Have you considered induction? Great control, cool surface, easy to clean. Not to be confused with smooth top radiant heat.

There was just a post on this a couple weeks ago. The OP bought a Dacor range - I am sure they use the same brass burners as GE, and the Dacor one may even be a rebadged GE. The OP was unhappy with the immediate discoloration. Seems like a complete waste. Apparently the manufacturer expects you to use the brass burners for display, and every time you cook, you are supposed to switch out the brass burners for spare black ones. LIFE IS TOO SHORT.

Here is the link: https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5383563/dacor-modernist-brass-burner-covers#n=11

I haven't looked at induction. I'm still a little old school and like gas. I have an old GE black glass cooktop that still works. (probably better than the new ones) I was just hoping for new and shiny since I'm replacing countertops.

The brass is there for performance/function, not aesthetic. Brass burners are less likely to corrode, retain heat better, deliver it more uniformly, are more long-lived, and are generally more desirable than aluminum burners.

The OP in this thread and the Dacor thread both mentioned the Looks of the brass . Neither mentioned superior performance. What you say is probably true, I believe you, but that's not what the OP was looking at.

Do we know whether the burners are real brass burners? Or are they aluminum with a brass coating? If the latter, then Michelle's listed advantages don't apply.

Very true - if GE and Samsung (Dacor) are not using solid brass, then they are approaching this from an "ooh, pretty" marketing perspective rather than a functional one.

Good point Michelle that Dacor now owned by Samsung. I think I'd have to see the brass caps in real life, feel them, to see if they are actual solid brass. With Samsung, you never know.

Same thing with Haier owning GE/Monogram.

Monogram changed a lot in the last decade and a half, where prior the refrigeration was made by a commercial company and the range/rangetops were made by (the original) DCS. Now it is just a different trim level in the standard Haier-GE family.

So many of the brands are going for look over function these days.

Have you considered a Bosch gas cooktop?

I considered it until I read too many meh reviews. Plus I prefer all my appliances to match. I'll also be replacing my double oven and microwave. I just can't seem to pull the trigger on anything just yet. My husband is ready for it to be over!

kkfischer: Did you buy the Monogram? I am presently looking at the dual fuel and it's beautiful but I have same question. Is the main burner actually brass (not the brass rings that you can put on for looks, but actual brass-looking burner where the flames come up)? I too am worried about how this will look after using and how easy it is to clean. Thanks, Ginna

I echo the critique of the brass burners on the Monogram range. They always look dirty and there is no way to clean them. I love the way it cooks, but detracts from the look of the stove.

I did end up with Monogram. The burners are not easy to clean. I really only use 2 burners and have the pretty brass cover in a drawer. I wish stainless wasn't so easy to scratch. And be careful what you clean the stovetop with! Make sure it says it's safe for stainless appliances. There is a protective coat on it that can easily be ruined with the wrong cleaner. All in all, the stovetop has been great.

When it's time, I scrub with Bar Keepers. But it never gets as pretty as when it was new.

I mean this is life.... Cooking, especially with gas, is going to make anything discolored. I have to disagree with hard to clean. Whether they are actual brass or not, I used brasso to clean them and it was easy and they look brand new. Also the ones that have all the brass accesories are the hottest burners. I have a monogram now (which I am obsessed with and love) but before I had a thermador with cast iron caps and even those got discolored & looked rough. I dont know why people dont understand this about gas burners.... If youre going for looks, opt for the $70,000 French La Cornue stove and dont use it or a cheap one that you will have to replace frequently

I used a brass cleaner and it got worse. btw, is your oven fan extremely loud? ( not the convection)

This is my Monogram burner after 3 months.

@kkfischer
Do you feel it scratches more easily than other cooktops you’ve had? Is the coating over the stainless? Does circular scrubbing, for example, leave circular marks? I am debating between this and a few others. Do you like it for cooking performance? Do the grates stay put? I’m so disappointed in the quality of so many things, even when you pay a lot. We have a 50 year old cooktop that’s chugging along and the stainless cleans up nicely. They don’t make them like that anymore. Thanks!

Have my Monogram gas stove and oven for a little over a year. We’ve already had to replace the igniters in the oven, plus waited for two months to get them. When i asked the repair man why the igniters went so quickly he told me that it all depends on how much you cook! 🙄

The brass on the jets is a selling tool. The moment you cook on them they oxidize immediately. I’ve since learned that when brass heats up it changes its composition and color. Now they always look dirty. Don’t believe the video that shows you how to clean them.

i have a ceramic stove top so cleaning that part is okay.

BTW…we also got the dishwasher. The bottom and top grates collapse once in a while and the door hinges make grinding noises. can’t use WD40 without dismantling the door. I too am tired of poor quality, especially at this price point.

I use a damp microfiber cloth and wipe the front (where the knobs are) almost every evening after cooking. I try to wipe the stove top once a wk. Most of the time, just damp cloth works. Use stainless cleaner when it doesn’t. It is not hard to clean if you do it often. Just be careful putting the grates back.

Now when your Monogram/GE microwave latch breaks (it will) and your door won’t open, there’s a great YouTube video showing you how to fix it. I actually used a #4 machine screw instead of ordering new parts, and works great!

For those with the Monogram stove with brass inserts, if you contact GE through their warranty portal and provide all of the required info, they might send you new brass pieces.

I have the monogram 6 burner and they sent me all new brass caps Pretty awesome of them but agreed at this price point, maybe they should have rethought it. The metal grates get pretty unsightly due to oil spatter and hard to clean, the aluminum inserts are hard to clean and keep shiny and the ceramic liner gets really hot and bakes on grime.

All in all, its a great stove, just hard to clean

I have the same stove. There is no point in replacing the brass inserts since they turn color the minute they heat up and never go back to the way they were. That is because the heat changes the composition of the metal.

It sounds like there are quite a few disappointed monogram owners because of the difficulty keeping the brass clean. Is there anyone that loves their new oven??. I just ordered one, was so excited, but seeing this thread makes me nervous!

Just ordered the 30“ yesterday. If the biggest complaint is the brass discoloring with use, then awesome. Sounds like a fantastic range.

My monogram professional range top was installed 4 days ago. One of the selling features for me was the brass as it is used throughout my kitchen. These cannot be brass because look at discoloration (removal of the brass color) has already occurred after using 2-3 times max per burner! One of the small discs got something on it so I cleaned it with a non scratch sponge and dawn and when it reheated again it is solid silver! The outer ring is already splotchy and hasn’t been cleaned. I am not impressed

That is very odd i know when i clean mine with vinegar there is a discoloration until it fully heats up and cycles through a few rounds but never looked like that. It almost looks like this is painted or anodized aluminum to look like brass. I would reach out to Monogram customer service or where you purchased this from.

Sorry to hear that. So disappointing.

I hope you will reach out to customer service..that really shouldn’t happen. I just received mine…not hooked up yet…but will be closely reading the care section of the manual after all these complaints. Hope it’s not so high maintenance:(

That is very odd. I’d reach out for sure. Maybe the middle little plates are just plated. Amazed it can be scrubbed off so easily. Glad the issues are aesthetic so far. Mine is getting installed in June. Can’t wait.

Have a call in with my appliance dealer. I am assuming these are just plated which I don’t remember ever being told that. Seriously why sell the aesthetic appeal if it doesnt last a week? Nobody wants a relatively expensive range top that looks worn out in a few days time. I would rather have all stainless than this plated stuff (I would rather it be solid brass actually)

I swear I was told they were solid brass! Please report back with what they say. Hope they help you fix the issue quickly.

Have you had any luck with monogram customer service? i just used my range for the first time last night…simply to boil a pot of water. this is what it looks like today. so disappointed.

i’ve had my Monogram gas stove for about 1 1/2 years. Same thing happened to me. Written about this issue on this site before. the oven can be erratic. Sometimes it takes longer to heat up than others. Already had to replace parts that feed gas to the oven. The repair man said he had seen it before. ”It depends on how often you use your stove.” 🙄 Dishwasher is not great either.

Anyone know if the brass pieces can be removed/replaced with something else? Don't like the brass look, and wondering if the black covers fit all the burners?

Which model range top are you looking at?

Looking at the ZGU486NDTSS. 48in rangetop

I know you could swap the smaller middle caps with black. Or you can on mine but I don't have the same one. I don't know about the larger rings though. I would just call and ask. Or go to an appliance showroom.

Anyone have any luck getting GE to replace discolored burner rings? I know it will just happen again but I’m so disappointed in the discoloration. We’ve only been using it a little over a month. I tried Brasso this morning because I watched a youtube video where the GE guy said you could use that. So mad, that burner looks terrible now. Like the finish has been taken off and there’s a dull silver color underneath. This is terribly disappointing for the money I spent on this!!!

Yes. The larger caps have a black ring to replace the brass. You can buy them or it should have came with the stove if purchased new.

PN WB29X39647

This is for a ZGU366NT1SS

Heat is always, always going to discolor the rings. This should not be a warranty item - buyers need to understand what happens when you heat brass. It oxidizes. That's what brass does.

If it bothers you, get a can of Brasso and plan to polish your burner rings for show.

Completely agree Michele.

I receieved my Monogram 30” a month ago and it’s been nothing but incredible. Didn’t realize how much I’d enjoy the ability to change the LED lights too. It looks so good. Nothing but positive things from me. It truly is a top of the line appliance.

My burners discolored almost immediately. Always looks dirty now. If the company knows it’s going to oxidize, then they shouldn’t use the shiny brass as a selling point.

Can’t seem to get a good simmer going, (either too slow or too fast), oven is not always accurate. My husband and I love to cook, and i also bake. This Monogram range is such a disappointment. I’ve had much less expensive stoves with no problems!

Forgot to mention that the knobs move so easily, that if you brush by them you may change the oven temp by accident!🙄

Michelle, I did use Brasso. See above photo for what happened. I used ketchup to clean the other “brass” burner and it looks better. It didn’t clean it completely but it didn’t take the finish off like the Brasso appeared to do. These can’t be real brass IMO.

The “brass” on ours came off in chunks when we cleaned with Brasso as GE recommended, and left indented black chips. There is no way these are solid brass. Customer service responded that black chips are considered patina, and if I don’t like them I can purchase a set of black ones.

I’ve used Barkeepers friend without any issues. Those black marks would probably be removed with it.

Almost a year with my all gas 30” range and I love it more every day. The oven may be the best oven I’ve ever used. I’m baking pizzas on a steel in it in 3 and a half minutes. Using a Combustion Inc. Predictive thermometer I can see how crazy evenly it heats too. Stove top is wonderful too, just wish it had another 21k btu burner with the triple ring. So even and hot. My copper pots sing on it.

The LED is more fun than you’d think too!