A boil over should not crack your glass cooktop. I wouldn't say they are overly fragile, but they can scratch if you drag a pan or something across it and there is any grit on the top.

I also put a big crack in mine by dropping a small spice bottle on it. My DH replaced it himself but it was around $350 for the new glass top.

I also found it a PITA to clean. When it was clean it sure did look beautiful, but there was often brown burned on marks around the edges of the burners. I found I had to use the ceramic glass cleaner a lot to keep it looking nice. If you are picky, you pretty much have to give it a good scrub after every use. Not just a wipe down. Mine was a solid black glass though, and did not have the speckling that some have. They may not show the marks as much. It certainly took a lot more upkeep that the old standard white range it replaced.

This time, we were going to go gas, but ended up with an induction cooktop. It's a Windcrest 30. I detected no humming noise during our tests at the store. From feedback here, it does seem as if the type of cookware you use can add to or lessen the clicking or humming of the units. But the Windcrest seems pretty quiet so far. As I said, there was no clicking with the pot at the store - it seemed to be just a cheapie thin steel pot. I expect it to be a lot easier to keep clean given the cooktop itself won't get as hot. Fingers crossed.

We have the Bosch Integra slide in.

We stirfry on ours all the time and boil stuff over all the time. I have never cooked on gas, so I can not make a fair comparison. The only time a boil over is an issue for me, is if I am making a sugary sauce...those have to be wiped up pretty quick. I use Easy Off cooktop cleaner with a blue scotch brite. I find it very easy to clean.

I did make sure to not put anything heavy in the cabinet over the range, just in case something were to fall out.

You can stir-fry on an electric cooktop but make sure you get a flat-bottomed wok.

Hum? what hum?

Are you implying that it doesn't know the words?

And if you have a hood (and you should), you won't hear the cooktop.

Oh, Weedmeister! :-) Hmm. Still, I hate noise and am going for a VAH for just that reason.

Weissman, how hot is your burner?

Kailleanm, from what I've read the humming seems to come from the unit. Haven't a clue what causes it. (Maybe for the same reason MRI's are loud.) The clicking comes from the pots, the metals expanding/contracting from the pulsed magnetic forces; the ply ss pots making more noise because the different layers are expanding/contracting at different degrees. I'd think a cheap, thin, same metal steel pan would be less noisy than an all-clad. Fingers crossed for you.

Seems that glass cooktops are not as fragile as I'd thought, but not as easily cleaned, either. Some people think them a breeze to clean, others can't wait to return to gas. Choices. Choices.

Thanks, everyone for your input.

My current range is gas with a 17.5K burner but many years ago when I first learned to stir-fry I was in an apartment with an electric range - the coil type - I was advised to get a flat bottom wok and that's what I did. Get the wok hot then add the oil and let it get hot and then add the food - I know it's possible because I overdid it the first time and when I threw some mushrooms in the oil, they caught fire! I know electric burners beat out gas for boiling water fast so I'm sure they get hot enough for stir-frying. What you lack with electric is the quick response to raise and lower the heat but that's not nearly so important with stir-frying. By the way, my flat-bottomed wok is still my favorite wok even on my gas range and in the book "The Breath of a Wok", she recommends flat bottom woks for American ranges in general.

When needing to go from high heat to a lower heat or oppossite, just turn one of the other burners on to the desired temperature and then move the wok over. A chef (of course has a gas stove) gave me that tip when at my house where I have electric. You might already do that but I hadn't thought of it before he mentioned it.

Glass top can be broken fairly easily. Most manufacturers tell you not to store 'heavy' items (like cans of food) above the cooktop.

As to energy conversions, it is not an exact science. Yes, gas stoves can put out more heat than electrics, but a fair bit of the energy from a gas burner goes up around the side of the pan and is wasted, whereas with electric, there is more efficient temperature transfer.

You really should look into induction. The hum is pretty minimal with most pans, and cleaning is much easier than regular electric, as things, in general, don't 'burn on' the top.

For electric users, Cooks Illustrated recomends a good ply (like All-Clad) saute or fry pan instead of a wok. The larger surface area means the pan get hotter.

I had a ceramic cooktop for 9 yrs...with kids using it, too. We didn't baby it...Never scratched, never broken. Sometimes it went too long between thorough cleanings, but Barkeepers Friend and elbow-grease did the trick just fine. Ours had a speckled top, and I'd certainly opt for that over plain black glass. I've never had anything but electric and we stir-fry all the time. I don't know how it compares to stir-fry done over gas, but the whole family likes it, so I guess it's OK. I would've gone with induction in our new house if there was a unit with enough burners. I really think it's the best thing out there. But we're trying a gas rangetop and I'm eager to see if the heat with better recovery (also an induction plus) is as much better for stir-fry as everyone says.

I have a black speckled KA slide-in (7 years old). It is super easy to clean and looks as good as the day I bought it (speckled is supposed to be best). Oh, and I might add, I make a holy mess when I cook.

I bought a flat bottomed wok for it (carbon steel) but I didn't like it. Even though it was flat-bottomed it must have warped because it eventually started rocking on the burner. It always seemed to boil or simmer my food not stir-fry. I took it over to my mothers and tried it on her gas stove; I burnt the living heck out of the pan and through it away.

I frankly see no difference in the taste of food if you use a saute pan vs. a wok.

PS: Before her gas stove, my mother had a cheap Whirlpool Estate glass top. It cracked while she was makings stuffed cabbage. I think it was a thermal shock thing because she did not drop anything on it.

PSS: I slide pans on my top all the time and it never scratches. The polish makes it look as good as new.

As always, thanks for the feedback everyone. Cpovey: Thanks for that lesson in physics. Now I won't sweat the differences, and put the calculator away.

Clearly, I can wok. As long as I can get a flat bottom :-0 Both feats for a woman of my advanced years :-)

It will come down to whether or not we do a back-up generator so we can use the electric when the electricity goes out -- frequently. (I know that with electric starters I have to figure out what gas cooktops will allow for a manual start.)

Thanks all.

You can get a flat-bottomed wok at www.wokshop.com
They have good products and are very helpful.

I broke my ceramic top by literally dropping a cast iron pan on it. I've had no ill effects from other rough treatment over the past six or so years.

I don't mind having a non-pristine cooktop in my current kitchen and therefore don't mind the effort needed to perform the full scrape/scrub/polish once or twice a week. That said, I think that purchasing a ceramic cooktop for ease of cleanup is misguided if you're a neatnik.

Also possibly misguided, I believe, is buying a VAH for sake of quietness. I agree that they're relatively quiet at their highest levels considering the amount of air they're pushing, but their lowest level is negligibly quieter. I would be apt to leave it off more than I would a vent with infinite control. For example, I probably wouldn't want to have the background noise while simmering a stock for hours. Admittedly my experience with VAH is limited to one installation (600 CFM liner) which may or may not be optimal, so others may have different opinions.

Fenworth: You see how important this forum is. I assumed, since everyone talked about how quiet a VAH was, that it was always the quietest. I am at home, live in the country, and love the quiet so I can hear bird song. We also do a lot of long, slow cooking, which would require the hood being on for hours. I guess I'm gonna have to really do my homework. Can't thank you enough for the heads up.

Hum? Your post suggest you currently use gas which cooks with FIRE and you're worried about a possible hum? lol. By the way, my induction cooktop doesn't hum, click or turn other electric items on and off as some would suggest. Induction cooktops also don't create a death ray field. They are simply the fastest, most energy efficient, and safest method of cooking available. I suggest you reconsider.

klaa2 - I'm not sure I understand your comment. Are you suggesting that the gas flame is louder than the hum? I've only particularly noted the sound of gas on higher settings, which might seem comparable to the hum? (That you've noted on powerboost and mentioned other threads but not this one? ) Is gas louder than the the clicking? (That you've noted on yet another thread but not this one?) I wouldn't necessarily downplay the clicking and humming as a blanket statement since, by your own admission, others seem to be having different experiences than you.

djdoggone - I'm glad I gave you another perspective on the VAH, but again it's just my personal experience. I try to be clear to distinguish between opinion, experience, and fact.

It's a fact that I can barely distinguish the noise difference between one blower on low and two blowers on high on my friend's particular installation. I "believe" that the lowest setting on his VAH is 150 CFM which is more air than most bathroom fans move. Do you need that much for your simmering stock?

As for my possible future choice: Many people would say that a fan motor is a negligible part of the noise of a range hood, and I'd believe that true in any quality unit. But what about the fan blades or squirrel cage that motor is attached to? Over the years I've seen both glowing and negative reviews on supposedly quiet hoods here like VAH, Kobe, etc. But I have never seen anyone complain about the noise from their remote blower setup. If I've missed any such complaints, I hope someone links them.

I think klaa2 is saying that if someone is willing to live with the dire risk of an open flame from a gas cooktop then the hum from an induction cook shouldn't bother them. I think it's a specious argument.

Let me just begin by saying that I was not trying to be obnoxious and if I came across that way, I apologize. It was an attempt at levity, I have a strange sense of humor. weissman almost got it.

However, I think there needs to be a clarification on the click and hum issue.

First, after I paid what I paid for my cooktop, if it made annoying sounds you can bet it would be going back. Also, check most of the people voicing these concerns, I believe most don't own the cooktops but are "concerned" about what they've heard.

When an induction unit is placed on its lowest setting(s) they cycle power to the hobs. I'm assuming that some units are making noise when they do this. Mine doesn't 'click'. At worst, if it is totally quiet and I have my ear about four inches from the ceramic glass when the unit is set to its lowest temp, I can barely hear it cycle. I just tried it and had to strain to hear anything at all. If someone hears their unit clicking - return it for one that doesn't. It's not normal.

Hums. Tremendous power is transferred when induction cooktops are placed on their power boosting (highest) setting. Cheap cookware or cookware which may not be making proper contact with the surface of the unit may cause a hum to be generated. If someones cooktop makes a humming noise without a cooking vessel I suggest they immediately shut the units breaker down and return it. Even with the cheapest of cookware the only hum I've ever heard was slight and disappeared as soon as the pot began to get warm (which is very fast I might add).

The best way to formulate an opinion is to try one out in a showroom that is equipped for it. Good luck with whichever way you go.

It's cool, klaa2! As induction is my second choice to another [unnamed] product that I can't help feel also gets both over-hyped and over-defended around these parts, I tend to be a bit oversensitive. Sorry if I came off too harshly.

(I'm truly interested in VAH counterclaims though...)

klaa2: We will give induction a try in some store. From what I've read here, there are things to recommend it. How serious is the "sliding pans" issue? I am disabled and can not manage cast iron pans, but neither can I catch a moving target. I need to be able to leave things on the stove and have them remain where I put them while I rest. (Today we cook on a 20 year old electric coil top, with sloping (but quiet) burners. Stir-fry is done on a stoked woodstove.)

fenworth: You'll be seeing my VAH thread once we decide our cooktop, but I really thank you for cautioning me. It is a very big issue for me because while I hate noise, I also get migraines from aromas. We tried replacing our wind tunnel with a quiet hood (I think CR rated it quietest back when), but it did such a poor job that it was back to the wind tunnel, which only gets used when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, I open windows, even in winter -- which has got to change in the new house, which won't have a woodstove and will be a tight house with air exchange system.

This will be our last home, and we're trying to make it very energy efficient, and appreciate everyone's help to get this right. Thanks