Kay, I'm not sure how you treat your cookware, so I apologize if this is NOT how you treat yours....make sure that whatever cookware you have you never ever take the hot pan and add water to it when you are done cooking. It will warp the pan. I used to work in a cooking store and this was the rule we emphasized to everyone. So, just let the pot sit there and cool down first before adding any water to it.

I would suggest Le Crueset--it's heavy, yes, but I can't imaging cast iron warping!

I have a variety of very high end pans and the cheapy ones that I consider disposable. None of mine warp ever since following that basic rule. All it takes is one time for someone to add water to a hot pan, and it's over.

Best of luck with this.

Most good quality cookware will actually be rated as to being appropriate/not appropriate for specific cooktops (i.e. induction, flat-top, gas etc) When I was shopping for mine, pots and pans for flattop cooktops have an actual, what looks like a separate bottom to them.
So, the pot starts to curve but then goes straight down at a bit of an angle into the bottom. It isn't the actual bottom of the pot that you want to look at, it is how the side goes into the bottom. It has to go in straight not curved.

I have Lagostina and have had for years and I'm on my second flattop with no problems. True curved woks won;t work on a flattop.
Don't know if this makes sense or if it helps. Good Luck

Return the warped pieces and ask for a warranty replacement. It may well work.

Cast iron won't warp when a hot pan is placed under cold water - that is how I clean my cast iron skillet. However, if the bottom is raw rough iron (not always the case) it may scratch your cooktop. You can always take a file to it, and smooth down the roughness.

My anodized aluminium cookware eventually developed rounded bottoms - but most of it had worn out (anodization gone or handles broken) by then, we're talking a decade-plus, so I got rid of it.

I've been using cast iron on my smooth top after reading here that others did. No problems with either the stove top or the pans. But like you, I found that a lot of my "flat" pans really weren't flat when they were on the stove, and there is nothing worse than a spinning pan when you are cooking.

I had a terrible issue with this as well. We've been through 3 sets of pans expensive hard andonized. The large burner I use most often is actually two burners - one circle and one ring around the outside to allow you to chose pan size.

Since my problem has been almost entirely with the largest pans - usually skillets, I thought that it might be the two rings cooking at different temperatures...?

I'm so tired of fighting it that we're going to be replacing the cooktop with a gas range this summer.

Good luck - I hope you find something that works.

Just a quick question. Seeing as it's a new stove I'm just wondering if it's working properly. Flattop cooktops have to be vented to prevent the build-up of heat inside. Are the cooling vents working and open properly? Although if they weren't the range would automatically shut down and you would get an error message.

I always had smooth tops including an induction. HAD to buy All-Clad for that, I love it, 10 years old now, looks brand new. Also have Le Creuset which is excellent but I don't use that for everyday cooking.

I'm in love with my All Clad; I've been cooking on it almost every day for 12 years, and it's never been anything but a joy to use!

beekeeperswife,I don't think I ever placed it in water while hot,but I do have two teenagers so who knows what they did.

I have some cast iron but never got the seasoning thing down so I don't use it for everyday. I love the hard andonized for the non-stick surface, but its not cheap and you would expect good performance for what you pay.

ayerg73, yes it is mostly the large skillets I've had problems with too! The wok was cheap; from World Market. I wanted to see if i liked wok cooking before splurging; it's a flat-bottomed wok. Enjoy your gas; wish it had been an option for me!

Thank you all for the All-Clad tip. It will be worth the price if it doesn't warp.

beekeeper's wife,

I never heard that before - many thanks you learn to compensate for the warping but I had no idea it was my bad habits. Wish I had known before I warped my new grill pan.

I've had my All Clad for 17 years, and I do love it. I used it on gas for most of those 17 years, and a few years ago we got a smooth top..DH really wanted to try it. He thought they looked nice. I then noticed that every one of the pieces was slightly warped. (looks like it probably is my own fault?) I contacted All Clad, and was told to return the pieces and they would look at them to determine if they would be covered by warranty. However, they would not guarantee that they would return my pieces if they weren't covered under warranty. I found that odd. So I never did send them back. But since then, one of the small pans has a crack on the outside. The crack doesn't go all the way through, so it's still usable. New house, going back to gas, and I'm very happy. Smooth top was OK, but I sure miss the gas.

We have used Cuisinart stainless steel cookware with a triple ply base which has a sandwich of stainless interior and a cast aluminum insert and a stainless disk on the bottom. This is quite thick (over 1/4 inch) on the bottom and is not as heavy as cast iron. Never have had a problem with them warping, even the cheap ones I got many years ago at Costco.

Beekeeper - thanks for the info. I actually do that all the time when I cook - well I usually burn something so I thought that putting water in the pot immediately after I took the food out, was the best way to clean the burnt pieces.
Me bad :-)
thanks!

Jeepers John! You've never had cast iron CRACK on you quenching it like that?

I've had good luck with cast iron and the cookware with the multi-ply bases (cheap Ikea/Macy's store brand). Was planning on upgrading when necessary but it hasn't been so I'm stuck. Old Revereware (original copper bottom stuff, not copper coated bottom import sold at Target stuff) always stayed flat for me, but then so did my Calphalon. Hmm. I really liked that hard anodized stuff but it didn't like my induction cooktop. (My foodie sister in college really made out well when I switched cooktops.)

Well, don't ever consider pampered chef. All my pots and pans are warped and spinning on the cooktop. I will have to check into All Clad. Are they as heavy as cast iron? I have arthritis and at times my wrists "give out" when lifting heavy pots.
Thanks for the tip Bee. I had never heard that before.

Kay, welcome to my world. I have a Viking smoothtop in our house. What I found out is that each brand has different pan requirements. F.ex. I can't use Le Creuset or cast iron on mine.

If one of the All Clad lovers wants to buy the totally useless set I have from me, just email me, I'd be so thrilled! Wish I had known that ahead.

I used to have a cooking school so I have a lot of old "sandwich" bottom cookware. Best is the Sitram spaghetti pot with a copper sandwich so the conductivity is quite good. Sandwich is about 1/8-inch thick. Amazon and De Vorzon in SFO sell it.

Also Demayere should work very well. It's excellent cookware and the bottom is super thick. But it's very expensive and heavy.

I also have an ancient English-made aluminum omelet pan with an absolutely flat bottom but not a sandwich. That works well. The question is what cookware works best with each brand (I suspect aluminum is ok for most but those bottoms need to be as flat as old-fashioned hot plates I found). I have an old Cuisinart aluminum sandwich pan I haven't tried but will be doing that soon. Hoping it will be ok.

This is the first time in my life that there has been no gas in the house so I had to go with the smoothie. I'm looking into switching out for induction but that may take a while.

I had a Thermador ceran top range and the manual stated no aluminum pans. Is anodized cookware aluminum and did you check your manual?

Jeepers John! You've never had cast iron CRACK on you quenching it like that?

No. The pan comes off the burner, super hot, I stick it under running water - usually cold - and a great big cloud of steam bursts forth. While enjoying my facial, I stick the brush into the cloud and wipe blindly. The pan goes back on the burner at high heat to dry off. Later I squirt oil into it and wipe that around a bit. No problem. If there ever is a problem - it was a $5 "made in Taiwan" cast iron pan from a flea market, and there is another one just like it at most every junk store, so no worries. I like my cast iron pan, but I'm not particularly attached to it.

Sorry, I slightly misread. The sandwich pans -- Sitram and Demayere at least will stay flat.

I have a set of "Wolfgang Puck" stainless steel cookware my DH gave to me a few years ago that have what appear to be a separate, heavy-duty bottom. I've done all the no-nos and not a single one has warped in over 6 years of use...they all sit flat. [However, they won't work on induction!]

I think the best pans are those with the separate bottom.

My cookware is a T-Fal set from Walmart. It's reasonably priced, heavy-duty stuff. Love the set and never had problems with warping.

Here is a link that might be useful: T-Fal cookware at Walmart

All-Clad is not immune to warping, just resistant to it. For a glass ceramic top it should be good enough but for my induction burner, some of my All-Clad stainless saute pans and skillets are not flat enough any more. Mine are probably 20 years old - the sauce pans are all fine though. My gas range is higher than average BTUs 15-18K (but also propane), but not has intense as some other brands.

OTOH, they are heavy to handle, but not as heavy as modern cast iron or enamel on cast iron like LC or Staub.

L

I've successfully used the T-Fal sets but had problems with the non-stick stuff flaking. Switched to KitchenAid enameled cookware. Haven't had any warping or problems & performance is great : ).

Here is a link that might be useful: KitchenAid Cookware Site

I bought Demeyere cookware after getting my induction ctops. I did a bunch of comparisons with different cooktops, different pots, etc.

And I love it, love it, love it. Couldn't be happier.

Its lighter than the cast iron but heavier than almost all the other pans.

Flat-bottomed pots, you make the cookin' word go 'round.

Come on. You know you wanted to sing it too.

Now get on your bikes and ride!

I read the manual last night. It only gives three points 1) select heavy gauge cookpots 2)use cookpots with flat, smooth bottoms and 3) match the size of the cookpot to the size of the element. It gives several point of improper cookware,but the hard andonized does not fall into any of those.

I am wondering if point #3 could be the problem, since it is my large skillet that is of issue. It is larger than my largest burner.

It appears this is a common dilema!

The T-Fal set I linked is a stainless, induction-ready set that I bought (actually, it was on my wedding registry) when I was still considering an induction cooktop. My husband's nonstick stuff from his bachelor days was in pretty rough shape, even considering the little cooking he did. I'm pretty mindful of the big no-nos in cookware (don't use metal spoons on nonstick, don't run water over a hot pan), but I didn't want to worry about damage if DH or future kids helped with cooking or cleanup. So far, the only "damage" that's been done is a little bit of light scratching on the bottom of the inside of one of the pots. It would probably come out with a bit of steel wool, but the directions say not to use it. The scratches don't affect the performance at all like they would a nonstick pan. I've never had a problem with sticking, but I usually spray with Pam if I'm cooking without liquid.

OT... and I have no idea why... but every time I read the tag line "flat bottomed cookware"... the song "Fat Bottom Girl" comes into my head. MAKE IT STOP!!

If you're considering All-Clad but gasping at the prices, you may want to look at the Tramontina TriPly Clad at Walmart.com. These sets are being discontinued in favor of the Better Homes and Gardens TriPly Clad made by Tramontina as well. The difference (to me) is that the Tramontina are closer to All-Clad and have metal lids while the Better Homes and Gardens have a different handle and glass lids. I can't get excited over the BH&G, but I rave about my Tramontina.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-10-Piece-18-10-Stainless-Steel-TriPly-Clad-Cookware-Set/11072505

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tramontina-8-Piece-Cookware-Set/5716478

Cooks Illustrated rated the Tramontina cookware a best buy and claim they are barely distinguishable from All-Clad.

Here's a great comparison between All-Clad and Tramontina:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/equipment-the-all-clad-vs-tramontina-skillet.html

OMG jakabedy... you had the same thought as me! I hadn't read through the posts. I now don't feel so alone in this...

My set is actually Tramontina! It looks very similar to the Walmart set. Anyway, I just called and they told the "customer service ladies" were all in a meeting. I thought this was so cute. Must be a small little company. Will report back as soon as I speak to one of the CS "ladies"! :)

Tramontina-USA has a small office in Sugarland, TX (suburb of Houston), which is where they probably routed your call. Tramontina is a Brazilian multinational, but their anodized nonstick is made in the USA. Hopefully they make good on their product!

Now that I think about it my Calphalon commercial nonstick cookware ended up warping terribly on my smooth top stove, too.

It's on it's way to Sugarland! They sent me a FedEx pre-paid label and will assess the pot. The lady I spoke with was very nice, but kept stating that the warranty was only for manufacturers defects only. Then I looked at the manual and it states not to cook over "Medium" temperature which I've obviously done. So I'm guessing they won't send me a new pot, but hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised! I will report back in a few weeks! Wish me luck!

Never ever heard before a warning not to put water into still-hot pans or pay the price of pan ruination. As a matter of fact, I thought the common wisdom was to put water in asap to avoid food remainders from caking on so that clean-up would be easier. If this is a practice that leads to warping (not implausible when you think about it), why is this such a well-kept secret? Shouldn't manufacturers warn about this in guides for use?

I've had my set of stainless steel Belgique pans for 7 years now and still love them. I know my pots had warnings about adding water to a hot pan and not using the pots on high heat, but I can't say I follow that too closely. Still, they've taken the abuse pretty well (aside from some heat discoloration). Out of curiosity after reading this post, I held a straightedge to the bottoms and only one pan showed any cupping, the big stockpot.

Here is a link that might be useful: Belgique Cookware

North...one should de-glaze with room temperature liquid, and do it slowly, to avoid thermal shock. Never use cold water or a significant amount of cooler liquid quickly.

Most warping occurs from incorrect usage: Bring the cookware to temperature slowly. Do not dump cold water into or on top of a hot pan. Always match the burner size to the pan size.

Large pans can be more susceptible to warping if the burner is a ring. This is due to the lack of even heating across the surface. A pan with excellent heat conductivity, such as copper, will mitigate this.

Some high-quality stainless steel brands are Demeyere, Viking, and Mauviel.

I am pleased to report that I received a brand new replacement today in the mail! Great service! I highly recommend!

I will also follow everyone's recommendations here. I was afraid I had caused it with high heat, which they said did not fall under the warranty, so I was pleasantly surprised!

I,too,have belgique and I love them. I have not had any problems at all. We have purchased an induction range and I was thrilled to know I would not have to purchase new pots.

I've used a Farberware set for almost 35 years (wedding present) and all still have flat bottoms. Also, I have a Maytag smoothtop that's about 10 years old and several of my frypans and large stockpots are somewhat larger than the biggest burner (largest hangs over maybe an inch all the way around) and it's never made a difference to how the burner heats up.

I have had the same problem with Tramontina on my glass top stove. This is a three ply stainless steel product with an aluminum core layer. Dry heat seems to cause the warping, and although the frying pans seem to be less susceptible, the large “Deep Sauté Pan” is much more sensitive to this effect. I don’t think you could fry or blacken anything without damaging it. I have had to replace it under warranty twice in two years. If they fail to replace it free of charge this time, I will try All Clad. The rest of the Tramontina seems fine, except for a little rust around the rivets. Not top quality, but usable.