Preparation
Even if you already have an outdoor grill, you’ll probably want to have a grill pan, too. A grill pan allows you to grill indoors, its ridges give food grill-like sear marks and allow excess oil to drain away. Grill pans are popular for cooking steaks and other proteins but are also great for vegetables and grilled sandwiches. They are available at many price points, in different sizes, shapes, and handle configurations and are typically made from nonstick materials or cast iron.
Food writer Faith Kramer, whose book 52 Shabbats ($29, bookshop.org) includes recipes that use a grill pan, uses both nonstick and cast-iron grill pans and says the most important factor is choosing the right size pan. “The surface shouldn’t be too big for your burner but large enough so that you grill, not steam,” says Kramer. “Choose a pan with deep enough ridges so that your food will stay on top and any liquid drips down and evaporates.” While cast iron can be trickier to clean than nonstick, Kramer prefers it and says she uses a brush “that works well at getting into all the nooks and crannies.”
Here we share our picks for the best grill pans in cast iron, nonstick, and stainless steel, in different sizes and shapes, and at different price points. We also explain the pros and cons of each grill pan.
Lodge Cast Iron 10.25-Inch Diameter Grill Pan with Assist HandleGreenPan Valencia Pro Ceramic Nonstick 11-Inch Round Grill PanAnolon Accolade 11-Inch Square Grill PanSmithey No. 12 Grill PanTramontina 11-Inch Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel Square Grill PanKitchenAid Hard-Anodized Induction 11.25-Inch Nonstick Square Grill PanFinex Seasoned Cast Iron Grill PanBest Small Grill Pan: Lodge Cast Iron Grill Pan, 6.5 InchGreenPan Chatham Ceramic Nonstick 11-Inch Round Grill Pan
