Frigidaire FGEC3065KS Complete Owner's Guide (English) - Page 8

SURFACE COOKING Selecting Surface Cooking Cookware Cookware should have flat bottoms that make good contact with the entire surface heating element. Check for flatness by rotating a ruler across the bottom of the cookware (See Figure 1). Figure 1 Be sure to follow the recommendations for using cookware as shown in Figure 2. CORRECT INCORRECT • Flat bottom and straight sides. • Curved and warped pan bottoms. • Tight fitting lids. • Weight of handle does not tilt pan. Pan is well balanced. • Pan overhangs unit by more than one-half inch. • Pan sizes match the amount of food to be prepared and the size of the surface element. • Made of material that conducts heat well. • Pan is smaller than the element. • Easy to clean. • Always match pot diameter to element surface diameter. • Heavy handle tilts the pan. Figure 2 Cookware Material types The cookware material determines how evenly and quickly heat is transferred from the surface element to the pan bottom. The most popular materials available are: ALUMINUM - Excellent heat conductor. Some types of food will cause it to darken (Anodized aluminum cookware resists staining & pitting). If aluminum pans slide across the ceramic glass cooktop, they may leave metal marks which will resemble scratches. Remove these marks immediately. COPPER - Excellent heat conductor but discolors easily. May leave metal marks on ceramic glass (see Aluminum above). STAINLESS STEEL - Slow heat conductor with uneven cooking results. Is durable, easy to clean and resists staining. CAST IRON - A poor heat conductor however will retain heat very well. Cooks evenly once cooking temperature is reached. Not recommended for use on ceramic cooktops. PORCELAIN-ENAMEL on METAL - Heating characteristics will vary depending on base material. Porcelain-enamel coating must be smooth to avoid scratching ceramic cooktops. GLASS - Slow heat conductor. Not recommended for ceramic cooktop surfaces because it may scratch the glass.  NOTE The size and type of cookware used will influence the setting needed for best cooking results. 8