Glass Versus Ceramic Plates

Corner pieces baked in metal stoneware and glass.

Glass versus ceramic plates. The key difference between glass and ceramic is that ceramics have crystalline or semi crystalline or non crystalline atomic structure whereas the atomic structure of glass is non crystalline. When you re shopping for dinnerware whether casual or formal there is a wide variety of materials to choose from including porcelain stoneware bone china and earthenware each material has its own qualities features price points and yes drawbacks. The glass heats up more slowly than metal melting the sugar in the batter. These cooktops are very easy to clean if you spill on them while cooking and they only need to be wiped clean from time to time.

Brownie lineup left to right. This heat is transferred to the glass ceramic surface via convection and consequently heat is transferred to cookware. However it can break if you drop a hard object on it and can scratch especially when a granular object catches under a sliding pan on a stovetop. The hotter edge causes the batter to climb higher and cook further than the batter in the other pans.

Once the glass is hot it holds on to the heat instead of transmitting it inward. When switched on the electrical resistance heats the metal coil. Ceramic plates in my opinion provide the best of both worlds they conduct slow even heat similar to glass pie plates but they also provide a beautiful serving vessel. Also the heat is more focused from beneath the ceramic plate so other parts of the cooktop stay cool.

I am now replacing all of my glass ones with ceramic as year after year. Once the metal on the coil is hot it takes a while to cool down the heat passes through the ceramic surface so it retains less heat. The surface on top is smooth. It s in the cooling down department that the ceramic top has a distinct advantage.

We use a vast range of ceramic materials in the day to day life. Many ceramic plates are freezer to oven safe a major advantage when you want to bake ahead. Actually made from a blend of ceramic and glass these cooktops have a smooth surface that appeals to many homeowners and helps keeps a kitchen looking sleek and modern. The glass ceramic cooktop is an extremely strong material that handles extreme temperature changes without breaking.

I have both and especially with a butter crust the glass pie plate produces burned and misshapen pie crusts. Ceramic cooktops contain coiled metal elements beneath the glass ceramic layer. Pros and cons of ceramic cooktops smoothtops pros.