Why exactly are you looking to cover the entire cooktop? What's your actual goal?

When I first got my induction stove I used silicone mats under my pots and pans, but I discovered they really offered me very little benefit, and I've stopped using them. When I want to shake a pot on the stove (usually when I make popcorn), I put some paper towels under the pot first.

Well the reason we're looking for such a mat is because we are gonna use very dirty food cooking and we're renting someone's apartment and that's his condition for letting us using it.

Wow. It's a very easy surface to clean, but he gets to make the rules, I suppose.

Induction is so easy to clean!!!! That’s one of the big advantages!!! Nothing bakes on.

So a regular Sillpat won't work? Could you compromise with the landlord and use paper towels or parchment paper?

I've not seen really large ones like that, but there are ones available for baking sheets. 2 or three should do it. Bed Bath and Beyond.

"So a regular Sillpat won't work?"

No! Silpat has fibreglass fibers in it -- you'll want 100% silicone, thin enough not to disrupt the energy flow.

The ones I bought (and now use as spoon rests) are these from Kitchen Stuff Plus. I have a larger one from Ikea that I use for rolling pastry dough; I bet a few of those would work too.

We just use newspapers.

I don't have induction, so not positive it would work, but have you looked into teflon grill matts? This is a link to the ones I got, which I bought because I needed to cut them to size to fit the pans for my Combi oven - they work great for that purpose. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XQSZT5Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm actually also looking for a full-size induction stove-top 100% silicone mat. Will this work?

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/ateco-697-36-x-24-silicone-mat-august-thomsen/144697.html

Kaseki and Toronto Vegetarian...your comments??

Thank you!!

Sullyfish,

Don't know what your goal is but you really don't need to cover the whole cooktop. If you need a silicon mat for a burner, can I suggest the ones from Lamson Sharp - Essential Silicone HotSpot. I use it on my Miele and they work very well (large and small sizes). I use them as general trivets in the kitchen. I have disintegrated one when using a carbon steel frying pan on high heat so be careful. No harm to the induction cooktop but it was a bear getting it out from the bottom of the pan!!!

sullyfish, the mat in those links looks like the one I use to roll pastry, and will probably work well.

Well, sullyfish42, the rating of 475F for the material at your link exceeds the smoke point of peanut oil and all but

485 F: Grapeseed Oil
495 F: Soy Bean Oil
510 F: Safflower Oil
520 F: Avocado Oil, Refined

per http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/collectedinfo/oilsmokepoints.htm

so with care I would expect it to keep the surface clean. But be forewarned that hot pan surfaces can get hotter than the pan contents, so in the heat of the moment you could burn it in places. Burning silicone at these temperatures shouldn't hurt the cooktop Ceran.

You can find custom sized mats at https://www.amazon.com/Induction-Cooktop-Silicone-Protection-Check/dp/B079NJHLRX/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2TT5W4NBNTL79&keywords=silicon+mat+for+induction+cooktop&qid=1555602417&s=gateway&sprefix=silicon+for+induction%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-3

I guess you have to do what landlords require but having a mat(s) to clean would be a real nuisance considering how easy an induction cooktop is to clean.

Year old thread.

When silicone melts on a cooktop, its like slag. One has to be careful. Newpaper and/or paper towels work up to a point (say around 450*F) but they can start to scorch. Easily replaced if that happens. I don't try to sear with paper on the unit.

Great information in this thread, thanks everyone. I am also looking for a silicone mat for new induction cooktop. Sullyfish posted a link above to one at the webstaurantstore. I also found this one at that website and thought I would post it. It is .7 mil up to 482 degrees F:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/choice-16-1-2-x-24-1-2-full-size-tan-silicone-mat/407MATSILF.html

I think the web page has defective data. 0.7 mil (thousandth of an inch) is finer than a hair. Maybe 0.7 mm is intended. This is still rather thin for the purpose of this thread.

The reason I like small pads balancing the pan is that one can still see the markings defining the hob boundaries. This doesn't matter with certain any-location hob layouts.

I was looking for the same thing, most reviews I read on silicon mats were not certain it would withstand the high heat from a cast iron/stainless steel cookware, since silicon mats are graded around 250C/500F. Heavy cookware can surpass those temperatures. Instead I found fiberglass mats or mesh ones, where fiberglass can withstand double the temperature, so I am thinking of ordering one of those.

What binds the fiberglass from shedding particles that could end up in the food?

Very good question as fiberglass dust is a possible human carcinogen.

Manufacturer claims "Made of glass fibre with a PFOA-free non-stick coating and reinforced edge", so i guess that coating holds it together.

Non-Silicone, Heat Resistant

The LoMi Cooktop Mat is the only mat for electrical, ceramic and induction flat cooktops. Heat resistant up to 1400°F

https://thecooktopmat.com/

Thanks for the link, I did find it during my search but they dont ship to Greece. I would give it a try. Also I am pretty sure this also contains woven Fiber glass. You can check reviews on Amazon.

The LoMi looks like a ceramic cloth with rolled and sewn edge. I imagine that as long as it stays in good shape particulate generation would be low. However, for my induction cooking purposes, I would still want small pads of it so the hob markings aren't covered up. Pads would have to be manufactured; cutting from a larger piece would risk fraying and the issues previously raised.

Is there any problem with covering the entire induction cooktop? For example, would it cause heat retention on the cooktop that potentially could cause breakage? Would silicone or fiberglass be less likely to retain heat on the cooktop?

We can say with some certainty that either configuration was not likely to have been thoroughly tested over a range of cooking conditions, environmental conditions, and unit cooling air temperature conditions. Most internal heat is removed via the cooktop blower, and external heat by convection, but certainly the Ceran has to endure hot pans left in place for indeterminate periods. How would you see the controls if covered by a non-transparent sheet?

I suggest instead paper, either simple glossy paper such as used for auto body work masking, or even so-called parchment baking paper. Remove when finished cooking. Cut flaps for viewing controls. Use pads on top of it if necessary. A template could be made allowing the user to ink in some marks for centering pans on hobs. I retract this suggestion if messy cooking includes fires.

I have to add, after review of the OP's information, the question of whether the owner ever actually tried his requirement for covering the entire cooktop.

My beautiful induction cooktop is scratched to holy hell- no matter how hard I try not to drag my pans. Thanks for the thread!!

I live on a sailboat and a full silicone mat is necessary for safety. I use a transparent high temp silicone gasket material that is nonskid to keep my pots in place even when the boat is rocking and bobbing. The full mat allows us to use the surface as counter extension space without worrying about scratching the glass top, even when we occasionally cut things on the top. There are good reasons for covering the entire cooktop. Kenyon cooktops offer silicone mats with a bit of an edge lip to keep spills from spilling beyond the stovetop. If I could have found such a mat for my cooktop I would have bought one in a heartbeat. A mat that will keep a pot from sliding even at an angle up to 30º is a real boon for a cooktop in a mobile home whether it be on land or sea. I would imagine it could be a safety feature in a home with young children as well.

"A mat that will keep a pot from sliding even at an angle up to 30º is a real boon for a cooktop in a mobile home whether it be on land or sea."

Is this an earthquake safety measure, or for hillside lots? :)

Ktpetersen, where did you get your full silicone mat? We live in our RV full time. Our current mat (Amazon) is scorching. We don’t really cook on super high heat, so not sure what is is up, but we are wanting to replace it. We have a True Induction 2 burner, basically 15” x 25”.

Go to www.cookwithkenyon.com and look for SilKEN 2 Mats for induction cooktop. That's where I found it after reading this thread. It is made for their induction burner but I haven't seen anything else like it. I have been looking for something to cover my entire 36x21 induction stovetop to keep it from getting scratched. If you find something, please post! Thanks!

I am purchasing this item today. Don't know if it works yet. https://www.amazon.com/gasare-Countertop-Protection-Resistant-Translucent/dp/B079VNZJFJ/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_rtpb_5?pd_rd_w=Hmqxx&pf_rd_p=bb0cc7bf-18a2-4d65-839f-6eb34d8950d9&pf_rd_r=ADF4KJ2TPRY2TWPTBMXN&pd_rd_r=2bb7255a-b55a-4aa6-ae46-8d6d4c8e5ef5&pd_rd_wg=LRB8o&pd_rd_i=B079VNZJFJ&psc=1

Hi HU-59331517, what do you think of this purchase? I have a new induction and looking for something that is works and is pretty. Thanks!

Just to add my two cents...

I purchased, and have immensely enjoyed, my induction cooktop three years ago. I, too, wanted to keep it pristine and scratch-free, and I scoured the internet for silicone mats and other types of protection.

Want to know what worked best? Either a single layer of paper towel under the pan or, when cooking many messy things, a 20" x 30" piece of clean newsprint that covers the entire surface (I buy 200 pieces from U-Haul/Moving Supplies). Occasionally, when slow cooking a soup/stew in a Le Creuset pot for hours at a time, the paper will become slightly scorched under the pot...but no damage to the pot or cooktop. Easy clean up when finished. With high temperatures for long periods of time, YMMV, but I have never had a problem.

Just something to consider.

What kind of pots and pans are causing scratches? Cast iron? The bottoms of my Calphalon tri-ply pots and pans are totally smooth.

For me, it's not the pans' bottoms that can potentially cause scratches, as mine are also very smooth. It's those errant grains of salt, pepper, etc. that can be on the stovetop. Sometimes they are hard to see. When the males in my family put pans on top of a not perfectly clean stovetop, and then move the pan around, scratches can happen. Even salt **under**a protective paper towel, with a pan on top, can cause scratches. My rule is a simple wipe before placing a paper towel down.

Hi! Did the Kenyon mats hold up? Or the ones from Amazon? Got an induction recently (kitchenaid) and nervous another scratches

Also curious to hear how some of the purchases above have held up. Thank you!

Red silicone sheet is pretty inert to everything except being overheated. I suppose they can also be lost.

Hi all, renewing this discussion to see if any new options have come on the market in the past year. I'm getting a Thermador Freedom (https://www.thermador.com/us/products-list/cooktops-rangetops/induction-cooktops/CIT30YWBB#) and am looking for something like a screen protector option that covers the whole surface.

For those who've experienced the silicon burning on the induction cooktop, is that hard to clean on the glass cooktop and/or the pan's bottom?

DW never overheated a red-oxide silicone pad beyond dark, thin, and slightly gooey. There was no sticking to the Ceran or the pan, as I recall. I can't comment on any pads of this type heated even further.

I know this post is old but I am in the same boat... the reason for me is that I use cast iron cookware and I want to minimize scratches on the glass surface. I have managed to use silicone baking mats with no issues. Also, it is easier to clean grease when frying in the sink than cleaning the stovetop since it does not have any ridges to prevent cleaners from running off the sides of the stove between a wall and the refrigerator.

The Cook With Kenyon mat mentioned above doesn't appear to be available. I just ordered this Kitchen Raku https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2Y47K1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and will come back and report later. Reviews were mostly positive with a few negatives. Some of the negatives made me wonder if people were putting it on a ceramic or glass cooktop that wasn't an induction, given their descriptions of what happened, so I discounted those a bit. I wanted fairly translucent and need one big enough for a cooktop that's 21-3/8" by 36-3/4" and this came the closest.

How did it work?

I've been using this mat, Large Induction Cooktop Protector Mat 21.2x35.4" on my 30" Thermador for a week now. I like that it's large enough to cover the whole cooktop and while it's translucent, it's too dark to see the controls so I just lift up the mat when I need to access it. It's also very easy to put on and stays in place nicely. I also learned that if you wipe it down while the mat is still hot, a thin film will start to peel so best to wait until everything is cool.

There seems to be several listing of the same product from KitchenRaku but they range in price from $56.99 to $32.99. I can't tell the difference between them. Anyone else have any thoughts on what the difference(s) are?

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenRaku-Induction-21-2x35-4-Translucent-Antiscratch/dp/B0CF1P1FDH/ref=sr_1_2?crid=UL8VFGIRCZ00&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fzscL1fWbZfMGo0H1lIAruSwiYCGVtSli6qGFk8omcm5L9ycjWvCaYAc9O3MDrFO8K-lcFkwnmhOE8dazslN4_RVdIwlvYs8GtrCbQ2cssylIQKW687L3PsSZL_qb1e_XPUe6qzUJoEY-KNWLbvEddzl4xbARmXEhJRpI2ueqlxgZ8K_XoZihkH0iM73jqd3ZgbYIBOsjxM4XqmRy0ydXqIm5tMWtv2hgkAjszVat3ehCX44aroh1Kzj7njVsUYIEkrtoDAZ5mc0C93-JqZcTE6S7sQ_2F4Bh3ZiGfpnxao.H57GnYIRy-yxeIJK-y2p9hrN93hpmX_60PufqiX-PbI&dib_tag=se&keywords=large+induction+cooktop+protector+mat&qid=1714279942&sprefix=large+induction+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Induction-Protector-Anti-Strike-Anti-Scratch-21-2x35-4In/dp/B0C2Y47K1M/ref=sr_1_5?crid=UL8VFGIRCZ00&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fzscL1fWbZfMGo0H1lIAruSwiYCGVtSli6qGFk8omcm5L9ycjWvCaYAc9O3MDrFO8K-lcFkwnmhOE8dazslN4_RVdIwlvYs8GtrCbQ2cssylIQKW687L3PsSZL_qb1e_XPUe6qzUJoEY-KNWLbvEddzl4xbARmXEhJRpI2ueqlxgZ8K_XoZihkH0iM73jqd3ZgbYIBOsjxM4XqmRy0ydXqIm5tMWtv2hgkAjszVat3edT_nXfxwzbtk6XI-bWvp_xOBH36SgmUP3VQMJalbWCE6S7sQ_2F4Bh3ZiGfpnxao.zp3L25DvmciECQfw1Br97IY1l_CNWgSe7SI0Noo-24A&dib_tag=se&keywords=large+induction+cooktop+protector+mat&qid=1714279016&sprefix=large+induction+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-5

https://www.amazon.com/KITCHENRAKU-KR-Induction-Anti-strike-Anti-scratch/dp/B0BYH8HHP6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=UL8VFGIRCZ00&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fzscL1fWbZfMGo0H1lIAruSwiYCGVtSli6qGFk8omcm5L9ycjWvCaYAc9O3MDrFO8K-lcFkwnmhOE8dazslN4_RVdIwlvYs8GtrCbQ2cssylIQKW687L3PsSZL_qb1e_XPUe6qzUJoEY-KNWLbvEddzl4xbARmXEhJRpI2ueqlxgZ8K_XoZihkH0iM73jqd3ZgbYIBOsjxM4XqmRy0ydXqIm5tMWtv2hgkAjszVat3ehCX44aroh1Kzj7njVsUYIEkrtoDAZ5mc0C93-JqZcTE6S7sQ_2F4Bh3ZiGfpnxao.H57GnYIRy-yxeIJK-y2p9hrN93hpmX_60PufqiX-PbI&dib_tag=se&keywords=large+induction+cooktop+protector+mat&qid=1714279984&sprefix=large+induction+%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-4

I am also trying this mat, KitchenRaku Induction Cooktop Mat, Temperature Change...20.4x30.7. I really like it because the burgundy lines will turn red when hot so you have an idea of where the heat is. It's much thinner than the translucent mat I posted above and has a tacky backside so when you put it down, it's easy to get bubbling, which needs to be adjusted. I bought the largest size which covers my 30" cooktop with about 1/2" perimeter showing. I wish it came in larger size because I want the cover to extend over the edge. Also, the mat that I received doesn't have the burgundy lines all the way to the edge; there's about a 4" white frame. There's no way to contact the seller to ask if this is normal. I'm not sure I'm going to keep this one but really love the idea of being able to tell where the hot spot is. As far as I know, no other company offers a similar product.

Anyone else have any luck?

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenRaku-Induction-Cooktop-Mat-Temperature/dp/B0CW344X5Q/ref=sr_1_9?crid=UL8VFGIRCZ00&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fzscL1fWbZfMGo0H1lIAruSwiYCGVtSli6qGFk8omcm5L9ycjWvCaYAc9O3MDrFO8K-lcFkwnmhOE8dazslN4_RVdIwlvYs8GtrCbQ2cssylIQKW687L3PsSZL_qb1e_XPUe6qzUJoEY-KNWLbvEddzl4xbARmXEhJRpI2ueqlxgZ8K_XoZihkH0iM73jqd3ZgbYIBOsjxM4XqmRy0ydXqIm5tMWtv2hgkAjszVat3edT_nXfxwzbtk6XI-bWvp_xOBH36SgmUP3VQMJalbWCE6S7sQ_2F4Bh3ZiGfpnxao.zp3L25DvmciECQfw1Br97IY1l_CNWgSe7SI0Noo-24A&dib_tag=se&keywords=large%2Binduction%2Bcooktop%2Bprotector%2Bmat&qid=1714279275&sprefix=large%2Binduction%2B%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-9&th=1

Am also looking for a safe protective mat for induction cooktop that can withstand high heat for long duration. Not sure if "pure silicon mat" will work. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

Re my earlier comment above: "DW never overheated a red-oxide silicone pad beyond dark, thin, and slightly gooey. There was no sticking to the Ceran® or the pan, as I recall. I can't comment on any pads of this type heated even further."

Now I can with some (unplanned) experimental data on red silicone pad behavior under high temperatures. This experiment's data only cost a demeyere frying pan. Three 1.2-mm thick x 1. 5-inch diameter silicone pads were used to support an 8-inch frying pan. This pan is 5-ply and has a black anti-stick interior surface. Due to brain fade and/or an overhanging piece of aluminum foil blocking my view, the Frigidaire induction cooktop middle hob was left on at setting 4, and not revisited for some time.

Continued heating caused all of the pan's remaining grease to evaporate into the air flow of the hood, with some carbonization left on the pan base. Unfortunately, the pan base coating bubbled as I eventually discovered when cleaning off carbonation made it obvious. (Coating was detached in spots from the aluminum surface.) This is a pan intended for use in ovens. I believe 500F is its temperature rating for that purpose. This implies that the silicone pads were heated well above their rated temperature.

To the point: Not surprisingly, the silicone pads were ruined. The portions actually trapped between pan base and cooktop surface were quasi bonded to both the cooktop and the pan base. Mostly this material easily flaked off both surfaces. On the pan base residue from the pads was easily cleaned with a stainless steel pad. On the cooktop Ceran® surface, rubbing with the cooktop's manufacturer-supplied Ceran® cleaner on a paper towel led to complete removal.

Conclusion: Overheated silicone pads should not be damaging to the induction cooktop.

Following up on my purchase of Kitchen Raku mat https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C2Y47K1M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 --

It's worked well. It doesn't entirely eliminate the bit of buzz I sometimes get, which seems to vary with the number and weight of pots on the cooktop, but it helps. I really appreciate having the full cooktop protection so it functions somewhat as an extension of the countertop if I need to set something down. It's easy to wipe down, or I can put the whole thing in my sink and do a more thorough cleaning. I just wish the size had been big enough to come all the way to the edge; I have about an inch of width left uncovered.