The issue with gas ranges is whether to go with open or sealed burners and there's no clear consensus. I hate cleaning and I love sealed burners. I can clean nearly everything in place without having to haul things over to the sink. Occasionally, the burner caps and rings need cleaning but they're easy to bring over to the sink. The cooktop and the grates can all be wiped up in place - you do have to lift off the grates to get to the cooktop.

On the other hand, many people prefer open burners with drip pans that can be hauled over to the sink and cleaned there. There's no right answer - all a matter of personal preference.

To me the advantages of gas so outweigh an electric cooktop that I would never do electric except possibly induction. Have you considered that - it has much of the control of gas with a smooth top like an electric cooktop.

i almost never clean, and that's why i like open burners. line the pull-out drip trays with foil, change it every few weeks, and let the rest just burn itself off. easy as pie.

i had a dynasty range with open burners and i don't think i cleaned the cooktop more than twice in four years.

I find that my open burner Bluestar range is much easier to keep clean than my old sealed burner Amana cooktop. I like being able to deal with a boilover immediately just by pulling out the drip tray and wiping it. I clean the actual burner grates very infrequently, and the Bluestar looks pretty good (that's good, not perfect!) even without paying much attention. The knobs also stay cleaner because their position, shielded by the plating area, keeps them from getting grungy.

We also have open burners and rarely if ever clean it. If you want to have everything always look clean best approach is the induction glass tops.

I wrote in a recent thread about my closed burners having a small, but permanent ring around them (about 1/16"). I've linked the thread below. The thread was more about choosing a rangetop, but people weighed in with open vs. closed burner cleaning discussion (thank you Capecodcook for backing me up). If I could do it over, I'd get open burners. Not only for ease of cleaning, but I understand open burners cook better too, cause the open design allows a better flow of oxygen which makes for a better flame and flame pattern.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread about Rangetop Selection

We have a white porcelain free standing Bosch gas range with sealed burners and two big heavy grates. To clean the stovetop, I move each grate to the side, putting one on top of the other, so that I can expose each half of the stove top to clean it. A cloth with hot soapy water usually cleans it up quickly. If something is stuck on, I use SOS or Brillo. The stove is nearly a year old and still looks new. Most of the grates stay clean because the heat burns off the grease. Some areas in the periphery occasionally need to be washed, once a month or so.

akchicago - most likely you can remove the ring of dirt with a toothbrush and Barkeeper's Friend - if you can't get if all off, you can actually disassemble your burners to give you better access to it.

>>most likely you can remove the ring of dirt with a toothbrush and Barkeeper's Friend - if you can't get if all off, you can actually disassemble your burners to give you better access to it.Like akchicago, my 2004 Kenmore/Whirlpool gas range with its glass top is impossible to keep clean. This is how it looks after numerous applications of Softscrub, Easy-off oven cleaner, and steel wool pads.
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The top is permanently scratched on the other front burner after my DH got so frustrated he attacked it with a knife, trying to get the crud off it.

Part of the reason he was so frustrated was that our previous 1989 Kenmore range was virtually identical, yet also the easiest to clean we had ever used. We NEVER had any difficulties cleaning the previous stove despite equally heavy use.

This one, however, has been a nightmare. My own pet theory is that when the mfgs were forced to remove/reduce the lead from glass and porcelain coatings in 1990, some of them did a better job than others in recreating their formulas to retain durability (lead makes glass stronger, I believe).

This range, BTW, is the model second to the top-of-the-line, which was OS the day we bought it. It was not a cheap purchase at $1K for a Sears range.

Our great disappointment with the cleanability of this range - in all other respects it is an excellent appliance and an excellent buy for the $$ - led me to recommend to my nephew to purchase a Bluestar to replace his Jenn-Air. I've cooked on O'Keefe & Merritt open burner ranges and loved them. Keeping drip trays clean is no big deal and a whole lot easier than the nightmare we've had with our current range. I'd replace it in a heartbeat except that I don't have a full 30" width for a pro-style stove, a miscalculation I could now kick myself for.

He is an excellent cook and I think will enjoy the BS high-level performance.