These days, many of us prefer to go with a glass hob / stove or cooktop. One is for the aesthetic reason, but secondly - you will also see stainless steel hobs almost non-existent. Yes, stove and cooktops are still available.
But I have received many questions about the safety aspects of glass top - with many questions about it cracking. In general - these are safe as they are toughened glass. I personally use a glass top too myself for over 10+ years. Most of the time, issues are due to accidental damage - and this damage may not have happened at the time the crack happens. It may be due to many other reasons that lead to the crack/shatter.
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So if you have purchased or are considering purchasing a glass hob / stove or cooktop, here are things you SHOULD NOT do on your glass hob / stove / cooktop.
DO NOT use a gas tandoor
A gas tandoor is useful to prepare many dishes like Bati, Tandoori Roti, Tandoori Chicken, Naan, Pizza, cake and grilled dishes - and it's especially useful when you do not have the space to have a full fledged barbeque or tandoor in your house. But using this on a glass top hob/stove/cooktop is a recipe for disaster. The heat generated is too high and too close to the glass - making the glass crack or shatter. Yes there is now a tandoor from wonderchef which claims to not damage the glass. But if this is a main use for you, I recommend not to use it on glass top. You can consider an electric tandoor instead.
DO NOT use a oversized utensils
You should definitely avoid using oversized utensils that will deflect heat from the vessel to the glass top from the bottom of the utensil. What’s the right size of utensil to use for a particular burner? In general, it can be only slightly bigger than the grid on top of your burner - a max of 1-1.5 inches. So if you have a large utensil to use, use the larger burner in your stove.
DO NOT use burners unevenly
Toughened glass tends to expand while heating and contract while not in use. Now if you have a tendency to use only one burner or the most convenient burner (typically the front ones), the expansion and contraction happens only around that burner - resulting in uneven heating. This could cause the glass to shatter. The chances of this are low however.
DO NOT scratch glass
Using steel wool for cleaning / sliding vessels can cause scratches on the glass. Rough utensils like cast iron, some types of ceramic have their bases rough - so it could cause scratches on the glass. While a scratch may seem like a non-issue - over time, this scratch can expand due to expansion and contraction due to heating that we discussed earlier. Minor scratches can eventually result in glass shattering.
DO NOT keep heavy/hot things
After all - it is glass. Keeping hot things on glass can cause the glass surface to overheat. Overheating can cause it to break and shatter. Heavy weight - like weight of a human trying to reach the attic - can break it.
DO NOT cover with aluminum foil
I was surprised when I saw this. Apparently it is quite commonly done in some parts of the country to make it easier to maintain the gas stove, especially the burners. On a quick search, I also see there are products available for this! But - this is not to be used for glass tops. This prevents heat from dissipating - which can cause the glass to overheat and therefore crack. It’s also called out explicitly by the Singapore Consumer Product Safety Department
🛒🛒 BUY BEST STAINLESS STEEL HOBS
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