Hi all,

I hope to replace my 13 year old Jenn Air 5 burner gas cooktop as part of a kitchen remodel. It has a glass top (white) and porcelain covered grates (grey). What I hate about this cooktop the most is how hard it is to clean. The grates are easy to clean - EXCEPT in the corners where the pieces join at 90 degree angles. And the white pan around the sealed burners gets baked on dots of stuff that are close to impossible to get off. And there are indents in the pan where the grate sits - these little dips are REALLY hard to clean because you they don't allow enough room to really scrub back and forth. And since it's white, it shows. I don't think it looks too bad considering it's age, but I definitely want something easier to clean with the new one.

I'm considering a 36" Wolf, either the 5-burner cooktop or the 6-burner rangetop. I'm wondering about differences between the 2 to help me decide, and one big difference is that the cooktop is SS, and the rangetop is black enamel. And then there is the sealed vs non-sealed burner. Since I currently have sealed burners, I can attest to the fact that sealed does not ensure easy-to-clean. The fact that the non-sealed burners are set back a little from the flame I would imagine would reduce the amount of burnt on stuff on the burner pan. And I like the idea of having a drip pain area I can line with aluminum foil and clean periodically.

So, my questions are:

1. How hard are they to clean? Is one easier to keep looking nice compared to the other?

2. On the SS cooktop, does it clean up well using Bar Keepers Friend? What does a SS cooktop look like after it's been used and cleaned? I read somewhere that it will never look like new. But how bad is it? Does using BKF bring it back to new?

3. I read that with the black enamal of the rangetops, you need to use a cloth to "polish" them to get them to look great. That wouldn't bother me at all. It's the scrubbing and still not looking good that would bother me.

I know there are other considerations (if I really want open burners to get the better flame contact with the pan, that rules out the cooktop since I can't get that with sealed burners), and if I want a griddle (which I might) then that also rules out the cooktop. I don't really need 6 burners (5 is enough), but I could use the extra real-estate of that 6th burner to put things on (hot things from the oven, or moving something from a hot burner to a cool one).

The rangetop is more $$$ than a cooktop, but I'd be willing to pay more for something easier to clean or which offers me more functionality.

I plan to go see these in person next weekend (along with a Bluestar - but that's a different topic completely!), and would love to hear opinions before doing so.

Dare I ask if anyone could post pictures of their well-used and well-loved Wolf cooktops and rangetops to see what the surfaces look like once they are loved and cooked on?

Thanks for any comments you might have to help me with my decision!

Judy