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8
Operating the Cooktop
Recommended Cooktop Settings
These are the recommended settings without the ele-
ment being preheated. A range of heat settings are listed
because the actual setting depends on:
• Type and quality of pan
• Type, quantity and temperature of the food
• Element used and cook’s preferences
Type of Food Heat Setting
Melting butter, chocolate Low
Delicate sauce, rice, sim-
mering sauces with butter
and egg yolk
Low to medium
Cooking vegetables,
fish broths, eggs (fried
or scrambled), finish-
ing cereals, pasta, milk,
pancakes, pudding, sim-
mering meats, steaming
vegetables, popping corn,
bacon, stewing meat
soup, sautéed vegetables,
spaghetti sauces
Medium
Braising meat, pan frying
meat, fish, eggs, stir
frying, quickly brown or
sear meats, holding a
rapid boil
Medium to high
Boiling water for vegeta-
bles, pasta
High
Cooktop Tips
For superior cooking performance and to save energy:
• Reduce the heat setting to the minimum level neces-
sary to perform the desired cooking process. Food
cooks just as quickly at a gentle boil as it does at a
vigorous, rolling boil. A higher boil than is necessary
wastes energy, cooks away moisture and causes a
loss in food flavor and nutrients.
• Minimize the amount of liquid or fat to reduce cooking
times.
• Use a timer rather than repeatedly removing the lid to
check food. Doing so will decrease cooking time and
save energy.
• Thaw foods prior to cooking to reduce cooking time.
Canning
WARNING
• Safe canning requires that harmful micro organisms
are destroyed and that the jars are sealed
completely.
▪ When canning foods in a water-bath canner, a
gentle but steady boil must be maintained for
the required time.
▪ When canning foods in a pressure canner, the
pressure must be maintained for the required
time.
• After you have adjusted the controls, it is very
important to make sure the boil or pressure levels
specified are maintained for the required time.
Observe the following when canning:
• Pots that extend further than one inch beyond the
edge of the element’s outside diameter are not rec-
ommended for most cooking applications. However,
when canning with water-bath or a pressure canner,
larger diameter pots may be used, because boiling
water temperatures (even under pressure) are not
harmful to the cooktop surfaces. However, do not use
large diameter canners or other large-diameter pots
for frying or boiling foods other than water.
• Most syrup or sauce mixtures, and all fried foods,
cook at temperatures much higher than boiling water.
Such temperatures could eventually damage the glass
cooktop surfaces.
• Be sure the canner fits over the center of the element.
If the canner cannot be centered on the element for
some reason, use smaller diameter pots for good can-
ning results.
• Flat-bottomed canners must be used. Do not use can-
ners with flanged or rippled bottoms (often found in
enamelware) because they don’t make good contact
with the cooktop surface and take a long time to boil
water.
• When canning, use recipes and procedures from
reputable sources. Reliable recipes and procedures are
available from the manufacturer of your canner, man-
ufacturers of glass jars for canning, and the United
States Department of Agriculture Extension Service.