A grill pan is a great way to get food that tastes just like an outdoor grill, but with a lot less hassle. A grill pan also allows you to cook with virtually no oil. The grooved bottom simply does not require it, the most you can do is lightly oil a piece of meat or fish, but not the pan itself.
To choose a comfortable grill pan, you need to pay attention to the material of the body, the quality of the coating, the shape of the pan and the handle.
Case
The most common combination of materials for grill pans is cast aluminum with a non-stick coating.
Most manufacturers produce this type of frying pans and this is justified: cast aluminum allows to make the walls and bottom thick, and for grilling it is extremely important. Due to the thickness of the body, the frying pan will have good heating, uniform throughout its plane, without strong differences in heat from the bottom to the edges.
This means that meat and fish will stay juicy on such a grill and in any area of the pan the products will be perfectly roasted and have a characteristic grill taste.
Cast aluminum pans with non-stick coating last for years to come.
You can find cast iron grill pans. These frying pans are great at grilling foods, but they have one significant disadvantage – weight. A frying pan with a diameter of 28 cm will weigh somewhere under 3 kg. If that’s not a problem for you, a cast iron grill pan is a great option. These pans are perfect for steaks, you can’t ruin them by overheating and they literally last forever. The only thing that can ruin them is a lack of proper care: cast iron requires gentle washing and wiping dry afterwards.
Another type of body is uncoated steel. These are extremely difficult to handle frying pans, which are used mainly in professional kitchens. Cooking in them without special cooking skills is extremely difficult, and we do not recommend these pans: unless you’re a chef in a restaurant, food will stick to the embossed bottom, and all you can do is liberally pour oil on the bottom to avoid sticking.
Form
The most common shape for grill pans is square. But we also have round, rectangular and even oval models. Which shape do you prefer? It depends, first of all, on how many people you will be cooking in the pan. Rectangular pans are usually roomier than square pans.
Oval ones are needed for cooking whole fish, cut lengthwise eggplant, zucchini, and corn.
Round grill pans have a higher rim than oval, square and rectangular pans. This is their main difference. The high rim protects the stove from splashing and this is probably the only plus for the grill, it doesn’t really need high walls.
Handle
Handles in grills come in three varieties: folding, removable and conventional, stationary. The best option is probably a removable handle. It is not only about convenience in storage. Meat made on the grill, in many cases, should be cooked for a few minutes in the oven: this is what chefs recommend. A detachable handle makes this possible: remove it and put the pan in the oven.