Flat top vs open burner

[stphntrjllo]

French tops all the way

[stephenblake]

here is a a cool range i saw in a window front in austria in 08. it is pretty small compared to the size of our oven/ranges
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25632499@N07/4048371734/

also here is on in my buddies farm house. he lives in white cross nc and uses it as the only heater for the winter.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25632499@N07/4229810423/

[longhorn]

One kitchen I worked in had the coolest flat top stove. It was electric and built kind of in the premise of a french top, but instead of the usual burner in the center/hottest in the middle colder on sides effect it was warmed from the corners. Also one could control which corner were on and how high they were each turned up to. During service it was fantastic, but during prep it was just phenomenal.

Unfortunately it had a crack in one part of it, so it couldn't be used as a plancha nor could one spill anything on it. On the occasion that someones pot boiled over or something everything would stop and look over, as if expecting the whole thing is just explode....fun times

[jcsiii]

Burners are best for large stock pots or blanching. French tops for more controlled cooking and sauce work. I absolutist love cooking on a plancha though. The large surface area and consistent heat are so much better than the hot spot cooking you can get with pans.

[WiscoNole]

They're great for restaurant cooking because of the ability to fit significantly more pans on the same space as burners.

[ChuckTheButcher]

Flat top. No question.

[brainsausage]

Flat tops are the worst way to bring a pot to boil, or find a perfect simmer, and have a hard time recuperating from a sudden glut of product. They're great for quick pick ups during service though, and for making giant batches of steak sandwiches!!!

[aser]

French tops are great, I work with two right now. The only minus is how gross I feel after a hot night's of service. Exacerbated by the salamander sitting right above two french tops. It's a sauna....

Would like to work in a kitchen kitted out w/ induction only one day.

[quantumcloud509]

AKA- French top.
It provides gradient heat. The whole thing heats up and is hot at the burner, then progressively cooler as you move away from it. It's ideal for finding the prefect simmer point and cooking at low heat.

Agreed

French tops are great, I work with two right now. The only minus is how gross I feel after a hot night's of service. Exacerbated by the salamander sitting right above two french tops. It's a sauna....

Would like to work in a kitchen kitted out w/ induction only one day.

Accept the grossness, love it, nurture it like its your child. Be one with the sweat. Youre lucky that all your station entails lol. Ive got that, a flat top, and a grill AND a broken swamp cooler for the past week to boot. Coldest part of the kitchen - 95 degrees fahrenheit.

[Geo87]

Not too sure on the terminology as we may call them different things.
However, a flat top or flat grill for us is usually exactly as it sounds but product is cooked directly on it.
Better yet is a "target top". 4 heated plates with a circle in the middle.. like a target. This is where pans are placed at certain spots to achieve different temps. Although I have heard people mentioning cooking directly on them. I've also heard claims of "tuning them like a piano"

The number 1 benefit of cooking on a target top or a flat top is... No flames! Without flames licking up the sides of your pans during service it's just less messy.
Better yet is induction cook tops ... They are brilliant for very precise prep work needing exact temps especialy sugar work