I love cooking with cast iron pans, however, last month I bought a house and part of the reno'd kitchen is one of those fancy glasstop stoves.
I'm worried the girlfriends old school skillet is going to scratch it all to hades (I like to keep my stuff looking nice).
Is my only choice a fancy Le Creuset enameled cast iron?
" Cast Iron cookware is not recommended. If the cookware has a burr or rough spot, it will scratch the glass surface. "
From here:
http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16259
I would really listen to the manufacturer on this. And put in a gas stovetop since obviously the glass is vastly inferior. ;-)
Nah, I have a glass top range and use my cast iron pans on it all the time. I do worry that one day one will slip out of my hand and crack the glass, but it hasn't happened in the 5+ years we have had the stove. No scratches, and I love that I can clean the surface with a razor blade when something gets cooked on to the surface.
No worries, cook on! 
My glasstop looks great with our cast iron skillet and our lodge griddle plate used almost daily.
dculberson said:" Cast Iron cookware is not recommended. If the cookware has a burr or rough spot, it will scratch the glass surface. "
From here:
http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16259
I would really listen to the manufacturer on this. And put in a gas stovetop since obviously the glass is vastly inferior. ;-)
Trust me, I much prefer a gas cooktop to a class one. However, I wasn't going to let that detail change the amazing home I was able to buy only 5 miles from work. :)
My wife scratched ours with her ring, so it’s not something I worry about anymore :)
If/when it causes serious damage, upgrade to a gas range. No worries in the meantime, and good news when it does! I mean, outside of paying for it.
I grew up with a glass top, and my mom uses a lot of cast iron. She wouldn't let us use the cast iron when we were kids (we started cooking at about age 7 or 8), but she used it all the time.
There were a few scratches, but it wasn't bad when it was replaced after 23 years.
I'll be honest, I really prefer the glass top. If I can convince my wife, that is what we'll be switching to when/if we ever replace ours.
+1,scratchless gas top user of cast iron. Just no smashies
Just in case, check the bottom of your pan. If there are any burrs or nicks on it, smooth them off with a honing stone.
What Stuart said.
Our last two stoves have had glass cooktops, and my 12" Lodge hasn't made a mark on either one of them in about 10 years. Don't worry about it.
We use our cast iron skillets on our glass top. Didn't for a bit after we moved in but it took all of a month or so to get over the fear.
Ransom said:If/when it causes serious damage, upgrade to a gas range. No worries in the meantime, and good news when it does! I mean, outside of paying for it.
Not always that easy. Some areas don't have gas available. My small subdivision is all electric, no gas lines around so have to stay electric or put in a propane tank and plumb the house for it. Which still may not be possible if ordinance doesn't allow it. No one has installed propane tanks.
I replaced the electric coil cooktop with a glass cooktop a couple years ago. My Korean wife and her 2-foot tall soup pots have scratched the glass and managed to burn out the big element. It's either full on high or off, nothing in between. So will have to replace it again sometime in the near future.
I'm in OK, natural gas is typically prevalent every where. In this case, I'm not pulling out a perfectly good range, ripping out the walls to run a gas line, etc. Water heater and heating are NG.
This is a 5 year house for me. I'm getting my money right, whilst not paying rent after my divorce and moving to this city. I lucked into a 3/2/2 1800 sq ft home that had been completely reno'd for $156k.
Only trying to get by and get my experience until I know I'm either going to stay here or try to move elsewhere.
Hence the desire to spend a few hundred on a pan vs thousands in more renovations on a house that doesn't need it. :)
Check the bottom of the pan, most newer ones and some old ones are smooth, but some of the old ones have a cast in ring around the bottom that is the only part of the pan that would be touching your glass burner. I won't use those just from a heat transfer standpoint, let alone scratching.
My wife went on a Le Creuset kick a few years back but reigned it in after she chipped one and it started rusting badly and I picked up a monster Cuisinart enameled cast iron pan she likes better. The Cuisinart pan is enameled on the outside but textured inside and seems to work better for half the $. Lately she's been eyeing the Pioneer Woman stuff that seems exactly like the Le Creuset but at WalMart prices and in bolder colors.
I scratched mine the first week it was installed.
Ever use one? If you love cooking you'll probably hate a glass top radiant electric stove anyway. If you don't want to mess with gas lines an induction unit would be a drop in job and those are supposed to be good.
Cooking should be a bit like sex: if you don't end up with a few scars and traumatized pets, you are not doing it right. Chill and let the cast iron fly (fry?)
BrokenYugo said:Ever use one? If you love cooking you'll probably hate a glass top radiant electric stove anyway. If you don't want to mess with gas lines an induction unit would be a drop in job and those are supposed to be good.
Love our glass top. Bought it new 13 years ago for the new house and it's been brilliant.
Had a glass top stove installed a few years back. Probably a month old and my mother came over for thanksgiving and was making gravy in the big foil roaster. The combination of vigorous stirring and puting the heat into a small area caused the glass to spall pretty badly. I bought a new top and installed it in an hour.
The trick is very flat bottomed cookware and lift it straight up, don't slide it around.
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