JENN-AIR
mmm °
Use and Care Manual
Solid Element Cartridge
Models A106 & AS131 Series
Printed in U.S.A. Cat. No. CRC131UA
@1992 Jenn-Air Company Part No. 205981A 5/92
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Read before operating your cooktop
All appliances - regardless of the manufacturer - have the potential
through improper or careless use to create safety problems. Therefore
the following safety precautions should be observed:
1. Never use your appliance for warming or heating the room.
2. Children should not be left alone or unattended in area where
appliance is in use. They should never be allowed to sit or stand
on any part of the appliance.
3. Wear proper apparel. Loose-fitting or hanging garments should
never be worn while using the appliance.
4. Do not repair or replace any part of the appliance unless
specifically recommended in this manual. All other servicing
should be referred to an authorized Jenn-Air Service Contractor.
5. Flammable materials should not be stored near surface units.
6. Do not use water on grease fires. Smother fire or flame or use
dry chemical or foam-type extinguisher.
7. Use only dry potholders. Moist or damp potholders on hot
surfaces may result in burns from steam. Do not let potholder
touch hot heating elements. Do not use a towel or other bulky
cloth.
8. Use proper pan size. Many appliances are equipped with one or
more surface units of different size. Select cookware having flat
bottoms large enough to cover the surface unit heating element.
The use of undersized cookware will expose a portion of the
heating element to direct contact and may result in ignition of
clothing. Proper relationship of cookware to heating element will
also improve efficiency and performance.
9. Never leave surface units unattended at high heat settings. Boil
over causes smoking and greasy spillovers that may ignite.
10. Glazed cookware - only certain types of glass, glass-ceramic,
ceramic, earthenware, or other glazed cookware are suitable for
cooktop surface without breaking due to the sudden change in
temperature. Use only such cookware as you know has been
approved for this purpose.
11. Cookware handles should be turned inward and not extend over
adjacent surface heating elements to avoid burns, ignition of
flammable materials and spillage due to unintentional contact
with the cookware.
12. CAUTION - Do not store items of interest to children in cabinets
above cooktop - children climbing on the cooktop to reach items
could be seriously injured.
13. Do not touch surface units or areas near units. Surface units or
heating elements may be hot even though they are dark in color.
Areas near surface units may become hot enough to cause
burns. During and after use, do not touch or let clothing or other
flammable materials contact these areas until they have had
sufficient time to cool. Other surfaces may become hot enough
to cause burns - among these surfaces is the cooktop.
14. Do not use cooktop if broken. Contact an authorized Jenn-Air
Service Contractor.
15. Clean glass cooktops with caution. Ifwet sponge or cloth is used
to wipe spills on a hot cooking area, be careful to avoid steam
burns. Some cleansers can produce noxious fumes if applied to
a hot surface.
16. Do not operate with damaged cooking element after any product
malfunction until proper repair has been made.
17. Keep all switches "OFF" when unit is not in use.
About Your Solid Element
Congratulations on your choice of a Jenn-Air solid element cooktop cartridge.
The Solid elements aremade from a castiron plateinto which electrical heating
coils have been embedded. The coils are arranged to provide a uniform heat
distribution. The elements are equipped with a thermal protector or limiter to
prevent the cooking surface from becoming excessively hot (the element will
not glow red). The limiter reduces wattage to the element when overheating
could occur, such as turning the element on without a pan in place or using an
improper cookpot.
The cooktop is equipped with two different types of solid elements.
• The large element is a 2600 w. UltraPower TM*SolidElement, designated
by a saturn ring aroung the bullseye. (*UltraPower is a trademark of
E.G.O. Products, Inc.)
• The small element is a 1500 w. Standard Solid Element,designated bya
bullseye.
Cooking Procedures
• BEFORE FIRST USE, heatelements without apan for 3 to 5 minutes on
the Hi setting.
• For best results, always use recommended cookware.
• Different cookpots and different amounts of food being prepared will
influence the control settings needed for best results. (See cooktop or
rangeuse & care manualfortypical control settings.) Forfastest cooking,
start with the surface control on Hi for one minute; then turn the control to
the lower desired setting. Covering pans, whenever possible, speeds
cooking and is more energy efficient.
• The solid elements retainheat for a period of timeafter the elements have
beenturned off. Putthis residual heat to good use. Turnthe elements off
afew minutes beforefood is completelycooked anduse the retained heat
to complete the cooking operation. Because of this heat retention
characteristic, the elements will not respond to changes in heat settings
as quickly as coil elements. Inthe event of a potential boil over, movethe
cookpot to a cool element or remove from the cooking surface.
• When preparing foods whichcan be easilyscorched or over-cooked, start
cooking at a lower temperature setting and gradually increase tempera-
ture as needed.
• A higher setting than normal may be necessary when using cookpots
made with material that is slow to conduct heat, such as cast iron.
• A lower setting can be used when cooking small quantities of foods or
when using a cookpot that conducts heat quickly.
• Once liquid comesto a boil on Hi, reducethe control setting to a medium
or medium low to maintain steam or to simmer foods.
• Make sure bottom of cookware is dry before placing on element.
• Do not use wire trivets, fire rings, pads or any such item between the
cookware and the element.
• Do not lay lids, spatulas, or other food laden utensils on solid element.
4
Selecting Proper Cookware
• Select heavy gauge cookpots. Usually heavy gauge cookpots will not
change shapewhen heated,
• Use cookpots with flat, smooth bottoms. The two waysto determine
if cookpotshave a flat, smooth bottomare the rulertest and thecooking
test.
Ruler Test:
1. Place the edge of ruler across the bottom of the pot.
2. Hold up to the light.
3. No light should be visible under
the ruler.
Cooking Test: ]'J'/' J' _'j '
1. Put 1 inch of water into the
cookpot.
2. Place cookpot on the solid ele-
ment. Turn control to the HI
setting.
3. Observe the bubble formation to determine the heat distribution. If
the bubbles are uniform across the cookpot, the cookpot will
perform satisfactorily. Ifthe bubbles are not uniform, the bubbles
will indicatethe hot spots.
• Match the size of the cookpot to the size of the element. Ideally, the
cookpot will be the same size or slightly larger.
Improper Cookware
• Donot usecookwarethat extends morethan 1inch beyond theedge ofthe
solid element.
• Do not use a small cookpot on a large element. Not only can this cause
the element to require more energy and time, but it can also result in
spillovers burning onto the element which cause extra effort in cleaning.
• Do not use nonflat specialty items that are oversized, uneven or do not
meet proper cookware specifications such as round bottom woks with
rings, griddles, rippled bottom canners, lobster pots, large pressure
canners, etc.
Cleaning
Be sure all control knobs are inthe OFF position before cleaning.
Cast Iron Solid Elements
The body ofthe solid element is madeof high strength cast iron. The redlacquer
dot and saturn ring on the elements will eventually disappear after the element
has been used or after it is scoured. The cast iron will also lose its dark luster
over a period of time. (See instructions below for restoring cast iron. ) These
changes will not affect the solid element's performance or durability.
IMPORTANT
BEFORE USING THE COOKTOP FOR THE FIRST TIME, HEAT THE
ELEMENTS WITHOUT A PAN FOR 3 TO 5 MINUTES ON THE HI
SETTING. The elements are shipped with a coating (lacquer) which
protectsthem againstcorrosion. Heatingthe elementsallowsthecoating
to be hardenedandburnedintothe elements. Duringthe curing process,
a non-toxicsmokewill be created. Turn on the ventilationfan ifthe smoke
isobjectionable.Iftheelementsarenotcured,thecoatingcansticktoapan
when first used onthe solidelement.
• Fornormalcleaning,wipe the elementwitha damp cloth. Heatelement
on a medium settingfora few minutes untilcompletelydry.
• For light soil, use powderedcleansers such as Bon-Ami,Bar Keepers
Friend,or softscrubbingcleansers. Rinsethoroughly. Heat elementon
a mediumsetting untilcompletelydry.
• For heavy soil, use soapy scouringpads such as S.O.S. or Brillo, a
scouring padsuch as Scotch-Brite, or a brush with scouring powders. To
facilitate the cleaning process, first warm the element on a low setting.
Rinsethoroughly after cleaning. Heat element on amedium setting until
completely dry.
• For routine maintenance and to restore the cast iron, use Collo Electrol
(Jenn-AirModelA911 or Part No. 712190)orsalt-free vegetable oil. Apply
the Collo Electrol byfollowing package instructions. When the element is
cool, use a clean cloth to remove excess polish. A very thin coatof salt-
free vegetable oil will also restore the appearance of the cast iron. Apply
with paper towel to a lukewarm element, wipe off excess, and heat on a
medium setting to cure. If too much oil is used, the surface can become
tacky. If this happens, use procedures recommendedfor cleaning heavy
soil.
• Remove any foods spills and spatters from elements as soonas possible
with a damp cloth. Dry thoroughly.
Seal Ring
The ring around the cast iron element prevents food spills from running under
the element. The seal ringshould be cleaned per the directions for the cast iron
solid elements.
Glass Cooktop
The tempered glasscooktop will withstand temperature changeswhile cooking.
Although impact resistant,treat this glass cooktop withthe same careyou would
any glass material.
• Clean glass cooktop after surface has cooled.
• For normal daily cleaning, wipe with a damp sponge or cloth. Use glass
cleaners suchas Windexto remove smudgesandstains. Buffwitha clean
dry cloth or paper towel.
• For moredifficult to remove food stains, use non-abrasive soft cleansers
suchas ShinySinks, Soft Scrub,Bon-Ami, or dishwashing liquids such as
Ivory or Joy or a paste of water and baking soda. Rinse and dry
thoroughly; buff with clean dry cloth or paper towel.
• Do not use any cleaners not recommended for use on glass.
IMPORTANT
• NEVER IMMERSE THE COOKTOP CARTRIDGE IN WATER.
This could damage the internal wiring.
• Do not use decorative covers over the solid element. These trap
moisture which can corrode the cast iron element. If the element is
accidentally turned on,the covers could permanently damage the solid
element or the cooktop cartridge.
• Do not use wet pans or leave pan bottoms wet. Moisture could cause
corrosion and will not allow your pans to heat properly.
