Cast iron cookware and glass top stoves do not sound like two things that should ever be going anywhere near each other in the kitchen! You'd be mistaken, though, because the truth is that modern cast iron cookware is well and truly suited to cooking on a sleek and shiny glass top stove (just be careful!).
Glass top stoves and cast iron? Sounds dangerous!
We know, we know. Even saying the words glass top stove and cast iron in the same sentence sounds utterly foolish and verging on the point of being dangerous. And yes, the traditional outlook on these two popular cooking appliances is that they should never be combined!
It seems simple enough. A cast iron skillet can be very heavy, but a glass cooktop looks incredibly delicate (it's made of glass, after all). Iron is usually seen as somewhat rustic, a cooking implement from the past, rather than a modern appliance. Glass cooking stoves are at the other end of the spectrum - they look just about as modern a kitchen appliance as you could have installed!
So, can you use cast iron on glass top stove? The answer from our experts is a resounding yes (just be careful)! With all our handy tips and tricks, you might find it's time to invest not only in a shiny new glass cooktop but in more cast iron cookware for your kitchen as well! Brothers Stephen and Chris Muscarella, the creators of The Field Skillet, noticed their grandmother’s vintage cast iron pans, dating back to the 1930s, were lighter and better to cook on than modern cast iron counterparts.
So they started to research why.
That’s how they discovered a significant difference in how foundries poured iron today compared to the past. Most cast iron options were suffering from the inability to pour iron as thin as foundries could back in the ‘30s.
What did that mean for you and cast iron devotees like Stephen and Chris? At one point there were less lightweight cast iron options available for purchase.
Science and collaboration lead these innovative brothers to create their own skillets using iron castings made by hand. The result was a thinner iron pour and a lighter pan.
Their next mission: Finding the best way to smooth down the surface that didn’t sacrifice seasoning and performance. They found through many tests, that electrolysis tanks provided an impressively smooth surface. The bottom of The Field Skillet is where you can feel how the smooth texture is less likely to cause scratches, making these skillets an excellent choice for glass cooktops.
The Field Skillet was designed to solve the two biggest pitfalls to cast iron: the weight and the rough surface—the same main reasons glass stove tops and cast iron didn’t work well together in the past. Cast iron skillets inspired by the quality and workmanship of the past, but made for cooking today on any surface.
Within the range of sizes available from Field Company are skillets starting as small as the No.6 (8⅜”) up to the No.12 (13⅜”). Finding the right size for your element of choice should be easy.
Grace Elkus was the Deputy Food Director at Kitchn, where she wrote a monthly vegetarian recipe column called Tonight We Veg. She received her culinary arts diploma from The Natural Gourmet Institute.
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updated Sep 22, 2020
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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)
While there are pros and cons to both gas and electric stovetops, there’s one thing you can feel good about regardless of which cooktop you’re using: cooking with cast iron. Yes, it’s true — electric stovetops (even ones with glass tops!) can handle the trendy, trusty, and yes, very heavy, cookware, both regular and enameled.
We understand the fear: You’ve spent money on a shiny new glass-top stove (or are renting a space that has one), and you’re hesitant to use cast iron for fear of scratching, cracking, or staining it. But if you pay attention to the following reminders, you’ll be searing and sizzling away in no time.
10.25-Inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
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The test kitchen team at Lodge Cast Iron, the oldest manufacturer of cast iron cookware remaining in the U.S. (and a favorite among Kitchn staffers), cook with cast iron on glass-top ranges every day. That being said, they still recommend exercising a certain amount of caution. “As with any heavy cookware, we take care not to drop it or slide it across the surface,” they wrote in a thread on their Facebook page dedicated to the topic. Be extra gentle with cookware that is chipped or has rough edges, although engraved skillets or ones with designs on the bottom are also fine to use on glass-top stoves.
Check it out: Our tour of Lodge Manufacturing in South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Wash Cast Iron Before Heating on an Electric Stove
Oil and other residue on the bottom of cast iron cookware can carbonize when heated, leaving a black mark on a glass-top stove. To avoid any marks or stains, remove the cookware from the stovetop immediately after using, and thoroughly wash both the interior and exterior of the pan after every use.
Wipe the glass off after every use, too. We’ve created a handy step-by-step guide to cleaning a glass electric stovetop — but also check out the comments below, where dozens of readers have shared their favorite methods and products.
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How To Clean A Cast Iron Skillet
Remember: Cast Iron Heats More Slowly on an Electric Stove
Because an electric cooktop needs to time to warm up (whereas heat from a gas flame is immediate), a dish made in a cast iron on an electric stove may take slightly more time than the same dish cooked using gas. During the testing for their book Cook It In Cast Iron, America’s Test Kitchen cooked each recipe twice: once on a gas stove, and once on an electric range. Their conclusion? “If you’re using a cast iron skillet on an electric range, you may find that you need to cook things slightly longer — use the upper ends of the timing ranges given in our recipes.”
Lodge recommends heating cookware on low, and slowly bringing the heat up to medium or medium-high for the most consistent results and even heat distribution. If you’re using a cast iron griddle that spans two burners, allow the griddle to preheat for several minutes before cooking.
Is there a cast iron skillet that can be used on a glass top stove?
Cast iron cookware can be used on a ceramic glass-top stove without causing damage to the surface or pan itself. Take the stress out of dinner with the ability to cook a variety of different meals in a cast iron pan without damaging your cooktop.
What pans should not be used on a glass top stove?
The materials that don't work well on glass top stoves are cast iron, stoneware, and other glass or ceramic cookware. These are typically rough and can very easily cause scratches, especially when dragged across the smooth surface while full of food.
(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)