Is this a coil burner? My aunt melted a plastic bowl on hers. When it cooled completely the plastic just snapped off.

Yes, it's a coil burner.
Unfortunately, the plastic melted over the burner and dripped down to melt back into itself. It must have been cooling as I was fussing about. It's adhered.

The worst is you may just need to replace that coil. We replace a few when I still had a coil range. Not that expensive. So you don't think you can try to snap it off or scrap it? It might just be easier to replace it.

Turn it off and put ice on it. It will come right off when it solids up enough.

Ok.
It is off.
It has been off all along, since I saw what I'd done. I didn't leave it on.

As it cooled the plastic, which had melted down around and into itself has adhered to the burner.
It will not crack off.
Thank you for the thought. If it were so easy, I'd have just done it. I'm a very good problem solver.
It's looking like a new burner is in order.

Can you slice through the plastic and snap it off?

Remove the burner, take it outside and use a heat gun to soften it and pull it off?

Got some wire cutters? I wasn't being facetious about using ice. When it cools down ice cold after being heated, the molecular structure is different. More brittle. Less plastic. What doesn't snap right off can usually be cut apart with wire cutters.

Put it in the freezer overnight, take it somewhere with a concrete floor, drop it and with any luck the plastic will shatter off?

You can get new coils for cheapish, 'specially somewhere like eBay.

If you've got some kind of air filter, you might consider crankin' it up, esp. for the beasties who may be more sensitive to the chemical smoke.

Here is a link that might be useful: replacement Hotpoint coil

It's in the freezer, but it's not looking good.
You know the top of a catsup bottle you store upside down? It's that plastic. And a plastic container like a margarine container. It was Minor's beef base, if you know that.

This is an older stove & the coils are somewhat bendy. Surprised me, but then I've never taken it out and tried to get something off it, let alone twist it around.

circuspeanut, I was joking about heating it up. It'd probably kill me, too, then what would we all do?

Thanks for the link. I'm probably looking at a new coil. Then I'll realize how bad all the others are. KWIM? Paint one room and all the others look dingy.

Sorry to tell you, but I think you need to replace the entire cooktop, and since it won't match you are in for a total kitchen reno. Don't panic, GW is here to help you through it all.

Or, you can just go out to eat. Or stick to raw cookie dough.

Oh, my God! I laughed out loud.
Oh, my God!

I am so lucky to have such great, supportive friends.

I already pretty much go out to eat or eat my cookie dough. All this trouble, leading to a full reno, started when I got the yen to cook.

That'll teach me.
Thank goodness I'll be well prepared.

I vote for not replacing it. You don't use it anyway and if by chance you get the urge to cook something fancy that just might require 4 burners.... well, there's your excuse... you don't have that many!

No advice, just wanted to say you are not alone in that type of a mistake. Just a couple weeks ago I took my tea kettle off the left burner (old gas stove with cast iron grids) and moved it to the right like I usually do. Because I cook breakfast on the right and heat water on the left for coffee as I do that. Anyway, I moved the kettle and pulled the porcelain cover down over the burner - like usual.

I come back into the kitchen a half hour later and smell something hot. Then I see the big brown scorch mark ontop of the porcelain burner cover. I'd forgotten to turn off the burner when I covered it! Talk about panic. I love my 60yr. old Magic Chef and was sick. Luckily I was able to scour the mark with Zud and then a Magic Eraser and fade the scorch mark. Yes, the cleaners probably scoured off some of the finish along with the brown but it looks much better - still faintly visible - but much better.

Oh, schoolhouse! I think the heart attack is the worst part!

I took mine out of the freezer this morning. That catsup top is invincible. If you ever wondered if your catsup was well-stored, take my word or it.

A new burner is in order.