I have a Wolf AG range. I like the burners on the AG, and I like having the ability to remove the burner pans for cleaning if/when I want. For smaller cleaning, I'll spot clean using paper towel and Perfect Kitchen (blue bottle) from BB&B. It was recommended at the Wolf showroom in NJ. They don't seem to carry all the "Perfect" cleaning products in all the BB&B's (they make Perfect granite, Perfect Bathroom, etc.) so you might need to look for it. For a more thorough cleaning, I remove the grates and the burner pans and scrub them in the sink. I don't always clean the grates when I clean the pans as they don't always need cleaning. The pans I can clean pretty quickly using a blue scrub sponge, a small squirt of dish soap, and a sprinkle or more of BKF. If the pans are really grimy, or have caked/burnt on crud, I'll spray them with Dawn Power Dissolver and let them sit for awhile before scrubbing (don't let it drip on HW flooring though, it eats through the poly, as does Easy Off, I think). I like that I can scrub the burner pans in the sink and then rinse them off with the spray, rather than trying to rinse/clean off soap and cleansers when they are attached to the range. I dry the pans while they are still "hot" after rinsing using a dishtowel (FYI, I use Ritz Wonder Towels--they absorb a lot of water, continue to dry things even when very damp, and don't leave lint behind). If there are any smudges after you've replaced them on the range, you can buff/wipe them off with a dry microfiber, dishtowel or paper towel if they bug you. I promise you, it sounds more complicated and time-consuming than it really is. Yes, more time than cleaning the old white 4 burner rangetop we had before, but the trade-offs are still well worth it! Also, after you've done it a few times, you get youre "routine" down and it goes pretty quickly. For the record; I am far from "Sally clean" and I certainly don't clean my range every day (or even every week, though some weeks I should!). I'd go with the AG burners again in a heartbeat.

I've never cleaned mine either. Its best to leave the burner ring and parts leading to it alone. Can't even imagine how yours is getting dirty with a pan over it. And I hope your last sentence was a typo. "I would HAVE to get oven cleaner down there!" Hope it was meant to say HATE to get oven cleaner down there. If the top is electronic ignition, so is the oven. Its best not to mess around cleaning under the floor of the oven too. All those parts are calibrated and "cleaning" could clog or mess them up, as you found out by scrubbing with a toothbrush. Sandy

Here's a few suggestions: Is the channel on the larger ring aligned with the ignitor? Have you tried moving the larger rings around to see if it's the ring or the ignitor? I find that my outer rings don't allows fully ignite right away, so by habit now I often turn it a little above medium when lighting the burner.

Have you tried Barkeeper's Friend - that's what I use on my DCS range - it's stainless and it works very well. On mine, there is a very thin ring of dirt buildup around the edge of each burner that's difficult to get off without disassembling the burner - which I'm not prepared to do. Hey, it's a cooking appliance - you can't really expect it to look pristine if you use it properly!