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sail_away

Gas Cooktop---SS or Black?

sail_away
11 years ago

We're about ready to purchase a new gas cooktop (Jenn-Air---I know it's not popular,but we've investigated other options and determined it's the best for us; if you wonder why, see my post on the Appliances forum.) Anyway, I'm still vacillating on whether to buy SS or black. If the pros and cons are about equal,then maybe I'll just choose black if we go with the dark granite (dark grey or black) and SS if we choose a midtone granite. However, I think either will go with the granite choices we have in mind, so my main concern is upkeep/cleaning.

Black---it is the same surfaced used on smooth top electric ranges. It seems I've read a lot of complaints about how difficult that is to keep clean, especially with burned on spills. I worry about scratching it or otherwise damaging it when scrubbing vigorously to clean it up, or, conversey, not being able to get it totally clean. It seems that scratches on the black would be more obvious than on SS, but correct me if I'm wrong. It also seems that the glass-looking black would show every spec of dust or every crumb.

SS---Again, I worry about burned on spills, stains, and possible scratching. Same concerns as above, since I use my cooktop daily (multiple times) and can be messy when I'm in a hurry. I keep thinking that if I can keep my SS pots and pans looking good, I'll be able to keep up with a SS cooktop. Am I wrong? I've also heard that the burners will darken over time due to the high heat--is that an ugly eyesore?

First and foremost, I want a kitchen that will be functional and that I won't have to slave over to keep presentable. I'm not a clean freak, but I do like to finish up in the evening with a nice, presentable kitchen without having to spend half-an-hour scrubbing hard to keep that way.

What are your preferences, and why? What do you use to maintain/clean your cooktops?

Thanks so much for your help.

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