It was a bit of a PITA and some trial and error, cleaning our Wolf range's black enamel burner pans, but now it takes me a lot less time and effort,

For a real thorough cleaning, I'll remove the pans, one at a time, and scrub in the sink, using a blue scrub sponge, some dish soap (I use Palmolive) and some BKF (Barkeepers Friend). If necessary (for baked in grease spots or high-sugar type residue), I'll spray the pan(s) with Dawn Power Dissolver (spray gel), let sit for anywhere from 15-30 minutes, and then scrub. Dry with a lint-free dishtowel, and replace on the range.

For spot cleaning, or cleaning when the pans are super-dirty, I spray with an alcohol-water mixture I mix up (with lavender essential oil, though others can be used, for scent as well as anti-bacterial properties), and wipe dry with a microfiber cloth or paper towel. Obviously, don't spray alcohol when burners are in use! I've also used Perfect Kitchen (from BB&B) with good results, but I've been liking my alcohol-water spray just that much better (for cleaning ability and less streaking/smearing).

Once you get the hang of it (by that I mean, finding what works), it really takes little to no time to clean them.

FYI, if I've just cleaned the pans, and I am going to cook something particularly messy/spatter-y, I cover the surrounding burners/pans lightly with a sheet(s) of aluminum foil.

Sometimes I'll do a light scrubbing with the pans in place on the stove (if I know I won't have to really suds them up and rinse a lot).

I have a Wolf DF range and I don't think the range top can be removed....Be sure to let me know if I'm wrong. I've cooked on this for nearly 6 years.

I find that it's best to clean up thoroughly every time I cook rather than let cooking spatters accumulate. I use hot, soapy water to wash the cook top, and then dry with a micro fiber cloth. If I cook something very greasy I might use something that really cuts grease, but Dawn does the job the vast majority of the time.

The one thing I don't like, but I've learned to ignore it, is that the black range top, while beautiful to look at, does show dust. Of course, the cure for that is to cook every day! :)

It's very hard. I spray a sponge with oven cleaner a quick wipe down once a week. Otherwise, the entire thing is broken down, sprayed with oven cleaner and washed outside. Very infrequently.

Oh my kingdom for an induction cooktop!

I have decided to appreciate the well-loved and well-used look to those shiny black pans. We have an 8 burner cooktop, and since it's hot or very warm for awhile after use, it's not like you can get to spills and spatters right away. They stick and cook on...and some places look shiny while others don't. We do a thorough cleaning once a week, and it looks really good, but not new.

I really wish they had cast iron or some kind of matte-finished underpans instead of the shiny black. But it's a great cooking tool, wonderful to have all the burners with the same high power and low simmer, and I don't regret choosing it. If I was starting over, I might look at the Capital Culinarian rangetop, because of the cast iron components. (I wouldn't scrub them with soap and water, like Trevor shows on his videos, though...I'd let them 'season' and patina like a cast iron skillet.)

just my 2 cents, i clean my MIL sometimes and i have to tell you, its a pain. some marks just don't come off, so be forwarned!! imho, it will never look "brand new". the grates are heavy and get greasy, so another thing that has t to be cleaned for time to time. it is a beautiful range, but it is a bear to keep clean!!

good luck with your decision!

just throwning it out there, have u considered induction??
its a breeze to clean!

thank you all so much for your responses. it is the black enamel that I am concerned about and you have pretty much confirmed what I was thinking.

sprtphntc-I have not considered induction, only looking at gas.

Yeah, I hate that black enamel. I'm really disappointed with it, though I love everything else about my Wolf AG. My sister has a Vikng with open burners, and hers has a stainless steel top, which is very easy to scrub clean. Also, the openings around the burners is much bigger on hers, so when something spills over a bit, it goes down into the drip pan more quickly, which makes for a lot less burnt-on trouble. On the Wolf, the openings around the burner are very slim, so I actually find that in terms of cleaning, it functions more like a sealed burner, which I don't like; that is to say, any spills sit right in the pan and burn away... Luckily, you can remove those burner pans to scrub them, but I find it a real pain in the neck. And yes, I too have found no alternative to just accepting the "well used" look to them...

FWIW, I know a lot of people here have complained about Viking ranges, but my sister, who is a professional chef, loves loves hers.

If I could do it over again, I would have gotten a Bluestar...

There must be a big difference between AG and DF. I have DF and it cleans pretty easily unless I burn some sugar.