Bluestar's French Top

tommmy2007

16 years ago

I do not need 5 large burners and 1 simmer on a 36 inch range. I do not cook at that high level intensity as to need 6 burners running. Besides I am afraid something like they might attract Gordon Ramsey to my home thinking itÂs a poorly run restaurant. I couldnÂt stand him yelling at me for a full week of filming. So now I am looking at the RNB48-4FTB the French top model. I think I would like the french top but have never even seen one. Anyone have any experience/thought on the french top.

Here is a link that might be useful: French Top

Featured Answer

cpovey

16 years ago

As a pro cook, trained in the use of French Tops (FT), I can tell you that IMHO they are a bad idea for home kitchens, and even most pro kitchens today.

They are designed for one thing-holding small quantities of multiple sauces at a safe temperature during service hours. A French restaurant may need a small amount of a dozen sauces for a meal service. That would take a dozen burners, thus a lot of space. A FT can handle that many in the same area as four burners.

But many French restaurants are getting away from them, as they REALLY heat up a kitchen, take like 30 minutes to heat up, and consume a lot of energy-they are replacing them with thermos bottles. Thermos bottles are inexpensive, don't heat up the kitchen, and the sauces don't thicken with time, due to evaporation.

Most FT's don't get that hot, as evidenced by it's single 18,000 BTU burner, which has to heat the area that would normally have four 18,000 BTU burners.

My advice is to get get a range with regular burners on it, and if you want to hold multiple sauces on it, get a full-size, 4" deep hotel pan, put it across two burners, to form a hot water holding bath. Works just like a FT, but frees up two multi-purpose burners. You could also put the pan on a griddle or grill if you wanted.

Good luck.

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Comments (7)

Joe Blowe
16 years ago
Search this board for mentions of 'french top', and you'll quickly find out they're not held in much esteem for the home kitchen...
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guadalupe
16 years ago
MarcusSamuellson the Bluestarchef says he lves the French top and that the Bluestar Frenchtop heats in less than 10 minutes. I have used one before and sort of liked it, now I use my griddle as a burner and simmer surface.
cpovey
16 years ago
guadalupe,

Your exactly right-a griddle can double as a French Top, with or without a water pan, whereas a FT cannot replace a griddle. A FT is a one-trick pony, whereas a griddle can do multiple jobs.
tommmy2007
Original Author
16 years ago
I think you have talked me out of it real easy and thanks for your replies . I got to thinking one of the thing that would happen pretty quick would be having a spatual or something sitting on it while on or still hot and me picking it up.I just burned my hand semibad for the second time this year with a metal pan over a wood fire in a pit ( I blacken fish outdoors). Not to mention my wife doing the same and she doesnt like the stove near as much as me. It would also save me a lot of money by sticking with 6 burners and throwing a griddle on it for a warming area.
mwest0351_gmail_com
16 years ago
Is it true that you can remove the rings on a FT and us it as an efficient wok surface?
cpovey
16 years ago
Is it true that you can remove the rings on a FT and us it as an efficient wok surface?

Yes and no.

Yes, you can remove the rings.
No, it is not a great wok surface. I the case of the Bluestar, it has one 18,000 BTU burner for the entire surface (the size of 4 regular burners). You will get much better wok cooking by using one of their 22,000 BTU burners. Others are similar to the Bluestar.