You Should Know

It probably has to do with the type of burner I'm going to guess.

We've had both induction and electric stoves for our whole lives. And the home we recently moved into has a fancy dancy natural gas stove with star shaped burners.

It is night and day compared to anything else we've used before, water boils so much faster, I can actually sear a pen full of vegetables now instead of just making them mushy.

Honestly I love it. I just wish the hood wasn't so shitty and actually had a hood to capture all of the output from the stove.

Magic eraser might be worth a shot. Melamine foam is the generic name for it and you can get a ton of it cheap. It destroys stains easily. Even if it doesn't handle the burner stains I highly recommend it for cleaning around the house anyway.

Bartender's Friend or Pink Stuff should take it right off.

Nothing stopping you from using diluted lye / oven cleaner and wiping it off, just be very sure you take the necessary precautions. Do not breathe that shit in or let it get on your skin.

I mean... paying for shit you damaged during your stay is kind of the point of a security deposit.

I've used a razor for really stuck on bits on our glass top stove, but this cleaner also seems to do quite well: https://weiman.com/glass-cooktop-cleaner-polish

For the razor, keep it at a shallow angle (I tend to go around 20 or 30 degrees above the stovetop), and keep a small amount of water on the surface. I usually have a damp rag that I wipe the razor and stovetop with occasionally during the scraping process, to remove the small pieces that come off.

Also, if you are nervous about damaging the stovetop itself, maybe try something only lightly abrasive and warm water, and let the water work it's magic. (I see you have already tried this, so maybe that isn't helpful :/ ) From a chemistry perspective, salt water shouldn't exactly leave behind an insoluble residue, but IDK what else was cooking in the water.

BarTenders friend is really the best for everything in the kitchen, but leaving some CLR on it overnight should break it down enough to clean up with a warm sponge. Calcium is probably the white stuff.

as long as you're careful, it will be fine. been using a razorblade on them my whole life

With proper ventilation you can do everything, you can work with hazardous gases and nuclear materials, if the ventilation is sufficient.

Very few residences have proper ventilation. In the US, a microwave above the stove is common. Microwave often do have a fan function, but the vast majority don't vent outdoors. I doubt that running air through a very thin filter will do much good.

Photons cause cancer so I guess I may as well do nothing at all.

I love my induction hob for all the reasons you mention. It is by far the best hob I've used - much better than gas - and I cook a lot. The only slight downside is ensuring you have the right pans, but they're widely available. My enamelled cast iron casserole pot works a treat.

You should just get the impulse cook top last range you’ll ever need, super cleanable, magnetic knobs— is expensive but will be the last one you’ll need: https://www.impulselabs.com/

yeah blah blah blah but honestly.. we are humans, we do crazy shit daily like driving 200 kph in a metal can while blasting rave or metal music. If something goes out in flames just say that new years eve came in early - if you are still alive. Life isn't for the faint of heart for sure