What are the rings on the bottom of a frying pan called and can you use them on a glass cooktop?

Question

I got a 12" frying pan as a gift and it has many raised, concentric metal rings on the bottom, on the outside, where it would touch the stove.

I don't know what this type of bottom is called so I can't find anything useful about it online. But since the pan's bottom is full of high and low points instead of being smooth it seems like it wouldn't heat very evenly on the glass cooktop?

Can anyone tell me what the official name is for the ringed-ridges on the bottom of the pan and if they can be used on glass stoves?

Answer 1

The concentric rings can serve a variety of purposes. In addition to helping to prevent the pan from sliding, they increase the surface area of the bottom of the pan, which helps it to get heat more efficiently from a gas range.

On some pans, these concentric rings are made of different metals (aluminum or copper) and act to more effectively spread heat around the pan.

I have used pans with textured bottoms on ceramic ranges before with no problems. As always, you will want to avoid repeated shaking motions (say, popcorn) but it's otherwise not a big deal either way.