I made this stain by boiling lobster and schrimp in water and letting
it boil over and not cleaning it up right away.
I'e tried various cleansers, bleach, and even the special creme for
"glass top" stoves.  I've used the razor to get off difficult stains
but this stain appears to be level with the top of the stove.  I think
I need a solvent to liquify whatever boiled over, then rinse it away.
But I don't know for sure, can use the help.

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Clarification of Question by tow-ga on 02 Feb 2003 00:01 PST

My actual question is: What reasonable means can I take to remove the
stain from my stovetop?

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Clarification of Question by tow-ga on 10 Feb 2003 17:01 PST

I have tried Orange Clean, white vinegar, Folex, Cerama Bryte, bleach,
Goo Be Gone--all to no avail

I'd suggest you try isopropyl alchohol, white spirit or even meths.

These are power spirits and are often effective in breaking down these
sorts of stains. They will not damage a glass surface.

To: sycophant-ga: I tried using isopropyl alcohol and that didn't
work. What is white spirit and meths?

I have had amazing results on all sorts of surfaces using a cheap
steam cleaner.  It's really a glorified electric kettle, with a long
hose and various attachments for the end of the hose. It has shifted
stains that I was unable to get rid off for yours.

Tow,

Orange Clean gets practically everything up.  Try using the
concentrate straight from the bottle (coat the stain well), and let it
stand for half an hour, then scrub it off with hot water.

Orange Clean
http://www.goglo.com/index.cfm?category=kitchen&page=list

It got purple hair dye out of my bathroom tile, maybe it will take
care of your stain.

Ooops, got distracted while typing.  The last sentence should finish
"got rid of for years"

To Missy and Te:  I must go and buy some Orange Clean and check this
out.  Standby...

A friend who has a glass cooktop swears by a product called Cerama
Bryte. Using this stuff, she was able to expunge a tenacious spaghetti
sauce stain that nothing else could remove.

http://store.yahoo.com/bestmaytaghac/cleaner.html

I've found that vinegar is surprisingly effective.  Soak a sponge and
let it stand over the stain for a bit (an hour?) and then try.  It
removed some burned-on rice for me that nothing else would touch.

Sometimes stains from animal sources (like your shrimp and lobster
stains) can be lifted off a surface by preparing a paste of water and
meat-tenderizer (the unflavored kind.) Spread the paste on the stained
surface, leave it overnight, then rinse thoroughly. This won't harm a
surface like your glass cooktop, and the enzymes in the meat
tenderizer could be just the thing you need to break up the
discoloration.

I once used meat tenderizer to clean a light-colored Melamine serving
platter that had an orange stain from barbecue sauce. Worked like a
charm.