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enter image description hereWe just moved into a brand new unit(just constructed) and it has a Ceramic cook top. We have only been there 2-3 weeks, and cooked maybe < 10 times.

After a few of our cooking sessions, I am seeing some white coloration around the edge of the cooking circle. It appears to be below the surface, I cant feel anything different around that area. It was below my cookware and I dont think anything splashed on it.

It might be due to the following cases

  1. We used oversized cookware which was actually sitting on the raised edge of the stove and perhaps not actually touching the glass surface.
  2. On a different occasion we used a different situation we used a vessal with a smaller base than the smaller circle, and thus possibly the edges of the circle got overheated or something..

We are very new to ceramic cook tops, mostly experienced with gas, minimal experience with induction. I notice some places suggesting that the cookware base is recommended to be >= size of the circle, is this the cause of our problem?

Is there a way to rectify or is this permanent??

Update: These stains are disappearing/Moving with regular use, I would guess just a new stove phenomenon.

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Karthik T
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  • Have you tried cleaning it? If so, how? – Stephie Apr 04 '16 at 11:46
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    I can't tell you the reason behind the spot. But this doesn't seem to be induction. If it is not (non-induction glows when turned on and works with non iron/steel pots) you absolutely need contact between the bottom of the pot and the hob, you can't let it rest on the sides. You'll have to stop using your larger pots. – rumtscho Apr 04 '16 at 14:49
  • I've seen that look from starchy water boiling over when making potatoes or pasta. A little hot water & scrubbing usually works. (dish soap doesn't help as much, as it's starch, not fat) – Joe Apr 04 '16 at 15:03
  • @rumtscho it is a non induction stove indeed. So can not touching cause this? esp in the case of smaller pots? Is size matching that critical? – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 11:54
  • @Stephie I have tried soap and scrubbing, and again as I mentioned, I dont feel any gunk or residue in those spots, the glass barely feels any different, thus I dont feel this is on top. – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 11:55
  • @joe atleast the top one was for sure not water boiled over, it was under a pan which was far bigger than the circle, thus no chance of any spillage there.. – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 11:56
  • I don't know if not touching is the cause for this, but touching is really critical for non induction stoves. If the pot is not touching the stove, you are wasting energy, overheating the hob, and probably getting badly cooked food too. It is OK to have a pot which is somewhat larger or somewhat smaller than the circle, but if the pot is hovering a few millimeters over the glass, that's the worst possible constellation. The whitening can be a result of this or unrelated, can't say anything about that. – rumtscho Apr 05 '16 at 11:57
  • @rumtscho what I am asking is is it critical from a energy efficiency and cooking speed standpoint, or critical for not damaging the hob permanently in anyway? Is there anything beyond energy I am losing by using a smaller pot? – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 11:59
  • Also do ppl make adapters which can be used to place small pots on big circles? does that even make sense? I presume this might need to be its own question. – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 12:00
  • you are not damaging it by losing a smaller pot, as there most of the energy is still going into the pot and it is not overheating too badly. If you are losing a pot so large that it is sitting on the alu frame around it, you have a small gap of insulating air between the pot and the whole surface of the complete circle. This makes most of the heat stay in the hob and can very well damage it. – rumtscho Apr 05 '16 at 12:01
  • @rumtscho just tested, even my big pan is touching most of the circle, I guess it is just curved enough to do so, abt 80% of the Circe is touched, could the untouched 20% be getting damaged?. – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 12:11

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It looks suspiciously like water that's been burned off at the edge of an overboiled pot.

On ceramic tops you get two kinds of stain. You get grease/food burned on, and that'll turn black like the inside of your toaster over, and you get the white mineral stains which comes from water drying around the edges.

The center usually stays clean because it gets super hot and will burn most anything away, but the edges don't get as hot as easily.

The way I clean them and it's considered rather unorthodox is to turn the burner on while the stovetop is bare. Let the edges get hotter than they would if a pan were keeping them cool, and much of this will burn away. After you see no further progress, turn off the stove and let it cool a little, but still above booling point of water, then use the green face of a scotch brite sponge to scrub any residue left over.

You can also try lye, but I am not a big fan of lye cleaners.

Escoce
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  • Would it be very obvious to the touch, the white stains? Because the ones on mine are not at all obvious to the touch. – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 11:57
  • Obvious as in like bumpy or relief? No, but you may still be able to feel it. – Escoce Apr 05 '16 at 12:46
  • I cant feel anything at all. – Karthik T Apr 05 '16 at 14:53
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    Then it's minerals or starch dried to the top. Have you tried to heat treat it like I mentioned yet? If that doesn't work, use lye...I just really hate using the stuff because it's dangerous and my lungs aren't the best to begin with. Oh, you could try vinegar first, see if that eats it. – Escoce Apr 05 '16 at 15:04
  • I was having minimal help with Vinegar, but over time/use the patches are dissapearing/moving, so it is either as you say the stains "burning away" or some sort of new use issue.. – Karthik T Apr 18 '16 at 04:18
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My ceramic stovetop came with a small bottle of cleaner called "Cerama Bryte." cooktop cleaner. You can go to CeramaBryte.com for more information. I have used this on my stovtop ever sense. It will remove the white spots and also any grease or oil splatters that might have burnt on, It is like magic and my stovtop looks like it did when it was brand new. Barbara B.

Barbara B.
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Schott Ceran (one of the manufacturers of the glass) webpage they say not to use aluminum or copper cookware because it can cause permanent traces known as "burn in" on the cooktop, that can not be removed. I wish I had known this many years ago before I also ended up with those marks just like the one in your picture. There was nothing at all I could do to remove them from my brand new stovetop. I will try to paste a link here. http://www.schott-ceran.com/us/english/syn/variety/index.html

Tes
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The ceramic of a hob is very hard. When we fitted one of came with a scraper - a mounted razor blade. This is excellent for getting any surface muck off. You can buy "glass scrapers" which are the same and not expensive. There shouldn't be any chance below the surface.

Chris H
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    Glass scraper is not recommended. I have seen burned on gunk end up pulling chips of ceramic out of the stove top. I feel VERY lucky that the top didn't shatter when it happened. – Escoce Apr 04 '16 at 14:55
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    @Escoce it must depend on your manufacturer then. Mine *supplied* one and said it was preferred over anything except soapy water. – Chris H Apr 04 '16 at 16:54