Debbie,
I have never thought of that. I use my large cast iron on my glasstop electric Kenmore range. It has never damaged it, and after 3 years of using it 2+ a week, the damage would have been done by now. Hope that helps :)
Liz

The first time I used my large Le Cruset on our glass cook-top it cracked. The crack runs from one side of the top through our largest burner down to the bottom edge! I have used cast iron after on the smaller burners but largely because I know it is getting replaced soon. I would just tell you to be extremely careful and that there is a very real risk that the top could crack.

Can I just say that glass top radiant cooktops are the devil's work? You look at them funny and they get stained. You can usually clean them with hours of scrubbing, but you have to do it every time. Add to that the miserable heat transfer, thermostatic cycling (they can't overheat) and burner sizes that are too big for your pans and it's just trouble all around.

I use my cast iron skillet and a Lodge dutch oven on my glass cooktop all the time. No issues.

I keep hoping mine will utterly destroy the cooktop so I have a good excuse to get rid of the awful thing.

While I have used my cast iron skillets for years with no problems on flat cooktops, I did have trouble with a large griddle. Because it didn't conform to the burners in that it overlapped onto the non-cooking surfaces, I got a burn on our white cooktop. That range is long gone, but I'm cursed again with a black flat stove and am just careful.

I used my cast iron skillet just last night to sear some steaks with no issues and I've been using that skilllet and my Le Creuset dutch ovens for years without any problems.

But, it is a pain to clean.

I did, after asking my landlord about it when he was showing us the place. (Not to make it sound like I wouldn't have taken it if I couldn't use cast iron.... except maybe.)

I have a glass cooktop and I absolutely loathe it. with every fiber of my being. I hate cleaning, as it is perpetually dirty even after the shortest of tasks. Everything sticks to it.

I know that they can crack if you use cast iron. My mom did it about ten years ago on a JennAir, after she had it installed only a few days prior. If you want to use cast iron, it will definitely be a risk. What I do is transfer food that I have sauteed or partially cooked to cast iron and then put it under the broiler. Cast irony flavor, no cracked cooktop.

Get yourself a Silpat! They can be placed between your induction cooktop and your cast iron to prevent scratches and messes.

When we bought a new stove, they told us it was a risk that the top could crack with the use of cast iron, but the biggest issue was that it can scratch. Needless to say we went with old fashioned coils (no gas in my area or it would have been my first choice) so we didn't have to risk it. Love the idea of using a silpat under cast iron to prevent scratching, I just wonder how hot it gets since a previous post said silpats are only safe up to 480.

Couldn't agree more with adr! I use my cast iron all the time with no problems--and I keep hoping there will be one so we have the excuse to get rid of this horrible stove.

wow I had no idea this could be an issue. I use cast iron and/or le creuset on our glass top every day, and have been doing so for 5 years without incident. not going to stop now.

I use good ole cast iron and enameled cast iron several times per week on my glass top and have never had a problem. Good luck!

I use cast iron on mine all the time w/o a problem. I also don't slam it around though.

I asked an appliance guy about this a couple years ago, and according to him this seems to be an old problem that has more or less been solved, but the warnings persist even though modern cooktops are strong enough that the risk from the heavy pan is minimal.

I didn't have a problem with my cast-iron pan or LeCreuset on my glass induction top....but the Revereware I had didn't like the top and seemed off-balance somehow. No joke, they would skitter around on the stove-top. No cracks or nicks despire heavy usage but there's a few little spots that just wouldn't go away.

I wanted to replace my old coil cooktop but when I looked at the glasstops I wanted to stay with coil. Unfortunately, the only coil cooktops available were the cheap made in China ones so I'm keeping my old cooktop. The old one is unsightly, but I can COOK on it rather than stress over it. After seeing these comments about readers' glass cooktops, I feel I made the right decision sticking with my old electric cooktop. Wish I could have gas, but there are no gas lines in our town.

I never knew this could be a problem! I've been using my (large, heavy) Staub pots and grill pans on it for years now! No issues whatsoever

enameled cast iron is the problem. i an enameled pot and it cracked my top. something about the enamel melting to the glass top... i have since used many standard cast iron pots without a
problem.

Wow, I had no idea there was so much glass cooktop hate! We have an old coil cooktop and I am so sick of it, was looking forward to a glass top where there are no coils that won't stay flat, no burner pans that rust through, and a single flat surface to clean instead of all those nooks and crannies. I'm sad that it seems it was too good to be true!

Plus, we use cast iron all the time :(

I use only lodge cast iron and have no issues with the glass cooktop.

I use mine all the time, had no idea I shouldn't. Hasn't been a prob.

so some of you are saying it is the dutch oven like a Le Creuset that would be an issue? Not a Lodge-type cast iron pan.

Did I hear you correctly?

Thanks for all the responses!

OMG! I’ve been doing it wrong for 20 years! ;) I use all of my many cast iron skillets, dutch ovens and griddles on my old, cheap GE glass cooktop constantly. No issues; no problems; no dramatics. I dislike electric stoves because of slow heating and cooling. But, electric is what the house had when we moved in, and I’m too cheap to convert it to gas. Also, I have never had staining problems like some others here have. Guess I’m just lucky that way.

I use cast iron and enamaled cast iron on my glass top stove all the time and haven't had any problems so far.
And like so many others here, I despise that glass top with every fiber of my being! It heats unevenly, stains constantly and is impossible to get clean. I dream of a gas cooktop...

I thought it was just ME! I thought the strange uneven heat, and stains that wouldn't come out, and odd sizes in the smaller burners was just my imagination. I am going get a coil unit next time. The Sears site had 72 units available all brands and models plenty of expensive ones! I better get on it before they stop making those as I can't have gas in my hi-rise condo in Chicago.

I have one also and I hate the thing ...however, in response to cleaning issues: no matter how stained it gets I can always get it clean (like new) with Bar Keepers Friend cleaning powder in a minute or two with a green/yellow Scotch sponge. It's like magic. (And this in lieu of wrist-damaging scrubbing with other products.)

I also use my Le Creuset large dutch oven and my regular cast iron skillet with no problems. Yet.

I went to the Le Creucet outlet recently and the sales woman said that as long as the cast iron is enameled on the bottom where it comes in contact with the glass surface, there would be no problem. If you've noticed, most Le Creucet is now enameled on the bottom for this purpose.

Like many others here, I too dislike my glass cook-top. I have stainless steel pans and they have scratched the surface especially when you move the pans back and forth when sauteing. I have used my cast iron skillets with no problem but I don't move them around on the burner. The pans that seem to perform best on the stove (heating and cooling quickly) are, oddly enough, cheap Teflon pans that I bought at Ikea. As for cleaning it, I use a cook top protectant made by Whirlpool that keeps food from sticking as badly as it would otherwise.

My mother uses her cast iron pots and pans on her glass cooktop all the time. It's been a year and no damage. Maybe she doesn't use high heat?

Re: cleaning glass top stoves. You have to wait until the next day when it is COLD. Soap and water and a paper towel to clean it and it gleams. I love my flat top stove! (And I do a lot of cooking.) I use a flat razor blade to scrape any major spills if I have to - with care.

I have a Jenn Air glass top stove and I HATE it. It cooks unevenly. It is impossible to keep clean-even using Bar Keepers Friend. I HATE IT. I a limited by the design of my kitchen that I have to have a down draft exhaust system-which means when I am able to replace it I still have to buy a Jenair I will be replacing it with a gas top Jen Air.

All that being said-I use my cast iron and enamled cast iron on it all the time with no issues. The glass top is cracked but not because of cookware-because I leaned on it once. Oops!

I have a Kenmore glass top stove and cook almost solely with cast iron pans. I have had no issues with cracking, staining, or scratching and I bang my pans around quite a bit. I say go forth and cook fearlessly!

I went from gas to glass top and I LOVE IT... I use le crueset all the time and no problem never use cast iron at a high heat or drag the pot on top of glass. I think cleaning a gas top with those heavy grates is alot of work. Glass top cleans beautiful with a little bon ami. Its a Samsung stove and very powerful.

@sagekitten85 - I have a glass cooktop and while the quality sucks (I think it's just a cheap stove, inherited when we bought the house), the glass is fairly easy to clean save for a few spots that the previous owner must have left too long and are now permanent. I've had excellent luck using Corningware's glass & ceramic cleaner (says it 'cleans, polishes and protects') intended for their baking dishes. I find it at kitchen stores. My MIL's appliance guy recommended it and it works like a dream - it's basically a gentle scouring cream. You could also try barkeeper's friend but I can't recommend it personally so I don't know how it would go. Just clean it often so the spots don't bake on too much and you're good to go.