I went through three non-stick, very expensive pans from the major players, and every time the story was the same. I would really like the pan until I used it about six or seven times, then the non-stick coating would wear off and they would stick like mad. This is because proper grilling can only be done under high heat, in a preheated pan. Doing this to a non-stick pan heats it up well past its tolerances, and destroys the coating.So finally I tried a cast iron grill pan from Lodge. It was excellent, and took to high heat well. It is pretty hard to clean, the food sticks a bit, and the grill marks are not as crisp as I would like. Still, it was much better than anything aluminum.
When I saw this one, I decided to try it since I like my other Emeril pans.
It is even better than my other one. Interesting, as I strongly suspect these Emeril pans are also made by Lodge. The little tweaks he made to the pan are well thought out. The ridges are tapered such that they almost come to a point. The result is clear sear lines with no sticking. It is also heavier than my other pan, so it holds heat better, and has much higher sides to help contain spatters.
There is one thing to be aware of, however. This pan is smaller than its Lodge counterpart, so it is well suited to grilling for two (even if the things you are making are large). If you are doing more than that, it'll get a little tight in there. I keep my Lodge pan around for the times I need more cooking space, but I can see this one is going to get a lot more use as I normally do two things at a time anyway.
The first time you use it, spray it lightly with cooking spray oil inside and out, then put it on a high heat burner until it smokes. Turn the burner off and let it cool off on the burner slowly by itself. This will help season it a bit (even though it is preseasoned) and make sure that you won't get any sticking the first time you use it.
If you are even thinking of experimenting with grilling, get this pan and give it a try.
Sean P. Logue, 2008
After recently purchasing 2 of these on Amazon as gifts, it has made me think about how much I love my own Emerilware cast iron grill pan, which I've had since early 2005. It is durable and well-designed, though it won't accommodate more than a pair of large steaks. But on the rare occasion I cook for more than 2, I just have a 2nd one handy--or I use my 2 burner, 2-sided cast iron griddle from Lodge. Since I live in a condo and can't use a proper outdoor BBQ grill (county law), I use this grill pan exclusively when doing steaks, whole chicken breasts or pork chops--sometimes seafood as well.
I confess I did struggle with cleaning when I first bought it and was unfamiliar with cast iron, but once I learned a few things, it became a cinch. Here's how I clean mine.
1. Give it 3-4 very hot "power rinses" in the sink by turning the kitchen faucet pressure to max pressure and temp. About 1 minute total.
2. Take a paper towel to pick/rub off any residual food. Sometimes it takes 2 towels if it's very messy.
3. Season it after each use. I take another paper towel to wipe oil all over the interior of the pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes @ 250F. You can also just use cooking spray.
That's almost always all I do. It takes maybe 2 minutes including the oil. I never use soap (can destroy the seasoning) and never soak it in water more than 5 minutes (can cause rust).
Cast iron is technically not non-stick, but if you season it properly (as I do after every few uses), it effectively becomes nonstick, and for me, it's now to the point that I just don't use my 2 nonstick pans anymore--not even my 8" omelet pan; yes, I do eggs (all styles) in a properly seasoned cast iron now. And since manufactured nonstick coatings can be harmful if some seemps into your food (and body), I feel safer using cast iron than any kind of nonstick, especially Teflon, but even high end nonstick give me some concern.
I also own a bunch of flat-bottom cast iron pans from Lodge, which I also love. Basically all well-made cast iron is just plain awesome, and nothing beats cast iron grill pan when you can't use a grill. I love this pan so much, I want to share the pleasure of cooking with it, so I will continue to buy this pan to give as gifts to friends and family. The thought if giving this less than 5 stars never crossed my mind. It's a great performer!
Feb 2011:
Buying tip: since I continually to keep this product in my "cart," and Amazon gives updates to any price fluctuations in your cart, I've been able to casually observe the price changes of this item for the past 2 years. I got lucky when I first wrote this review in the summer of '09, when this product was temporarily at the shockingly low price of $14.99, and now I am buying another one for $18.42. Since then, this particular product hovered between $24.99 and $28.99. There is no reason to pay more than $24.99 because it goes back and forth so much. If you're patient, keep it in your cart and wait until the next time it drops below $20 and buy 2 or 3. It also seems to be holding at $18.42 for the early part of 2011 so far, which is nice. If you can get it for under $20, you've got a fantastic bargain on an amazing product!
Well, it's a cast iron grille pan. What else can I say about it?
Like all cast iron pans, it's quite heavy, but it will also last for a lifetime(or more). It is also non-stick, providing that it is cleaned and cared for appropriately(there are appropriate seasoning instructions that come with the pan).
Since cast iron is able to reach higher temperatures than non-stick cookware, it makes it a great choice to cook meat when cooking outside is not an option, just make sure to heat the pan for three or four minutes before using it.
If you're unfamiliar with cast iron cookware, follow the instructions that come with it and you'll enjoy a great pan for life. Just remember that it doesn't go into the dishwasher!
This is seriously a heavy duty,, high quality product. The grill has deep grooves which makes for more healthy cooking as the fat stays on the bottom and it just feels like it can definitely take a beating should it ever have to. The only thing I found it lacking (and not really a big problem) is that the handle seems a bit short for a pan of this weight and size. You'd need two hands to carry it securely. Great product overall.I had long ago given up on cookware with "non-stick" coatings on them. I now use only cast iron or bare stainless steel. When it comes to grilling indoors, cast iron is the only way to go.
Though I already have a cast iron reversible grill/griddle which fits across two burners on the stove, sometimes I find it too large if I only want to grill a couple of burgers or a chicken breast. So I bought the Emeril 10" Cast Iron Grill Pan to handle the smaller grilling tasks. Don't get me wrong, the pan is large enough to grill 4 burgers at a time, but I don't think I've ever eaten 4 burgers in one meal.
First of all, this is a very, very heavy pan. I know that anything made of cast iron is expected to be heavy but this seems heavier than other cast iron pans of this size. The handle seems too thin to support such weight, but somehow it does.
It comes pre-seasoned, however, I would not recommend that you use it immediately after buying it. The first thing I did after I got it was to give it a good scrubbing with warm water and dish detergent. I then heated it up on the stovetop until it was completely dried. After allowing it to cool down enough to handle, but still warm, I coated it with a good coating of vegetable shortening. Then into the oven it went for about an hour at 375. After doing this, the pan was much darker than it was when I bought it; a sign that it was much better seasoned now and ready to use.
So, this past weekend, I was on a grilling frenzy to try out my new grill pan. The first time I used it, I grilled a couple of burgers and some zucchini. The burgers did stick a little, but not bad for first time use. A little sticking is to be expected the first few times of using a cast iron pan. It will become more and more non-stick after each use. The next day, I grilled more burgers and some peppers and onions. This time there was very little sticking. Later in the day, I grilled some chicken breasts and they came out just perfect, with nice brown grill marks and a smokey grilled flavor. Excellent!
Clean up is easy. I run it under warm water and use a bamboo brush to scrape all the food particles off. Then I heat it up on the stovetop to dry.
Please note, this Emeril Grill Pan is not made by Lodge. It is made by All-Clad. As all Lodge products are made in USA, the Emeril Grill Pan is made in China. I can't compare this Emeril Grill Pan with other brands because I haven't used any other brands. But I am quite happy with the performance of this one. It is definitely of high quality and with proper care will last several lifetimes. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
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