The problem is with the heat. The brass changes it's internal crystalline structure. I am not at all sure you can polish this problem away. Maybe at first, before the brass has been thoroughly affected, but in time it will be. Sorry :-(

Thanks, Rita. I guess I had just hoped that the "brass" was not just "brass", but rather some sort of protected finish. When Dacor promotes a product with a certain look, with no real mention that you will only retain that appearance without actually using the appliance... it feels deceiving.

...and they include two sets of burner covers to choose from. Black or brass. Doesn't make sense to me...

Burner covers for decorative value only? I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life! It's a cooktop. Next time get induction.

It's good of you to warn everyone, though. I'm sorry you were let down. Decor is not inexpensive.

Rita- I know!! I did consider induction, but after scrubbing our white glass electric cooktop 3x a day, I just couldn't! Plus, hubs is a die hard gas fan...

cinderella75- working on the backsplash now... will post a pic after. With our "show burners" ;) I will say that we got the graphite thinking that it would be easier to keep clean than the stainless, but... not proving to be the case... it does look sharp, though...

Just to be clear there is no scrubbing on induction. The glass top does not get hot, aside from the residual heat directly under the pot, so splatters do not bake on. Plus induction is as or more responsive than gas. But I totally get the appeal of a nice flame!

As for the Dacor, I am sure you are going to enjoy using it, despite the aesthetics.

I'm curious now if the Viking's brass burners on the 7 series range would discolor like it did on the Dacor brass burners.

Of course the brass rings on the Viking would discolor. Just like the brass rings on my Lacanche have darkened. My Lacanche brass did not discolor after the first use, but it did after a while. If you find a way to make brass that does not discolor from heat, you will be up for a materials science prize, post haste!

Still waiting on our backsplash, and not a great photo... but hopefully this will give you the idea. The black rings are in place because the brass rings will probably only be there when we show the house to sell, or have a party with no cooking involved :( Honestly, I would not choose this cooktop again. The graphite is just as bad if not worse than stainless to keep clean (everything makes spots, you have to wipe with a bit of oil to get it to look ok, but never as good as new...) We previously had a Capital Culinarian range top and I could boil water in no time... This claims a high btu burner, but it doesn't compare to the performance of the Capital. I'll go back to open burners in our next house, for sure...

Go with 36" or larger if possible... it's difficult to configure more than 1 decent sized pot or pan at a time for cooking on the 30". If you don't do a lot of cooking, and are concerned mainly with the flush look- that part is a redeeming factor. I had no issues with installation. The cutout was cut on site. The cooktop actually does have a very small lip that sits over the cutout, so it's not technically fully flush/inset. I hope this helps...

Wolf and Gaggenau make flush gas cooktops. No need to settle for Dacor. Brass does discolor with heat.

I am so glad to see this post. I was planning to use the brass burner tops for show only just because I didn't want them to discolor at all. We hadn't yet hooked up stove; had brass burner tops on and splatter from our electric griddle got on the caps and I haven't been successful getting it off just yet. I'll try the brass cleaner and if not contact Dacor to see if they'll send new. They are very sensitive to any heat it seems! but good to know this information! Dacor Heritage Gas 30"

I would like to add that Dacor's website shows their Heritage range with the brass covers with the flame on in their descriptive photos so they are advertising that you would use these not just as decoration.

https://www.dacor.com/products/collections/heritage/ranges/heritage-30-gas-pro-range

The brass burners are easy to clean and restore the color. Just pop them off, soak in distilled vinegar overnight and they good to go.

I have the same issue. I had no idea they were for show only. Totally useless. So I used them and they look terrible after only 1 use. I was looking online because I figured I was using the wrong pan or something.

Thank you for this post. We chose the Dacor Modernist collection for the brass feature also and were not told, nor did it say anywhere not to cook with the brass burners. Have only used it a few times and they look awful!!! Will try the vinegar, but seriously why sell a cooktop with burners that are for looks only??? The graphite is stunning, but also hard to keep clean. I find myself wiping it down constantly, it shows everything! Truly beautiful appliances, but wondering if they made several of the features for aesthetics and not function.

I so agree!! Just came to look online if I could buy a set of them since the exact same thing happened to me

I LOVE my Dacor range -it's my second time buying..(I have also owned Wolf & Viking) The latest range top is so much easier to clean than the prior one, and it works great -but I too am bummed the brass plates turned color almost immediately. I added "brass" accents to my kitchen to go with my brass plates. I'll try some of the suggestions....but disappointed that pretty color is probably gone for good.:(

We also are extremely DISAPPOINTED with the Dacor gold caps. They turned grey after once use. Totally useless and they look terrible. Dacor very misleading product. Like buying a black car and it turning red when you drive it off the lot. I have put forward a complaint to Dacor. What a terrible brand. I am telling anyone in the market to stay away from Dacor.

Blair, Sorry that you didn't see prior post before purchasing. Knowledge is power...Though I am really bummed the way the gold burner caps looked after just one use...I do really like my range. Due to the pandemic...I have used it more than any other range I've had...it performs really well and CLEANS so easily!!

SAME!!!! So Mad! Wish I would have seen this before turning it on "1 time". Also all 3 of my cooktop grate are cracked. Serious integrity issues with the unit and the Dacor cust. service

So I have the Dacor modernist 36” inch cooktop in Graphite. my first disappointment was not the being able to use the brass burner caps. Second the black caps does not go well and its still a discolored brass under. totally just nice at showroom. The biggest disappointment… the surface discolored!!! 2x! i thought it was a defect and they switched but it happened again!!!!!! waiting to see how they will remedy this issue. maybe switch to stainless steel? did this happen to anyone else?

And i only started using it the 1st week of April

Rosa, Mine is doing the same thing!! did they give you any problems replacing it?

I was in the appliance store with a friend and mentioned the issue. His reply...they are for show only...cook only with the black burner caps. :(

Has anyone experienced this problem with the Dacor modernist cooktop? The surface layer of the grates start to chip and peel off after a few months of use. They fall down into the stainless base and scratch the surface when you wipe out the cooktop. Had the grates replaced, but expect the problem to continue.

The brass burners and black porcelain caps can be effectively cleaned/restored using Bar Keepers Friend powdered cleanser. Patience and elbow grease are required as well.

I thought I had ruined my brass burner covers But I took your advice and used powdered Bar Keepers Friend and they look brand new. THANKS!!