would be best to have a mesh scraper as your companion when cleaning stuck debris on a grill.
Good-quality meshes are available online. You can check out the review and get the best you need.
Rinse and repeat
They were washing an iron griddle after the cook was not meant to get a single rinse. You must continue the rinse until all the food waste and oil disappear.
Do seasoning
After every wash, an iron skillet used to look dull. Well, it can be changed with seasoning after wash. Flaxseed oil is the best oil for iron cookware seasoning.
It can restore the fresh look of your grill. Try to avoid soap at cleaning at all means.
How Does a Glass Stove Work?
Modern glass stoves don’t use flames to heat the cooking pots. It works by sending heat to the surface using different methods. It provides better versatility than any other traditional cooking method.
There are mainly two types of glass stoves. One is an electric one, while the other is an induction type.
In an induction glass stove, the heat comes from the electromagnetic field. It doesn’t generate heat but instead uses the magnetic field to work. The cooking pot needs to be made of conductive materials to work correctly.
Iron is a conductive material, so you can easily use an iron skillet on an induction stove. The current will travel through it and generate heat. This will help the skillet to create its heat to cook.
The electric glass stove uses electric coils. Heat goes through all surfaces and cooks the dishes. Heat travels faster in an induction stove compared to an electric stove.
Burning foods are hard to clean on a cooktop. So, make sure you are cooking in a low setting.
Disadvantages of Using Iron Cookware on a Glass Stove
You know that glasses are fragile things and iron skillets are heavy. Experts recommend using lighter pots on the glass stove.
Like any other cookware, these stoves have their own sets of cons. Let’s have a look at them.
Curve bottom of the cookware
The glass stove has a flat surface. So, it would be best if you had something with a flat bottom to cook. Iron griddle mostly has an uneven base, so working with them on a glass cooktop is hard.
But a skillet with a ring can work on a flat cooktop. But there is still concern about the rough surface that can cause scratches.
Mass of iron cookware
Iron is heavy metal so the pot which is made up of it is going to be heavy. Adding food to the pans will add additional weight to it.
A glass cooktop can take the weight, but the problem is that you can’t always be careful when working with a heavy pot.
It can quickly create scratches or even permanently damage the cooktop. The replacing work is not going to be fun for you.
Size of the cookware and burner
Usually, a glass stove doesn’t come with a large-size burner. You will see two-thirds of these stoves working as a burner at max.
But most often, a griddle is larger than the burner. These circumstances hamper the even distribution of the heat.
When choosing an iron griddle for your glass cooktop, it should not be more significant than the burner by an inch.
Final Verdict
We are at the end of this article. Hopefully, it was helpful for you, and by now, you have the information you need to cook correctly with an iron griddle on a glass-top stove. Now it is time to apply them daily and enjoy your cooking time.
Let me know by commenting below if you have any queries about this topic. Check out this article if you want to know about other cast iron cookware, like a skillet you can use on a glass stove.