Oh yes! the ‘burning’ often alluded to is a rare occurrence and mostly to do with raw poultry manure. Any heap that is growing weeds, which is most ones I see, is good for vegetables.
Compost or manure which has been in a heap for around six months or more is fine to use for sowing and planting. The issue is more a physical one, whether its consistency is fine enough to sow seeds. Spreading on the surface before winter helps to achieve this, through breakdown of lumps by the weather. When you want an "instant" sowing medium, you can still use quite lumpy material at the bottom of a new bed for example, but need the top inch to be reasonably fine, especially for sowing direct. On the other hand you can set plants into a more lumpy surface.
Enjoy the adventure.