Most of the cast iron grates has a dull porcelain coating. Some have a shiny porcelain finish. I think either is easier to clean than a steel porcelain grate. Continuous grates allow you to slide a pan over or part ways off the burner

You could also get a Flame Tamer and use that between the cooktop and your cookware. It would be a hassle to do all the time, but I use mine for that occasionally. See my more detailed comments under "looking for conversion device for my induction cooktop" thread. Pots do have to be 100% flat on the bottom to work well, as the others have said. You need full direct contact between pan and the glass. When my mom's 1960's vintage coil cooktop finally died, I advised her against getting a smooth cooktop since most of her pans used to be her mom's and were very old and most of them warped. The warping made no difference on a coil top, but at age 85, I knew she would not feel too good about having to replace all of her life long "cooking companions." It was hard to find a decent coil range (her old one had double ovens and the cooktop), so she now only has one oven and a cooktop. (Actually she passed away and now dad is the only one that uses it and all he knows how to do is fry eggs and heat soup...) I would also ask the manufacturer what they recommend. Of course, they probalby won't tell you a brand as they would be worried about liability. But they owe you some guidance about what attributes you should look for in cookware. Then I would start trying things, one piece at a time rather than buying a whole set, unless you are sure. When we remodeled our kitchen and got our new cooktop, hubby bought me a set a Mauviel copper cookware from W-S. It was gorgeous, but did not work on my cooktop, so I had to take it back and ended up exchanging it for a set of Al Clad stainless, which has worked well. Why did the copper not work? Some tell me it was because it is too reflective and throws off the sensors, causing them to shut off to often. Others said because copper lacks the magnetic properties necessary. It has been many years since my chemistry and physics days, so I just took their word for it and went w the AC. As you know, SS is not very conductive, but they put an Al core in it and that gives it desirable properties. Pretty to look at; easy to clean (mine go in the DW); good heat transfer. L

They are fine on my induction, which I wholeheartedly recommend over a radiant cooktop. Scratching is usually caused by salt or sugar crystals that are dragged under a vessel. I always try to cleanup after I scatter stuff around, to prevent that.

yes, I have cooked on electric, but never a glass top. After over 50 years of cooking, an electric burner is not an unknown entity to me. I know enough of the difference to understand that I have always preferred a real flame. but, I am getting older and I need easier choices. Putting in an electric range is the easiest thing to do now and I dont really see us staying here for too much longer. If I were expecting another 10 years here, I would do gas. Weighing in all the factors , it is really making sense to go electric. Not having a flame might be a safety feature for us now. It is not my first choice, but may be the best choice for me at this time. A gas flame is the best, I agree. Much new construction is all electric now. The reality is that it is probaby easier and cheaper for the developer to do all electric. At least we still have a gas furnace.