Place burner pans in a garbage bag (outside) and pour some ammonia in them, close wire bag and leave overnight. Next day, carefully open bag (fumes will be very strong), remove pans, wash with soap and water (use steel wool pad if necessary). Ammonia loosens the burned on grease. To prevent grease from burning on, use Fuller Brush Oven Spray on the pans after washing/drying. This will keep grease from sticking to the pans, makes easier to clean. SPRAY PANS OUTSIDE to prevent kitchen floor from becoming slick as glass. Porcelain pans are easier to clean than stainless steel. It is not necessary to use oven spray every day on the pans, a simple wipe out of the pans will work for a long time.

Guess what worked!!! scratching with a stainless steel buttr knife. I was really desparate and this was the last option I gathered courage to try out. And this way I came to know that the surface of my stove is scratch proof. It took a good couple hours to make it shining back again. 3 more to go...

I've got the gray burner grates. They're terrible to keep clean. If it's just a few dark speckles, scrubbing with baking soda paste will usually get them clean. I'm not always that organized, though, and I've found that there are times when I just have to toss them in the oven when I've got it on self-clean. Don't know if that's really recommended, but they come out sparkling, 'brand new' clean, with no work.

Wow, was not expecting this many responses! Answering some of your questions: This is a full remodel of a small kitchen There isn't much width to work with. I could buy more countertop space by resorting to an undercounter oven and/or a narrower fridge, but would prefer avoiding either I live near Washington DC where you get sweltering summers and sub-freezing winters, and lots of rain, so outdoor grilling not a good option most of the time We rarely use more than 2 burners at a time, and usually only one. I don't mind keeping a portable third burner (either induction or a cheap coil hotplate) in a drawer for the occasional times it's needed Resale is an issue, as I'm not planning on living there for more than 2 years What I'm planning on using are Gaggenau's "Vario" cooktops which are available in 12" wide 2-burner or 24" wide 4-burner configurations, with woks, grills, steamers, and downdraft vents (either conventional or pop-up-and-swivel) available. Here are some examples: Here are the options: - a grill next to 2 burners; 24"w total, which is the most space-efficient configuration. They could easily be replaced with the 24"w 4-burner cooktop shown (available in gas or electric smoothtop). I had the 24"w gas cooktop in a house I used to live in, and found it plenty large - note how the burner grates take up nearly the entire surface, with only a small area in front needed for the small knobs. Many 30"w cooktops use the right-most 6" for the controls, leaving no more room for the actual burners than the 24"w cooktop shown here. Some 24"w cooktops make even more usable room by moving all four knobs to the right, allowing the left front burner to reach the very front of the cooktop. - a grill next to 2 burners, with 6" countertop space between them so pan handles and such wouldn't overlap the grill and for a roomier feel overall. For resale, I could cut out the 6" wide countertop divider between them and drop in a 30"w cooktop with 4 burners - Or, I could devote 36" of countertop space to 4 burners and a grill, as in the top photo (either as shown with a 2 burners/grill/2 burners configuration, or by using a 4-burner cooktop next to a grill). I'd probably go the 24"w cooktop next to the grill, since the cooktops are thin enough to allow a drawer directly beneath them but the grill isn't, so I could drop these into a 36"w cabinet and one of the two top drawers would be functional. - If I opt for just 2 burners and a grill, I could also use a divider grill as shown in the bottom photo to keep the cooktop and grill further apart but needing only 3" of additional countertop space (these are available with or without downdraft exhaust fans). My inclination is to go with the 12"w 2-burner cooktop and 12"w grill set 6" apart in the countertop for roominess now, with the option to cut the countertop divider out and drop in a 30"w cooktop later if needed for resale, and keep a portable induction burner handy for the few times we'd need one. Option B is a 24"w 4-burner cooktop next to a grill, which is 36"w total. How does either of these options strike you? And given the paucity of countertop space, are having 4 burners worth losing 6" to 12" of countertop width?