Hob surface
Glass-ceramic that is cleaned cold, with a dedicated scraper and cooktop cleaner rather than the products used on enamel.
Precautions
- Do not apply to a hot surface
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Start here
What this is, what tends to go wrong with it, and what to do about it.
Made from
What tends to go wrong
Food heated until it carbonised and bonded to the surface. Time and softening do the work; scouring powder does the damage.
Why it is difficult: Contact time, Carbonisation, Adhesion and cohesion, Why old stains are harder
Fats and oils, which water alone cannot lift. Removed by surfactants, by heat, by solvents, or by alkalis that convert the fat into soap.
Why it is difficult: Why oil resists water, Emulsification
The science behind this: Thermal shock, Polymerised oil
Part of Hob.
In detail
A ceramic or induction hob's cooking surface is glass-ceramic: chemically robust, hard, and marked permanently by the wrong tool. One range maker's instruction for a ceramic top is a dedicated cooktop scraper and a ceramic cooktop cleaner, rather than the soap and cloth it gives for a porcelain enamel top, and the same maker rules out soap-filled scouring pads, abrasive cleaners, steel wool, gritty washcloths and abrasive paper towels on its cooktops. The cooker manufacturer's guidance for the surrounding enamel adds the rule most permanent hob marking comes from: the finish is acid-resistant rather than acid-proof, so fruit juice, tomato or vinegar must not be left on it, and acid spilled on a hot surface is wiped dry at once and washed only after cooling. Metal and painted parts of the same appliance take no steel wool, abrasive, ammonia or oven cleaner at all.
Why
- Hob surface is explained by Thermal shock
- Hob surface is explained by Polymerised oil
Related
- Hob surface is made from Ceramic glass
- Hob surface is commonly affected by Burnt-on food and carbon deposits
- Hob surface is commonly affected by Grease
Sources for this page
Sources
Use and Care & Installation Guide: Self-Cleaning Electric Range
GE Appliances · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That the porcelain enamel is acid-resistant rather than acid-proof, that fruit juice, tomato or vinegar must not be left on the finish, that acid spilled on a hot surface is wiped dry at once and washed after cooling, and that metal and painted surfaces take no steel wool, abrasive, ammonia or oven cleaner. (states this directly)
Glass Technical Paper FB01-00: Proper Procedures for Cleaning Architectural Glass Products
National Glass Association (NGA) with the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA), 2023 · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That abrasive cleaning materials are ruled out on glass and that metal contact with the surface is to be avoided. (inferred from the source; not stated directly)