Thermador SGSX365CS w/extra-low owner here. And not the happiest camper about it for the first 2 years or so, you maybe could find my posts in here if you went back to 2002-2004. The star burners and extra-low & incessant clicking took a lot of getting used to. We had service out about 4 times & insisted at 1 point they replace the solenoid. The burners themselves sometimes go out during cooking, no matter the position, on low setting. The extra-low burners can fire right back up when used, or they can fire back up after 20 clicks or anything in between. Don't get me wrong, great for slow cooking rice and stews/beans, but you have to actively manage it. These days, I would describe it as surrender and ignoring the clicking as opposed to not hearing it. I've learned to accept it is safe, but it is not the smooth operating machine we hoped for. Doing it all over, I would probably go with a different brand with a conventional burner configuration, I'm suspicious the star geometry has unique gas flow problems. Looks very nice, Vent Hood is awesome.

Any kind of silicone mat will do. Silpats or off brand. Anything thin and grippy that doesn't interfere with the magnets will do. Re paper towels catching fire, anything is possible. I use Viva, which suffer no ill effects. I try to use few paper towels, though, so did buy a silicone mat. Paper burns great when it's lit (it's wood and perhaps rag), but it's very hard to ignite, especially whole, in the center. Perhaps if it gets really oily, the oil could catch fire if it then got between the magnets and the pot and got hot enough. You'd have to try really hard. But, of course, you shouldn't leave things cooking untended even on induction. You can also use newspaper or parchment paper to contain a spattery mess. You'll see a scorch mark long before it ignites. It really is very hard to burn paper. My guess? People may be reusing the same paper towel and it's the crud in the towel catching fire. I wouldn't reuse paper on the induction. Use the nearly clean paper towel for another job, and dispose of it. Use the newspaper and trash it if it's cruddy, recycle if it's clean. Or get a silicone mat and sponge it after using. Crud, expecially crystalline crud like salt or sugar, can scratch the glass surface of your unit, so do clean up thoroughly every time. Cleaning up is so easy, it shouldn't be any bother.

I just used one of the small (not mini) pans on the stovetop tonight to create gravy after removing the little roast from the oven. I do have a bunch of the minis too. I had a few and ran into a bunch more at a country auction or second hand store last year for less than a buck apiece. Lars, I have never followed the sizing numbers except to note that larger numbers refer to larger pans. I wouldn't expect even a large Corning Ware to break. However, I also assume that the odds are higher (if small) for failure of the larger sizes. Therefore, I certainly wouldn't load one up with oil for frying; yow-za! I have a large one that I could use for soup to prove a point, but I have a heavy coated steel dutch oven and a couple stainless ones that are at the ready so I would not feel like risking even the small possibility of losing a whole pot of soup. I would certainly deglase that CW pot to make gravy after a large roast. BTW: most of the moderately old CW units are marked under the handle or on the bottom indicating that they may be used on the stove top. Some of the very old units don't say anything, but I believe they will all say 'pyroceram' and they are the original stove safe CW. However, if you find CW that specifically says 'oven safe' or similar, but doesn't also say stove top, then they are not for use on a stove top.

Northcarolina, you mentioned using sandpaper on your pans. I'm curious whether your scrub them when you clean them? For a good seasoned surface on cast iron, you must never scrub them with anything stiffer than a soft vegetable brush. Even a green scrubbie is too abrasive. I've been cooking on Griswold's for over 40 years and it took me 20 years to fully learn how to care for them. I never use soap anymore and never scrub them. I currently use a soft Oxo round brush under hot running water for about 1 minute to clean them. The bottoms of the pans have a dull powdery sheen to them when dry. Nothing sticks. An omelet will easily slide around in the pan. When cooking, once the pan is hot, I use a dab of butter about the size of a fingernail or a few drops of oil. After cooking or between items, I lightly scrape the hot pan with a spatula. The pan can then be cleaned whenever it's convenient. I also have a newer cast iron circular griddle that has the circular machining marks on the cooking surface. I can say that with regular use it takes about five years for the machining marks to fill in with carbon and become smooth. This pan now works just as well as my Griswolds.