I have a Kitchenaid range with a white glass top. I have been religious about cleaning it after every use with either one of the cleaners made for it or using a razor blade and liquid Soft Scrub or, for stubborn stains, Barkeeper's Friend. In spite of this, in less than 2 years, both of the burners that I use the most have developed a slight brownish discoloration that will not come off. I have seen in previous posts that others have had this problem but have not been able to see where anyone has a solution. Is this something I just have to live with? This stove was expensive and I hate for it to look dirty when it isn't. I'm wishing now that I had just gotten one with a black top.

We have a Wolf range with the black burner pans. If I'm just spraying and wiping the tops (e.g if they're "dusty" from not seeing much use because we've been grilling a lot or bringing food in, or just lightly "schmutzy"), I use Perfect Kitchen (blue bottle, from BB&B) which was recommended by someone at the Wolf/SZ showroom. It is the only thing I've found so far that can clean without leaving streaks and smears. I find I get better results using it with a paper towels, though sometimes I'll use a microfiber if it's a clean one, and bone dry. For a more thorough or more necessary full cleaning, I remove my pans and wash them in the sink. If your top isn't removable, you can wash it in place, it's just more of a pain to rinse/remove residue. I usually squirt a little dishsoap on a blue scrub sponge (Palmolive is what we use) and sprinkle some Barkeeper's Friend (BKF) on the pans or on the sponge. Don't use the green scrubbies unless they were recommended by your stove manufacturer as those might scratch the enamel/porcelain. For stubborn areas and burnt or baked in grease spots (or if I've gone way too long between cleanings!), I spray the pans with Dawn Power Dissolver Gel, and let them sit for 15 minutes or so, and then scrub/rinse. I dry the pans with a dishtowel (Ritz-flemish Wonder towels are great and still dry things even when pretty damp) and I'm good to go 'til the next time!

Here is what I do when something burns on the cooktop. This might sound like a Cerama Bryte commercial, but I find this stuff really works. I put a little Cerama Bryte cleaner on the spill first and let it sit; this usually softens things up a bit. Next, I use the Cerama Bryte scraper (which is just a razor blade in a plastic holder ... you could just buy a cheap razor blade holder instead) to scrape off what has burnt on. Finally I use the yellow scrubpad to scrub any remaining residue off. I've always worried about etching the cooktop with burnt sugar, but I have boiled over sugary stuff that has burnt on and I've been able to get it off without a problem. The razor blade with cleaner seems to do the trick.

Clare, here is the recipe I use to make a crisp. My son makes this recipe as well and all his neighbours in BC love it & him. He keeps the neighbourhood well supplied. Rhubarb Crisp Base & top: 2 cups flour 1 ½ cups oatmeal 1 ½ cups brown sugar 1 cup butter, melted 2 tsp cinnamon Filling: 2 cups sugar 6 tbsp corn starch 2 cups water 2 tsp vanilla Cook filling until thick & clear. Turn off stove & add 8 cups chopped rhubarb. Coat rhubarb until all covered with sauce. Press ¾ of crumb mixture into 9x13 pan as a base, spoon filling in evenly, then cover with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.