So, I cook on my PH, both on the soapstone and on the cast iron cooktop. The cast iron cooktop is right above the catalytic converter. Woodstock has left the center of the cooktop even, and placed raised ridges on the areas to the left and right to make two elements of different temps by making the ridges different heights, but they are tiny ridges...I think 1/8 and 1/4 inch high. The center element is large enough to take my smaller magnalite roaster if I put it on a slight slant across the stove. A few days ago I roasted pumpkins by simply placing them in the roaster, no water in the roaster, on a flat meat rack that has a few about 1/2 inch high bubbles on it to keep a bit of air under the contents, tight cover on the roaster. Roasted beautifully over a small fire, soapstone about 300 degrees, so presume cooktop close to 500....pumpkin came out well cooked, but not soggy at all.
I cook directly on the iron cooktop, with any heavy bottomed pot: stainless, cast aluminum (Magnalite), caphalon non-stick, or cast iron. They all cook just fine. And they are al fine directly on the cast iron cooktop, center element, which is about 200 degrees warmer than the regular soapstone top remperaure. I haven't yet done so, but see no reason why one couldn't cook directly on any cooktop with any cast iron or heavy griddle, also.
I also frequently have one of the three-section soapstone top plates down while cooking, so I can easily move a (not too large) pot off an element onto the soapstone to keep the contents warm while I cook other things on the cooktop.
I also cook directly on the soapstone top, for slow roasting, or slow cooking. If the stovetop if 450 or higher and I want a slow cook, I put soapstone slabs half the size of the stovetop on top of the stove and put the pots or roasting pans on them.
Basically, there is tremendous range in temperature available on the PH, and I can and do cook anything...even stuff one usually needs to cook in a double boiler.
I also do some baking on the stove, but that is trickier, because one basically has to make an oven for the stovetop, and then put the item to be baked in a container in the "oven". That is basically what I did when I roasted the pumpkin...used the roaster as an oven, instead of putting water in the roaster and steaming. The pumpkin came out uch better...just like roasted inte oven. Did not have too much luck baking breads, buns, muffins and cakes, although potatoes were successful (very) , last year on the PH soapstone top. I expect the cooktop to work better for roasting, because it is easier to get a roasting pan hot enough to function as an oven when one can place it directly on the cast iron....
Maybe I'll write a cookbook....there is just too much info to give. I've learned a lot, and come up with many recipes since I started cooking on my Fireview years ago. The PH opens up even more possibilities.