KitchenAid  30'' Gas Ceramic-glass Conventional Cooktop w/ 4 Sealed Burners

Bought an early version of this in 1993 or 94. It was so sleek and the glass was super easy to keep clean. Biggest problem? As others have said, the burners and grates are light grey and so they stain. ANY cooking grease, or even burning impurities in the gas, leave dark smudges. I found using a plastic scrub pad with bar-keepers friend DAILY kept them at bay. But really......why not make the burners and grates BLACK? It would be sooooo simple. The smudges would never show. Come on Kitchen Aid - get on the ball! I can't believe they haven't figured this out in all this time! Otherwise, it's a beautiful stove-top, and the glass is really easy to clean - doesn't show grease streaks like a black glass stove-top does.

We purhased this cooktop and after 1 month of use, returned it. The pluses: looks good; burners work very well. The minuses: the glass surface is too delicate for daily use. After 1 month of use and using special cleaners as directed, the cooktop looked worse than the 20-yr-old enameled Kitchen Aide cooktop that we replaced. The grates are disproportionally bulky desing-wise and overly heavy use-wise. Bottom line, this product is not designed for those who actually cook. Installation: We highly recommend Sears installers--very professional. Installation of this item and its replacement went very well.

it was okay. 

I had to discard a Kitchen Aid cooktop that I could no longer get a part for. I read the reviews on this unit.  I was concerned about the black spots. I called Kitchen Aid customer service and they claimed NO knowledge of that probleml. I purchased this unit from Sears for nearly $1000. The first time I used it the matte gray grates and gray burner caps got black spots, exactly as reported in the two reviews. I'm sure the cooktop will perform well ( as did my previous Kitchen Aid cooktop that I could no longer get parts for)  however, the black spots affect the cosmetic appearance. I feel Kitchen Aid customer service was less than honest with me and  about this apparent problem. I am dissappointed.

Purchased this cooktop about a month ago. The power and simmer burners are extremely useful. I like to wok cook and the power burner is great for that. Love cooking on it. Now the down side. When a little drip or grease splatter or other food gets on the grates or burner tops while cooking it bakes on and the spot turns black. It is nearly impossible to wash off. I have called Kitchen Aid and they are sending some of their cleaner. The customer service rep acted like they had not received other complaints about this but as you can see from one of the other reviews I am not the only one having the problem and it is not from the gas not being adjusted properly. Kitchen Aid acts like they will work to satisfy me but the grates and burner caps are terrible to try and clean. I would not buy this item if I had it to do over.

Excellent quality cook top! Easy installation. Precise control of burner temperatures from simmer to full power. Easy clean glass top. I like the professional look. I have no black stains (other reviewer may need to have burners adjusted). This is a well made, well thought out design at a reasonable price. Cast iron grates allow moving heavy pot from burner to burner with ease. I also like the empty grate in the center that serves as a very convient trivet to cool a pots while cooking.

The burner caps and grates get black stains after cooking. The burner caps get stained and spotted. They can not be put in dishwasher and the manual does not state how to clean. If you like trying to clean a cooktop every time you cook, this is for you. My prior kitchenaid was great.I only got a new one because parts were not available anymore. This unit isn't even a year old and I am truly sorry I bought another kitchenaid.