GE JBS29GM Use And Care Manual page 11

To check how a pan will perform on a solid disk element:
1. Put 1 inch of water into the pan.
2. Bring water to a boil and observe the pattern
of the bubbles as the water comes to a boil.
3. A uniform pattern of bubbles across the bottom
of the pan confirms a good heat transfer and a
good pan.
Questions and Answers
May I can foods and preserves on my solid
disk elements?
A. Yes, but only use cookware designed for canning
purposes. Check the manufacturer's instructions
and recipes for preserving foods. Be sure canner is
flat-bottomed and fits over the center of the solid
disk element. Since canning generates large
amounts of steam, be careful to avoid bums from
steam or heat. Canning should only be done on
surface units. Follow our recommendations in the
Home Canning Tips section.
Why does the solid disk element smoke when
I first turn it on?
A. This initial smoking is both normal and necessary.
A rust preventative is applied to each element at
the factory. When the unit is turned on for the first
time, the coating will burn off the element areas.
This takes approximately five minutes and should
be done without any cookware on the element.
Otherwise, the coating will stick to the cookware.
Why is the cooktop hot to the touch?
A. More heat is transferred to the cooktop by the solid
disk elements than by conventional coils because
the elements are clamped securely to the cooktop.
This, of course, eliminates spillovers from getting
inside the cooktop chassis. The secret to keeping
the cooktop comfortably cooler is to turn the
cooktop on only after the cookware and its
contents are placed on the element. More heat will
then be transferred to the cookware and the food
rather than the cooktop. The cooktop temperature
will not cause damage to the cabinets, countertops
or cookware.
4. Bubbles localized in only a portion of the bottom
indicate uneven contact of the pan to the element,
uneven heat transfer or an unsuitable pan.
Q. Why am I overcooking my food with the new
solid disk elements?
A. The solid disk elements are very energy-efficient
and retain heat much longer than the coil elements.
Food will boil or fry three to five minutes after the
controls are turned off. We recommend that you
begin cooking at lower settings than you have in
the past and gradually increase or decrease heat as
desired. The energy savings are significant.
Q. Why does it take a long time to cook my food?
A. It doesn't. The extra time it takes compared to the
conventional coil element is measured in seconds,
not minutes. These few seconds are due to the
greater mass of the element. If the food is cooking
slowly, it is because the pots and pans are warped
or have an uneven bottom surface. If flat-bottomed
pots and pans are used, cooking performance of
the solid disk element closely parallels that of the
coil element with less energy consumption.
Q. Can I use special cooking equipment like an
oriental wok, on my solid disk elements?
A. We recommend that you use only a flat-bottomed
wok. They are available at your local retail store.
The bottom of the wok should have the same
diameter as the element to ensure proper contact.
Do not use woks that have support rings. This type
of wok will not heat on solid disk elements.
Q. Why is the porcelain finish on my cookware
coming off?
A. If you set your solid disk element on a heat setting
higher than required for the cookware material,
and let the cookware sit too long, the cookware's
finish may smoke, crack, pop or burn depending
on the pot or pan. Also, cooking small amounts of
dry food may damage the cookware's finish.
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