ABSTRACT
Nuts, berries, meats, tubers, insects, and plants were eaten in a totally unadulterated form by early modern humans 40,000 years ago. As foods became more diverse and complex, humans needed new, more elaborate tools for their collection, preparation, and storage. Ranges vary according to their cooktops. There are essentially four types of cooktops on ranges in today’s commercial kitchens: open burners, closed tops, induction, and wok burners. The open burner consists of a simple metal grate over a heat source, which may be either gas or electric, although most cooks prefer gas. In general, open gas burners provide the fastest heat response and may be turned on and off as needed. Conventional ovens operate in the simplest manner possible, by surrounding food items with hot air in a closed area. Convection ovens cook more quickly and uniformly by circulating hot air or steam around the food with blowers.
