The electric Austheat Hotplate Griller is the ideal solution for busy fast food outlets where high speed grilling and toasting is required. Ideal as a hamburger or grill station, the Austheat Hotplate/Grill is designed to work either as a stand alone machine or alongside Austheat Deep Fryers in a modular configuration. A 12 mm thick heavy-duty machined steel hotplate cooking surface provides the temperature and heat retention required for efficiently cooking foods such as hamburgers, steak, eggs, bacon and pancakes. Features separate controls for the left side and right side of the hotplate providing flexibility in the use of the cooking surface area and ability to conserve electricity by only heating the cooking surface space required. Each of the two cooking surface sections is controlled by it's own Cook/Idle switch. Each Cook/Idle switch has two thermostats - one to control the temperature when switched to "Cook" and the other to control the temperature when switched to "Idle". This feature allows the chef to quickly turn the temperature of the machine up to "Cook" and down to an "Idle" heat setting in quieter times to conserve electricity. The twin thermostat has the added benefit of providing a backup in the unlikely event of a primary thermostat failure. The toasting compartment below has a dedicated element for perfect one-sided toasting or salamander function. This is unlike many other brands available in the market that use the heat from the hotplate surface for toasting, which can result in uneven toasting. The heat output of the toaster is controlled by an energy regulator. The toaster also has a Cook/Idle setting. The twin energy regulator controls enable one heat setting to "Cook" and another heat setting for "Idle" periods so the chef can quickly switch between high and low settings in busy or quiet periods.