Good point jaxo, One should NEVER!!!!! use the paper towels and leave the cooktop unattended, even for a short time! If one had it on boost, or even a "high setting" and the pot/pan ran dry or cooking oil or grease was being used the paper towels would indeed scorch or possibly catch fire. Occasionally, some oil or grease might seep thru a paper towel as it did in the video (I put up on UTube). I just use any dish soap that is handy to remove the grease, and then just wipe the cook top down with a dish towel or even a paper towel and it looks good as new. The cooktop did come with a cleaner, which I rarely use unless I want a "Spit Shine" on it (You Military folks) will know what that means--IE, in everyday terms it means I want it to "shine like my 59"! Gary

If it's wax which sounds likely Two options - brown paper and an iron on mild heat- or benzene (or lighter fluid) can be a little tricky depending on how deep into the wood but I'd expect not that far unless you burned the cookies. Likely will wear off too. Then get a better sealer and as noted wire racks make for better cookies.

Kitchen towels are only in white and therefore you don't have to worry about anything matching or needing to bleach anything or using the "wrong" towel for anything. They're all the same. I buy cheap 100% cotton terry Doctor Joe automobile polishing towels and use them in the kitchen and garage. Once they get a bit stained from kitchen use, they become garage towels. If you buy in bulk cheaply and have plenty on hand, you won't be searching for one when you need it. Group some by the sink, and others by the prep area and yet others in the laundry area. Yes, I use them for cleaning up cat puke. The yuck goes down the toilet and the towel goes in the laundry with bleach. About 2 dozen is a good starting number for the average household. If you have a large household, then maybe double that. I use an old bucket that cat litter came in as the "hamper" in the pantry. If I'm doing a project that requires a lot of them and they're too many to just drape over the side and air out behind closed doors, I usually put them on a baking sheet and place them in the oven as it's cooling down. Use that "lost heat" for something! Do you want to talk about bottled water? We switched to a filter pitcher several years ago and bought a case of bottled water annually and just refilled the bottles as we drank the original water. But they were difficult to sanitize properly and after a recent bout with a nasty GI bug that the other half blamed on a water bottle, I received a dozen plain stainless steel water bottles as a holiday present. So far, they've been a lot easier to clean and fill and I'm really glad we switched.

@aspen75, I have that same griddle that I use on mine. I understand and experience what you are saying and it is a bit of a disappointment. However, it has never hindered my cooking abilities on it. I mainly use my griddle for fish, shrimp, or pancakes (DH sometimes uses it for squash and zucchini) and because the heat ends up dispersing throughout the griddle, I never have issues with the food I cook. Sometimes I might have to move my fish or shrimp around as it cooks, but it still cooks. I'm still very pleased with my Wolf and so glad I went with it over gas, which we had before and which definitely had far worse hotspots. I have not tried a cast iron griddle on mine because I like the ease of cleaning the one I do have. Plus, I have a Blackstone on my patio just off my kitchen and I use it a ton in the spring, summer, and fall when I truly need a griddle ;)