If you don't use it, it won't look used.

Any cast iron will look different if you use it routinely. It develops a patina, and that's just normal. There are a variety of ways to clean off the stuff that accumulates - some people use ammonia in a garbage bag (outside), some folks put them in a sink with hot water and a few dishwasher detergent pods. Most of the gunk will clean off, but it won't ever be pristine as the day you bought it.

(and that's true of any cast iron grate)

Thank you. Our current range has such narrow cast iron grates that it's hard for me to predict just how much discoloration of the cast iron I could expect on the large scale of a BlueStar. We definitely don't need showroom condition, but if for example, there's a large amount of brown and white discoloration of the cast iron that has nothing to do with being dirty but is rather just a permanent discoloration that winds up making the whole thing look pretty rough overall, I'd be a little disappointed that that was in our island. Definitely acceptable for a pro level range like this, but I'm not sure that that's what we're looking for in our island. I'm hoping to hear that the actual discoloration of the cast iron is minimal and overall, the stove looks used but still not super rough after being heavily broken in. :)

Honestly, if this is gonna bother you, I’d pass on it. Get something cheap enough to swap out when it shows normal use.

I mean, you could always order extra grates and have them to put out when company is over.

Miss Lol yes that's very true. Do they get that bad?!

Yankee, I guess it's that I have no idea what it looks like after being broken in. Do they look rough? I've only ever seen a new one. Photos of people's BlueStars that are no longer new could help me see! We're totally good with it looking like a well used cook's kitchen, but really don't want it to look dirty and rough even when clean.

Eve - vinmarks pix seem very helpful and I personally would be okay with this. I hope it helps in your decision and I wish you the best.

@vinmarks - that looks really great! I actually would have no concern at all over the Bluestar cast iron and how it looks with use. I’d have more concern with the stainless steel strip in front - I would have thought that stainless steel strip would get scratched and unsightly, but yours looks like new.

@M Miller there are a few small faint scratches. Nothing unsightly. You have to look at a certain angle to see them. We had the same thing on our Wolf range at our previous house.

This is my 4 year old 30” Platinum which needs to be cleaned. DH stir fryed in the wok on the front left burner tonight and last night he seared 2 steaks. Usually we do the steaks outside on the grill but we had heavy rain and wind. We cook every day and aren't too concerned with keeping it spotless. I'm sure you can see the grease spots and crumbs which will clean up easily. I'll probably take the grates off tomorrow and wash them in the sink with Dawn. I don't think the cast iron has developed unsightly discoloration.

There are some scratches on the stainless front which happened recently. I tried to move a hot, heavy cast iron skillet and could only use one hand - the other hand was sprained and I ended up setting the skillet on the front bib.

We also have a 6month old 30" RNB at our vacation home on an island. I'll post a photo but that one doesn't get the heavy use that this one does.

Having trouble posting photos - I'll try again.

And this is our new RNB.

We also paid extra for an oven door with a swing rather than a drop down door. It makes it so much easier to remove items from the oven. That option wasn’t available on our Platinum

.Sorry for the extra posts - I had trouble posting the photos tonight"

I use my BS a lot. It's a working machine and very good at what it does. We have a brush that hangs on the pot racks and when it gets grody, we just brush everything down into the burner; what doesn't fall down into the slide out trays burns up next time it's lit. I suspect I'm not as picky as many here but it works for me. My husband sometimes wants to put all the grates in the DW and I tell him NO, it's like my old cast iron skillets, they are seasoned. Nothing sticks, just brush it down. (I cook, he cleans).

You might want to decide whether you want a showpiece or a workhorse.

I can't seem to attach pictures, I'll try after I post this.

Worry way more about the major difficulty and expense and safety of island cooking and venting and the required make up air than the appearance if the cooking workhorse. Or just eat out and have a TV set fake kitchen.