A built in griddle is not easy to clean and doesn't help you with any of the tasks you mentioned. A griddle plate/pan is more versatile and way easier to clean.

Both are going to boil water, heat sauces, and wok just fine. It really boils down to which one feels best to you. Think of it like a tool. Some fit your hand better than others, some look better, some cost more, some might even inspire you to do better work, but at the end of the day it's the human input that get's things done.

We just got a GE Monogram gas cooktop installed in our new kitchen. Even the smallest burner is hot enough that we only use it on medium or low. The big burner in the middle is just right for a big wok and the red indicator lights are cool. It seems to be easy enough to clean as it has a single trough.

I do like the more "professional' look of the Wolf ranges though.

When we were rangetop shopping, easy cleaning was high on our list too. That's why we chose open burners. It's all a matter of personal preference though. Do you prefer to bring the sink to the rangetop or the rangetop to the sink? We prefer the latter.

Anyway, we chose a Bluestar followed closely by the open burner Wolf. The only sealed burner rangetops that made the cut for us were the pre-reconfigured DCS and the Monogram. The Monogram's main benefit is that all 6 burners are identical and they all simmer. Between the Monogram and the sealed burner Wolf, I'd have chosen the Monogram vs the Wolf with the different powered burners.

Both rangetops you mention will cook food similarly. The 6-burner GE Monogram has 17K burners vs 15K for Wolf. In day to day cooking I doubt anyone would notice the difference for all practical purposes. The higher Btu/hr rating was probably chosen by the marketing guys :-)

GE advertises their burners do 140 deg simmer... whatever that means. How many Btu/hr is that? Don't know. Conversely, the Wolf's one smaller burner goes down to 325 Btu/hr and the large ones to 950. What temp is that? Don't know... but I'd wager they both simmer just fine.

And both seem priced nearly the same. We paid $3112 for our Wolf here on the West coast and the GE is listed at $3099 on the GE website.

I could have gotten about $900 discount on the GE but we still purchased the Wolf, namely because we liked the way it's configured, the better warranty, the looks and quality construction, the lower-profile, less clunky looking grates... and we already have the Wolf double ovens and Sub-Zero frig so it made sense to stay in the family so to speak. Oh, and don't forget the red knobs!

Like I said, in the end they both cook food. Get whatever one you like better. For us that was Wolf, for you it may be GE, and for others it may be Viking or Blue Star or some other brand.

Thank you all for your help. I stopped at the appliance store on the way home from work tonight. Unfortuntely the salesman was not very knowledgable. I knew several details he did not. I did get prices though and reconfirmed for myself that we want a sealed rangetop without a built-in griddle. Now if I could just decide Wolf vs GE. Sigh....

Looking at the same choice Dc...what did you decide and why?
I think it may come down to price for me. What ever is cheaper when we need to make the purchase. I would truly be happy with either I think. If you check back let me know what you went with :)

dcwesley, I own a Wolf sealed burner with griddle. Love it. In my experience, the griddle is not hard to clean at all, and it's lots of fun for pancakes, grilled cheese sandwiches, whatever. Got the butcher block covers to hide the griddle surface, which naturally becomes unsightly as it's seasoned over time. Simmer on all burners works great. Have nothing negative to say about GE, except I've read postings on this site suggesting the GE is mostly perceived as clunky looking, whereas the Wolf is mostly perceived as attractive (obviously, that's a subjective matter).

Does anyone here have the Wolf rangetop with open burners? Are they easy to clean? Does anyone know of any other rangetops (other than BlueStar) which have open burners?

We have a Wolf RT with open burners and it is the easiest range to clean I have ever had. Few squirts with Windex and the burner pans clean right up. Rarely have to clean the pull-out tray. My experience with sealed burner units (GE gas on glass and Roper stainless) is that you end up with burned-on grease around the burners that only scraping with a razor blade removes. This doesn't seem to be a problem with the deeply dished burner pans of the Wolf.
Viking makes open burner units but they have the very large burner that leaves a big cold spot in the center of a pan.

have the open burner wolf love it - not difficult to clean at all (but i have never had a sealed burner to compare to)

Working regularly on the Wolf open and sealed burner rangetops, I've encountered a variety of cleaning "situations".

First, as ZMMN mentioned, the griddle is unbelievably easy to "clean". The key is not to strip the seasoning off. The seasoning, much like a cast iron skillet, is what makes the surface resilient to sticking and easy to cook on. Simply scrape with a dough cutter (a few bucks from L&T or rest. supply) and steam with a wet paper towel while the griddle is still hot. Maybe 2 times a year I'll strip it down some, but with the stainless cover or optional butcher block insert you really don't need to make it "shiney". Side note, the sealed is a little cleaner because the trip tray is top side and can be taken out to clean. On the other hand, the open burner griddle can get residue in the corners of the drip area.

Next, the Wolf "open" is actually semi-sealed so you won't have much drop down (except with the griddle). I think that makes it easier to clean for food spills.

Conversely, with the single burner cap on the sealed rangetop, I think this unit does better with liquid boil-overs.

Either way, if you'll wipe off the residue and then rinse or quick wash it before cooking on it again you'll be in good shape.

Hi, just stumbled on this, and wanted to add that I have a 6-Burner Gas GE Monogram RangeTop, and the first time I lifted the cap on one of the burners, I discovered that these are made by DCS. I'm very happy with my rangetop.