How To Choose A Grill Pan: Criteria + Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

How to choose the right grill pan for your kitchen

Many of us love to cook. And every hostess is interested in culinary novelties. This applies not only to recipes and products, but also to devices that help us realize our cooking skills. We invite you to talk today about the grill pan and the criteria for choosing it.

Content

• 1 What a wonderful frying pan and what is it for

• 2 Criteria for choosing a grill pan

  • 2.1 Frying pan material
  • 2.2 Inner surface
  • 2.3 Size
  • 2.4 Handle material
  • 2.5 Form

  • 2.6 Manufacturers and pricing policy

    2.6.1 Photo Gallery: Different Models of Grill Pans

• 3 How to choose a grill pan for your stove
• 4 Video: what to look for when choosing a frying pan
• 5 Reviews of grill pans

What a wonderful frying pan and what is it for

Grill pans are becoming more and more popular. Try to find a hostess who will refuse such a gift, especially if she is a big fan of experimenting with food.

A distinctive feature of these pans is the embossed bottom, the surface of which imitates the grill grate. Actually, that's where the name comes from. Thanks to this corrugation, strips of crispy crust, adored by all lovers of barbecue and kebabs, remain on meat, fish, vegetables and other prepared dishes. And the rest of the surface of the product remains soft, not overcooked.

The embossed bottom of the pan gives the dish an attractive appearance

A grill pan at home will be an excellent alternative for those who love country trips to barbecues and barbecues, but rarely have such an opportunity.

The bottom relief of the grill pan consists of grooves and convex stripes. The protruding ribs distribute the heat evenly, so you can fry food without using oil or fat

The juice released during the heat treatment of meat, fish or vegetables flows down and falls into the grooves. This creates a sufficient layer of liquid so that the juice is retained without giving off smoke from frying. That is, the juice evaporates in the groove and not under the meat, so that the dish retains its usefulness. Your steaks and vegetables will soak up the lovely smoky flavor and, as a bonus, get a beautiful stripe pattern on the surface.

Thanks to the surface of the grill pan, the food retains its special juiciness

Note that the grill pan is quite heavy. Perhaps this is its only drawback. But optimists will find their advantages: you can pump up muscles if you cook often.

Do not forget that cooking in such a pan is different from usual. Consider certain points:

1. If you are using oil for frying in a grill pan, use the minimum amount. It is enough to grease the edges of the frying pan or the food you are going to cook with a brush.
2. Only put food in the skillet after it has warmed up well. Otherwise, the pieces will stick to the surface and be difficult to separate.
3. It is very important to choose the correct thickness of the pieces to be placed on the grill. For example, the thickness of meat or fish should be at least 1.5 cm and no more than 2 cm.

Now let's proceed directly to the choice of a wonderful frying pan.

Criteria for choosing a grill pan

As you know, you cannot even choose matches at random. And if we are talking about the dishes on which you will cook food for family and friends, then you need to choose very carefully, not missing even the smallest details. There are many selection criteria, and we will describe each so that you can choose the thing that is right for you.

Pan material

It depends on the material how long the pan will last and how convenient it will be to use it. On sale are products made of cast iron, aluminum and ceramics. Let's consider their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Cast iron pans - are durable, durable. Cast iron is excellent for grilling due to its structure and properties: it heats up evenly and quickly, and cools down slowly. True, such a frying pan weighs a lot; in addition, a noticeable smell of metal emanates from its surface.

   

   Cast-iron pan

2. The aluminum pan is lightweight and has a non-stick coating. Aluminum has a high thermal conductivity, so the pan heats up much faster. But there is a drawback: this metal is unstable to high temperatures, there is a risk of destruction of the non-stick layer.

   

   Aluminum grill pan

3. The ceramic grill pan can withstand high temperatures and is oven-safe. The material perfectly conducts heat, does not emit harmful substances when exposed to heat. But such pans are short-lived due to the fragility of the material.

   

   Ceramic grill pan

Inner surface

It is thanks to the ribbed bottom of the grill pan that the dishes become so tasty and juicy. First of all, the height of the strips is important: it determines how far from the frying surface the steak will be.

Modern grill pans have three types of lining:

• teflon;
• ceramic;
• marble.

Teflon is considered harmless because it does not react with food. The main thing is to prevent overheating, at which the coating begins to deteriorate. In addition, when exposed to temperatures above 200 degrees, volatile substances are released. You can determine the required heating level by the heat spot installed on the surface of the pan.

Teflon Coated Frying Pan

A frying pan with a ceramic coating can withstand much higher temperatures without emitting volatile and carcinogenic substances that can affect the quality of the dish. In addition, it is easy to clean and can be used on all stoves.

Such a frying pan must be protected from sudden temperature fluctuations, and not to allow strong shocks, due to which the coating cracks, making the product completely unusable.

Frying pan with ceramic coating

Marble flooring is considered to be the most durable and durable. It warms up evenly and quickly, keeping it warm for a long time. The disadvantages include, perhaps, the high cost.

Marble Coated Frying Pan

The size

It would seem that the larger the diameter of the grill pan, the more food can be cooked in it at the same time. On the one hand, this is true. But if you have an electric or gas stove at home, then putting such a container on it will be at least inconvenient. The presence of an induction hob will require that the pan has a diameter equal to the hotplate. Otherwise, you will have to purchase an adaptation disc.

When choosing a grill pan, rely on the size of your stove or oven

The height of the sides of the pan also affects food preparation. Experts say that food is fried better in deep pans. For shallow dishes, cooking vegetables is suitable.

Handle material

No matter how good a frying pan is, you won't be able to take advantage of its benefits without a quality handle. If it melts, breaks, or cracks quickly, even a fast-wearing coating may not seem like a big deal.

The most commonly used grill pan handle materials are silicone, wood and heat-resistant plastic. For cast iron products, solid handles are often used, which will not break under heavy weight

Grill pans with removable and folding handles are a real boon for hostesses!

Pans with folding handles are very popular due to their practicality. Housewives love them for their compactness and space saving in the kitchen.

The form

You can follow this criterion exclusively of your own free will. The pan can be square, round or oval, and each has its own advantages. A small round grill pan is enough for one person, and a large family will prefer a square product. You can even purchase several pans of all shapes at once and use them to prepare different dishes.

You can choose a grill pan of any shape, according to your taste

Manufacturers and pricing policy

There are many models of grill pans from different brands on the modern market. It is difficult for an inexperienced buyer to understand such an assortment and avoid mistakes. We present to you a list of the most popular manufacturers that have proven themselves in the production of special cookware.

• The Italian brand Ballarini is one of the world leaders in the production of non-stick cookware.
• The Belgian company BergHOFF is a popular European manufacturer of high-quality tableware.
• GIPFEL is a German manufacturer specializing in the production of cast iron grill pans.
• The American company LODGE, specializing in the sale of high quality pans in the middle price segment.
• HOME CLUB is a Russian manufacturer of braziers, grills, barbecues.
• The French brand Tefal, a world famous manufacturer, was one of the first to use Teflon coating.
• The Swiss company VINZER has a good line of aluminum grill pans, relatively inexpensive, but of high quality.

Photo gallery: different models of grill pans

Grill pan GIPFEL INDIGENT

Grill pan Berghoff "Scala"

Grill pan VINZER

Grill pan TEFAL MINERAL SIGNATURE (26 cm), round

Grill pan LODGE 30 cm, square

Grill pan Tefal "Talent" non-stick, square

Prices for the products of these manufacturers vary from 1,000 to 2,500 rubles. Some companies have lines of professional cookware, which are much more expensive.

How to choose a grill pan for your stove

It is very important that the pan is compatible with the stove top in your kitchen. Otherwise, the purchase will be almost pointless.

1. Almost any frying pan will work on a gas stove. The main thing is that the diameter of the product is not too large compared to the burner.
2. If you have a glass-ceramic hob, a flat-bottomed pan is an excellent choice. The size of the product is unimportant, as is its coating: glass ceramics will perfectly cope with the task. Unless a cast-iron frying pan must be used carefully, due to its significant weight.

3. On induction hobs, it is best to use pans with a steel base. This can be a cast iron or aluminum frying pan with an iron insert.

   

   The size of the pan should correspond to the diameter of the hotplate or be slightly larger

Note! Manufacturers usually indicate on the packaging for which type of stove a particular frying pan is suitable.

Video: what to look for when choosing a frying pan

youtube.com/watch?v=LKrvdbxpiXo

Grill pans reviews

We decided to pick up for you reviews of grill pans from Internet users, so that it would be easier for you to form your own opinion about these products.

We hope our tips have helped you make the right choice. Please ask your questions in the comments and tell us what criteria you use when choosing such dishes for your kitchen. Good luck and comfort to your home!