Operating the Cooktop

Recommended Cooktop Settings

These are the recommended settings without the element 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

Low to medium

and egg yolk

 

Cooking vegetables,

 

fish broths, eggs (fried

 

or scrambled), finish-

 

ing cereals, pasta, milk,

 

pancakes, pudding, sim-

Medium

mering meats, steaming

 

vegetables, popping corn,

 

bacon, stewing meat

 

soup, sautéed vegetables,

 

spaghetti sauces

 

Braising meat, pan frying

 

meat, fish, eggs, stir

 

frying, quickly brown or

Medium to high

sear meats, holding a

 

rapid boil

 

 

 

Boiling water for vegeta-

High

bles, pasta

 

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.

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