We have a new AEG induction cook top. One of the saucepans we kept from our previous gas cook top (metallic) seems to have caused some scouring on one of the heating circles. The saucepan in question works well but has a hollow bottom with just the edge making contact with the cook top. We have always used paper towel as a buffer for any of the saucepans and I don’t know if the scouring has been caused by boil overs or the hollow under the saucepan in question. I might add the other saucepans we use have flat bottoms. Grateful for any advice including whether it is possible to clean off the scouring.
Thanks
John Blakey
Perth WA
We don’t use any non-flat bottomed pots on the induction as they do not work well (with the exception of the curved wok, which doesn’t touch the surface). If it is trying to maintain a certain temperature, the sensing on the cooktop seems to be thrown out by the lack of contact, and it may overheat the pot where it touches the cooktop, which I suspect is what has caused the scouring you see on the cooktop. We have one cast iron frypan that can’t be used as it bows downwards in the middle, and another large Baccarat pot that was bought specifically to use on the induction for jam making, which developed a couple of bulges when used on a gas ring in cloudy weather (I’m off-grid solar powered). Next time we used the Baccarat pot on the induction the bulges got really hot (coloured rings on the steel) and the laminated bottom, Copper, magnetic SS etc, separated and made the bulges much worse.
Not happy about that expensive pot failing so badly!
‘Scouring’ suggests that the surface has been eroded, so it probably can’t be cleaned up.
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Always use flat bottomed cookware approved for induction as @gordon suggests . If the surface of your cook top is pitted I don’t think there is much you can do .
We’ve been using induction for years and not had any scouring occur.
Boiling over does not affect the glass surface.
I concur with Gordon & Mike about only using flat bottomed cookware. If the bottom is convex or concave, the heat transfer is uneven and is concentrated on those areas in contact with the glass surface. Also, check there is nothing adhering to the bottom of the pans before you put them on the stove as this could scratch the glass and lift the pan off the surface.
As with other glass surfaces, don’t use anything harsh or sharp as it will scratch.
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Thanks for that. I do hope later editions of ‘Choice’ concerning induction cook tops spells out these issues.
Thanks all.
John Blakey
Perth WA
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I have been using an induction cooktop for a while now and overall I have become a fan. As mentioned in many places you need correct cookware. I have a few old non-induction things that I really want to use, such as an aluminium coffee maker. So dutiful children bought me a set of plates that (it is said) you can use in between the stove and such non-induction cookware. The concept is that the plate heats up which then heats whatever is on it. Clearly this is not very efficient and you lose several of the advantages of the induction method but when it was for a beloved heirloom coffee pot that I don’t use too much I though the kludge would be OK. Well no it isn’t.
Normally if you heat an induction pot of water the water keeps the pot cool and the whole system is quite efficient at getting energy into the water and also the pot doesn’t get excessively hot, boiling water temperature is not enough to worry about.
But not in this case. The problem is the heat transfer from the plate to the pot is rather poor despite both being quite flat. Consequently the plate get very hot as the heat is not being soaked up by the water inside the pot. As the plate contacts the stove top it heats up too. After a few minutes the safety switch in the stove goes mental and shuts down the element that you are using. This is well before the coffee is made.
These plates may be OK for slow cooking where you have the stove element set rather low and they do not overheat but if you want to heat something quickly in a non induction pot the plate is a complete waste of time. I have not seen this problem mentioned elsewhere.
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I discovered the excessive heating of the hob was an issue when using a disk of mild steel in an attempt to use my large Aluminium pressure cooker on the induction cooktop a couple of years ago. A similar problem occurs if the bottom of a pot is not perfectly flat- hot spots appear, which in the case of one of my large induction compatible pots, made the unevenness more pronounced, and so it became unusable on the induction cooktop.
Suspending the plate a millimetre or 2 above the cooktop by means of a couple of skewers or similar outside the induction zone does provide a sort of workable solution, however, you really need prefect contact across the plate-saucepan interface.
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Hi
I’m in the process of building my house and I am getting a induction 5 burner cooktop as there is no gas where Ill be living
I never had a induction cooktop its always been gas , so I need to buy new cook ware as mine is 30 yrs old
I’ve been looking online at the induction cookware and am so confused as I’ve been reading the reviews still confused
So all I want is recommendations to a great induction cookware set that’s going to last please
Thank You 
Your first step is to test your existing cookware with a magnet before you toss it out. If the magnet sticks it will work. This removes anything copper, ceramic or aluminium. Iron will be good but stainless steel and enamel you have to test as some works and some doesn’t.
When buying new to fill in the gaps look for labelling that says suitable for induction. If the label says nothing about it whip out your trusty magnet before you buy.
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Welcome to the Community @Gizmo2020,
I appended your query to this older Induction Cookware topic. Although it does not make recommendations there is some good advice for assessing suitable cookware.
Which reviews?
This Choice article is a place to start. With 30 years old cookware I’ll not suggest it might be suitable, but depending on what it is you never know and could get lucky.
If you have not yet selected a cooktop this could be helpful (note it has a link to the [member content] Choice review of Induction Cooktops)
The [member content] fry pan review includes whether those tested are induction compatible.
At the end of the day weight, balance, surface, and cost are individual and taking another persons advice could be rewarding or ruin a close friendship 
Review what is available to you and check out your short list in person. If you need to order online make sure you understand the change of mind policy for your selected vendor in case you are not as happy as expected when you can hold it in your hand.
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I got lucky with an heirloom set of cast iron pans nearer 50 years old.
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