Black would be my preference over stainless steel, though neither would be my choice. Stainless steel shows every mark and fingerprint, black does too but not as much I would think.

I did the fashion thing back in the 70's when I was young, with the green stove and fridge. When I got a dishwasher it was white and certainly didn't match. My fridge went and I had to get a new stove and fridge and lost the best stove I ever had. I made up my mind then to stick with white. It may not be the height of fashion but it is always in style and always in a replacable color unlike everything else that comes and goes.

Buying new appliances is expensive enough when you buy one, but to change them all is really expensive

I have no idea how hard it is to keep stainless clean, but I have experience with a black stovetop. It needs cleaning daily, and I'm not a particularly messy cook. Even a drop of water shows. Trying to figure out where the burners are when the burner is off is almost impossible. Black is the color of mourning, and I'm mourning the fact that the previous owners of the house didn't go for white appliances!

I have the black top. It's 12 years old and has a couple of scratches/scuffs but in really great shape for it's age. I would avoid stainless like the plague. My dishwasher is the brushed stainless and it's terrible to clean and keep clean. My husband wanted to go all stainless but after the dishwasher I refuse (unless he wants to keep it clean!).

I had stainless in my last house, and couldnt wait to replace it. We sold that house this summer and bought another, and this one has the black stove top and hood. I have never had black before, and wont have this one very long either. It is horrible to clean. Also the knobs are on the side, and with the black top, you have to lean way over to see which settings you want to use. I hate it. I love white appliances, easy to clean, and always look good.

I've had a stainless cooktop for about 4 years. No problem keeping it clean. I would go for that over black.