Brustolina facts for kids

The brustolina is common in kitchens throughout Italy. This grill ("graticola") is used for more than just toasting bread ("tostapane"). On the stove, the brustolina diffuses heat evenly to quickly heat slices of bread, to crisp bread for bruschetta, to crisp slices of polenta, to roast peppers, and more.

A brustolina is a special kind of grill that you can place right over a gas burner on your kitchen stove. It's a handy tool, especially popular in Italy, for cooking many different foods.

What is a Brustolina?

A brustolina looks like a square metal plate with holes in it. This bottom part is called the base. On top of the base, there's a square grid. This grid is where you place your food to cook. It's designed to sit perfectly on a gas stove burner.

How Does a Brustolina Work?

When you turn on the gas burner, the flame heats the metal base of the brustolina. The holes in the base help to spread the heat out evenly. This means that the heat doesn't just stay in one spot. Instead, it moves upward to the grid where your food is.

Food placed on the grid gets cooked in two main ways:

• Convection: This is when hot air moves around the food.
• Radiant heat: This is like the heat you feel from a campfire. The hot metal radiates heat directly to the food.

This combination helps food cook quickly and evenly.

What Can You Cook with a Brustolina?

Brustolinas are very useful in Italian cuisine. They are great for grilling many different items.

• Bruschetta: You can toast slices of bread until they are crispy. Then, you can add toppings like tomatoes and garlic to make delicious bruschetta.
• Polenta: Slices of cooked polenta (a type of cornmeal dish) can be crisped up on the brustolina.
• Vegetables: It's also perfect for roasting vegetables like peppers. The even heat helps them cook nicely.

These cooking tools are not expensive. You can often find them easily in street markets across Italy. They are a simple and effective way to grill food right on your stove.