Gas Cooktops

Q: What's the difference between a gas cooktop and a gas hob?

None, really. Cooktop and hob describe the same open-burner appliance, with hob being the more British term and cooktop the more common one in Australian commercial kitchens. Both refer to the burner surface itself, as distinct from any oven below it.

Commercial gas cooktops for Australian restaurants, cafés, takeaways and high-volume venues — open-burner cooking tops that put live flame and instant heat control across two to eight burners, in benchtop and freestanding floor-standing builds. Often called a gas hob or commercial cooktop, this range is the workhorse at the centre of most hot lines. It sits alongside our wider commercial cooking equipment hub, and pairs naturally with a matching oven range underneath for a full cook-and-bake station.

Who commercial gas cooktops are for

If your menu lives on the burner — sauces on the simmer, pans seared to order, stockpots ticking over all service — a gas cooktop is the piece you build the line around. Cafés and small bistros tend to run a compact two- or four-burner benchtop unit beside the griddle; restaurants and pub kitchens step up to six- or eight-burner freestanding ranges that hold a full mise-en-place through a dinner rush. Caterers, food trucks and function venues lean on gas because the flame responds the instant a chef turns the dial, and because LPG keeps them cooking where there's no mains gas connection. Across all of them the appeal is the same: real, visible heat that a cook can read at a glance.

What's in scope

Two and four-burner benchtop cooktops

Compact open-burner tops that drop onto a bench or stand in a tight footprint — the fit for cafés, kiosks, food trucks and prep stations that need a couple of live rings without surrendering the whole kitchen to a floor range. The two-burner is the classic add-on burner; the four-burner is the everyday café cooktop.

Six and eight-burner freestanding ranges

Floor-standing units on legs or a base stand, built for venues running multiple pans at once through a sustained service. More burners means more stations a chef can hold simultaneously, so high-turnover restaurants, hotels and clubs size up here.

Cooktops on leg stands and target-top models

Many freestanding cooktops ship on an open leg stand, leaving room for a mobile bain-marie or a refrigerated drawer underneath. Target-top (solid-top) variants swap individual rings for a single heated plate that radiates a temperature gradient — hottest in the centre, cooler at the edge — so a cook can hold several pots at different heats across one surface.

Combination and specialty burners

The range also takes in cooktops paired with an oven below, and high-output configurations suited to wok work or stockpot duty. For an induction alternative that skips the flame entirely, see our induction cooking range.

How to choose a gas cooktop in three steps

Picking the right unit comes down to three decisions, taken in order.

Step 1 — Count the burners you need at peak

Work out how many pans you genuinely run at once during your busiest window, not across the whole day. A café breakfast line is comfortable on four burners; a dinner restaurant juggling sauces, proteins and a stockpot usually wants six or eight. Buy for the rush — under-burnering the line is the mistake that slows a kitchen down most.

Step 2 — Pick benchtop or freestanding

Measure the space and decide whether the cooktop sits on existing bench or stands on the floor. Benchtop units suit smaller kitchens and let you keep storage below; freestanding ranges give you more burners and often an oven or open stand beneath, but they claim floor space and a fixed position on the line.

Step 3 — Confirm your gas type and ventilation

Check whether your site runs natural gas or LPG and order the unit configured to match — it's set at manufacture, so this matters before you buy, not after. Then confirm the cooktop sits under compliant commercial exhaust ventilation and that installation is booked with a licensed gasfitter, as Australian gas work must be. Allow the clearances on the spec sheet.

For the wider picture on flame versus coil, our buyer's guide to commercial induction cooktops is a useful read when you're weighing gas against an electric alternative for your venue.

Popular picks: two proven starting points are the Cobra C6D 600mm four-burner gas cooktop for a café or bistro line, and the Waldorf 800 Series 600mm gas cooktop on a leg stand where you want a heavier-duty freestanding unit with storage underneath.

Frequently asked questions

What is a commercial gas cooktop?

A commercial gas cooktop is an open-burner cooking surface that runs on natural gas or LPG, designed for the heat output and continuous use of a professional kitchen. It's the same appliance many cooks call a gas hob — a set of burners under cast-iron trivets, built into a benchtop or freestanding unit, used for everything cooked in a pan or pot rather than baked.

How many burners do I need for a commercial kitchen?

Match the burner count to the number of pans you run simultaneously at your busiest service. Most cafés manage on a four-burner cooktop; restaurants, pubs and clubs handling a full dinner service typically want six or eight burners so the line can hold sauces, proteins and a stockpot at the same time. It's better to have a spare burner than to bottleneck the pass.

What's the difference between a gas cooktop and a gas hob?

None, really — "cooktop" and "hob" describe the same open-burner appliance, with "hob" being the more British term and "cooktop" the more common one in Australian commercial kitchens. Both refer to the burner surface itself, as distinct from any oven below it. A combination unit pairs a cooktop on top with an oven underneath.

Should I choose natural gas or LPG?

It depends on your site's gas supply. Connect to natural gas where a mains line is available; choose LPG (bottled gas) for sites without mains gas, including many food trucks, mobile setups and rural venues. Cooktops are configured for one gas type at the factory, so confirm your supply before ordering — converting later means a gasfitter swaps the injectors.

Can a gas cooktop be plugged in and used straight away?

No. Commercial gas equipment must be connected by a licensed gasfitter and run under compliant commercial exhaust ventilation — it isn't a plug-in appliance. Factor installation and the ventilation hood into your fit-out budget, and book the gasfitter before delivery so the unit can be commissioned and leak-tested on arrival.

What is a target-top (solid-top) cooktop?

A target top, or solid top, replaces individual burners with a single heated cast-iron plate that's hottest in the centre and cooler towards the edges. That gradient lets a chef hold several pots at different temperatures across one surface at once — useful in high-volume kitchens working multiple sauces and stocks — though it's slower to respond than open burners.

Do you deliver commercial gas cooktops across Australia?

Yes. Commercial Kitchen Store ships nationwide, and our Australian-based team is on 1300 111 901 if you'd like help sizing a cooktop to your line or matching it with an oven base. For cover details, see our warranty and service information.