In most cases stoneware is a good choice for dishes and pans and the like: it’s sturdier than porcelain and less porous than earthenware. It can usually go in the dishwasher microwave or even oven without any problems (specific cookware will have specific instructions on this). However it’s not designed for everything. A general rule of thumb is to never put stoneware cookware on an electric stovetop.
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Can I use my cracked hob?
In short a stovetop — whether electric or gas — can cause ceramics like stoneware to scratch and crack. This is because many materials tend to expand or contract slightly when they come into contact with heat. If the heat increases too much too quickly the abrupt change can cause the object to break itself in a sense. Sometimes this can mean shattering but in the case of stoneware chances are you’ll find a crack as soon as you remove it from the stove. What’s more this “cracking” can go both ways: just as a stovetop can crack stoneware sometimes the stoneware can crack the glass surface of an electric stove.
This phenomenon where materials like clay expand when exposed to heat and contract as they cool is known as “thermal shock.” That’s why it’s an easy way to ruin cookware if you take a hot pan straight out of the oven and then wash it in cold water as the large instantaneous temperature change causes the pan to shrink at an unnatural rate eventually warping it. Thermal shock occurs with most cookware although it affects some more severely.
Despite the name stoneware is a ceramic made from clay (actual cookware made from stone does exist). Clay and glass are both brittle materials with poor tensile strength meaning they are more likely to buckle under the pressure of thermal shock. A stovetop in particular can cause damage because the dish is so close to the heat source as opposed to an oven. Manufacturers often refer to this as “direct heat” when a dish is placed directly on the burner; placing ceramic in toaster ovens can lead to the same problem.
