Flat Top

Flat top grills first originated amongst the Aztec people of what is known as the areas of Central America and Mexico. This was around the period of 1400 AD, and the first flat top grills were originally made of clay and used to cook round, flat corn dough into a tortilla-like flatbread. Since then, variations of the flat top grill have emerged in cultures throughout the world and can now be found in most commercial food locations from schools and hospitals to luxury restaurants.

As fine dining has become one of our main leisure and socialising activities, flat top grills have become a popular way to add front-of-house cooking to the dining experience. The sleek, stainless steel design is not only heavy-duty to withstand large amounts of use, but it’s contemporary look gives a modern feel that can make it suitable for cooking on display as well as back-of-house in a closed kitchen. Letting diners into the cooking process has become something with a live entertainment value, getting guests excited about their meal choices and lusting to tuck in.

Flat tops differ from their grill or griddle counterparts as they contain circular heating elements as opposed to the straight line elements usually found. Whilst this might not give the char-grilled flavour of a BBQ, the flat tops single surface opens a range of cooking possibilities for chefs and catering staff. Not only can the flat top be used to cook directly upon, rustling up all sorts of eggs, meats, seafood and vegetables through direct contact with the grill itself, but it can also be used to heat pots and pans like a traditional stove top grill.