Transform Your Stove Into A Versatile French Top With One Extra Appliance

Let's face it: While it can be fun, hosting Christmas is not always an easy feat, especially for those of us with a small kitchen. Without the luxury of a six-burner stove with plenty of oven space, chances are, you'll find yourself scrambling for stovetop space on the big day. Even if you're only cooking for you and your immediate family, a conventional cooktop will present a challenge when juggling various sides and sauces. 

In professional kitchens, chefs can skirt around the issue by using a flat top range or a French top burner, which is a flat cooking surface made of cast iron or heavy steel with multiple circular burners that can be adjusted for different heat levels. But as you can already guess, a French top is out of reach for most of us mere mortals. Thankfully, there's one kitchen appliance that can help solve the issue. Placing Baking Steel on the cooktop will create a hot, even surface on which to fit various pots and pans at different temperatures, mimicking the work of a French top. Originally created as an alternative for baking a perfect pizza crust in a conventional oven, a Baking Steel is a flat steel cooking surface that works like a pizza stone but better. Since steel is more conductive than clay, the surface heats up faster, and the heat is also better distributed throughout.

The great thing about a Baking Steel or similar cooking surface is that it can also be safely used on the stovetop, distributing heat evenly and steadily and turning it into an extremely versatile kitchen utensil. It is thicker than a standard baking sheet, and unlike a traditional stovetop griddle with a raised rim, the completely flat surface of the Baking Steel won't limit the quantity of pans that you can fit on it since they can sit flat right to the edge. 

This way, instead of having single burners on which to place only one pot at a time, you have an entire surface with different temperatures with which to work. You can use the hotter side to sear meat, cook pancakes, make omelets, or fry bacon directly on the surface. The medium heat section is ideal for caramelizing onions, roasting peppers, simmering stock, or making cranberry sauce, as the thick surface will provide extra protection and prevent them from scorching. Keep your side dishes like this braised fennel and your turkey gravy warm on the lower heat side. And needless to say, it's brilliant in the oven to bake crusty bread or the best dinner rolls.