Flattop grill Facts for Kids

A flattop grill is a special cooking tool. It looks a bit like a griddle, but it heats up differently. Instead of a straight heating part, it has a round one. This makes the cooking surface super hot and even all over. People have been using flattop grills for hundreds of years in many different cultures.

Cooks at the Northern Lights Dining Room, Seattle, Washington, 1952. A flattop grill being used is located on the right.

History of Flattop Grills
What is a Flattop Grill?
How Flattop Grills are Used
- Cooking in Front of Customers
French Tops
See also

History of Flattop Grills

The first flattop grills appeared in the 1800s. They started in Mexico and Central America. People used them to cook corn dough. These early grills were made of clay.

When the Spanish arrived, they started making these grills from metal. They called them plancha, which means "metal plate." So, when food is cooked a la plancha, it means it's "grilled on a metal plate." For example, filetes a la plancha means "grilled beef fillets."

What is a Flattop Grill?

A flattop grill is a very useful cooking surface. You can use it for many cooking styles. These include sautéing (quick frying), toasting, simmering (gentle boiling), and shallow frying. You can also use it for stir frying, pan frying, and browning foods. It's even good for blackening and grilling. You can also bake, braise, and roast on it. Some people even use it for flambéing (cooking with flames).

You can also place pots and pans right on the cooking surface. This gives you even more ways to cook. Most flattop grills have a steel cooking surface. This surface gets seasoned over time, like cast iron cookware. This creates a natural non-stick surface.

What Can You Cook?

You can cook almost any type of food on a flattop grill. Besides common barbecue foods like hamburgers and hot dogs, you can cook more delicate items. Think about Omelettes, crepes, and paninis. You can also make yakisoba noodles, tacos, and quesadillas. Grilled steak, flatbread, pizza, jerk chicken, crab cakes, and sautéed vegetables are also great. These are just a few examples of the many foods you can make.

How Flattop Grills Work

As the name suggests, a flattop grill is usually a flat piece of steel. Some are slightly curved in the middle. This curve lets extra juices or grease flow to the sides. There, they can be collected and removed.

Many flattop grills use natural gas or propane for power. But there are also electric models. You can find models for cooking indoors or outdoor cooking. Some are built into a kitchen, while others are portable with wheels.

Flattop vs. Open-Flame Grills

Flattop grills are different from open-flame grills. Open-flame grills cook food over a grate with direct fire. With flattop grills, smaller or delicate foods won't fall through. This is a common problem with open-flame grills.

Flattop grills are also more energy efficient. They keep the heat under the steel cooking surface. This means less heat escapes into the air. This design helps them heat up faster. It also uses less fuel to cook your meal.

Another benefit is less smoke. Flattop grills release fewer tiny particles into the air. This is because food and juices don't drop directly onto the burners. This stops flare-ups and reduces smoke.

How Flattop Grills are Used

A flattop grill and fireplace area atop the grill used to heat an above cooking area, at Le Feu restaurant in Lyon, France

Flattop grills are a top choice for seafood restaurants. They offer steady temperatures, flexibility, and a lot of cooking space.

In Cuban cuisine, the famous Cuban sandwich is grilled à la plancha. This sandwich has ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, and pickles. In Chilean cuisine, restaurants grill beef à la plancha. They also have a long history of cooking seafood on flattop grills.

Flattop grills are also similar to some Asian cooking styles. These include teppanyaki and Mongolian barbecue. Flatbreads from around the world are often cooked on flattop grills. This includes Indian flatbreads like dosa and paratha. Middle Eastern pita and African injera are also cooked this way. Even Jamaican bammy is traditionally made on a flattop.

Cooking in Front of Customers

In restaurants, flattop grills are sometimes used for "front-of-house" cooking. This means diners can watch their food being made. They can see, hear, and smell the food cooking right in front of them.

Unlike other cooking tools, a flattop grill can be used by itself. Watching a meal being prepared live has become a fun part of eating out. Many modern restaurants now have open kitchens.

French Tops

Two French tops built into a cooking suite

A French top stove is similar to a flattop grill. However, it is only used with pots and pans. It has a large flame under a metal plate. This plate has rings that can be removed. The temperature of a French top is usually not changed by the cook. Instead, the cook moves their pot or pan to a different part of the hot plate. Moving it to the center makes it hotter, and moving it to the edges makes it cooler for slower cooking.

Flattop grill facts for kids

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