What to do if metal melts onto a glass cooktop

Q: I put a dry Cuisinart stainless steel skillet on high heat on my ceramic-top electric stove, planning to dry-sear peppers. Within a minute or so, it seemed as if a liquid was oozing from the bottom of the pan. The skillet is Model 922-26H. The bottom of the pan says "stainless steel," but it looks as if there's a layer of copper (orange-colored) between two layers of stainless, with the copper layer being what melted. The stove is a GE TrueTemp, Model JSP42SN4SS.

I can easily replace the skillet, but do you have any suggestions for cleaning the cooktop? I’ve tried Soft Scrub cleaner, Bar Keepers Friend, and baking soda and vinegar. The burner still heats, but is it safe to use?

Reston, Va.

A: First, the good news: Yes, as long as the glass on your cooktop isn't cracked, it's safe to use. Alas, the rest of the answer isn't so cheery.

The skillet model you have does have a base made of copper sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel. That model has been discontinued. Cuisinart now uses a core of aluminum on most of its cookware. But the reasons for combining one of these metals with stainless steel — and the dangers if you overheat the pan — are similar.

Stainless steel doesn't react with either acidic or alkaline food, so you can safely use it to cook anything. But steel, whether stainless or rust-prone, doesn't conduct heat well. So unless a steel pan is very thick — think cast iron — it doesn't heat evenly, which means food directly over burners can scorch, and pans can warp. Copper and aluminum heat up quickly and evenly, avoiding these problems. But copper reacts with acidic food and aluminum with alkaline foods. By creating a multilayered pan, it's possible to get the benefits of each metal without the drawbacks.

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Some pans, like yours, have the multiple layers just on the base, with sides that are entirely stainless steel. The base heats fast and evenly, but the sides stay relatively cool, which is good if you want to cook an egg. Other pans have multiple layers throughout, which is probably an advantage if you’re heating a pot of water or cooking stew.

Unfortunately, neither type of multilayered construction is suitable for cooking methods that call for heating an empty pan really hot, so you can sear meat or blister peppers. Aluminum melts at around 1,220 degrees Fahrenheit; copper at around 1,983 degrees; and stainless steel at around 2,500 to 2,785 degrees, depending on what other metals are mixed in with the steel.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission warned as far back as 1993 that aluminum pots, or ones made of stainless steel with an aluminum core, could melt if they were allowed to boil dry. But in recent years, there have even been reports of melting bases when pans were filled with water and placed on high heat, especially on glass cooktops.

Cuisinart's website no longer displays the manual for your model, but for its current aluminum-core models, the advice is clear: Never use high heat. "Food will burn," the manual says. "A pure aluminum core enveloped by stainless steel makes this cookware highly conductive and efficient for quick, even heat distribution. We recommend a low to medium setting for most cooking. To boil water, medium-high is sufficient." It warns never to leave a pan empty over a hot burner. "Doing so can ruin the pan and cause damage to the stovetop."

So what can you do to restore your stovetop? You can try what Ted Wegert, then an engineering manager at Schott North America, a leading manufacturer of glass for cooktops, recommended in 2014 when asked how to remove melted aluminum foil. He suggested scraping the glass with a razor blade held as flat as possible to the surface. Using a plastic holder designed for scraping a cooktop would make it easier to keep the low angle, he said.

Wegert's staff tested a variety of other methods for removing baked-on aluminum and found they didn't work or caused more damage to the glass. But he warned that if the aluminum burned onto the glass while the glass was at its highest temperature, the aluminum would bond with the glass so securely that bits of glass might be scraped off along with the aluminum. "These effects are cosmetic on the top surface and should not mechanically affect the performance," he wrote in an email.

If scraping with a razor blade doesn't work, you don't have many other options. Sometimes it's possible to buy and install a new glass top. But that part for your stove model is no longer available, either through GE's replacement parts division or through independent online companies that specialize in appliance repair parts. You might be able to find the part via sources such as eBay.

Find the part number by checking the diagram in the manual, which manufacturers often keep online even after an appliance is discontinued. (For your stove, GE identifies the glass top as part WB62T10726.) If you find a top with a similar number, call GE's customer service number, 877-959-8688, to ask whether it will fit.

Your only other option is to get a new stove.

Finally, how do you blister peppers safely if you have a glass cooktop and stainless steel pans with an aluminum or copper core? Use the broiler, a very hot oven or (in good weather) an outdoor grill.

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