How to choose a grill pan, how to use it and what is it for?

Grill pan - very interesting view kitchen utensils, which will allow you to discover a whole niche of culinary masterpieces for cooking in your kitchen.

At the same time, earlier such types of food could only be made in nature under the open sky.

Besides, food cooked in such a pan will retain more nutrients and be more beneficial in terms of a healthy diet.

What is it?

Thanks to these ribs, food takes on a peculiar appearance - as if it was cooked on a grill lying on the grill.

This is especially noticeable when cooking meat or fish - beautiful stripes will look great on steaks or fish carcasses.

In addition, most grill pans have a special chute to drain excess oil or fat that has accumulated on the bottom during cooking, this is not the case with ordinary pans.

The weight of this dish is also quite different from a regular frying pan.

It is much heavier than a regular frying pan due to the very thick bottom.

Purpose of the device: what is it for?

Main purpose grill pans are still not giving appearance, but cooking healthy food.

Consider this feature on the example of a good pork steak.

At the same time, the piece of meat does not bathe in its own fat, so the steak does not burn on the pan, loses some of the harmful fat content, but remains juicy.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's start with the pros:

• you can cook really healthy and wholesome food in original version,
• in preparation for almost no need to use oilwhich saves money
• food will be fried evenly over the entire area,
• in the same pan, without washing it from burnt oil, you can consistently fry vegetables, then mushrooms, and complete dinner preparations with a good piece of meat,
• you can remove the handle and put the pan in the oven.

Unfortunately, it also has disadvantages:

• she is is not universal, fry potatoes or make frying for borscht in such a pan will not work;
• from her don't leave while cooking;
• when using such utensils, it is extremely the presence of an included hood is required;
• on cheap models of grill pans, the handles quickly fail, unable to withstand its weight;
• price such a kitchen utensil also falls into the category with a minus sign, a high-quality cast-iron grill pan will cost a pretty penny, and even what.

How to choose a good model?

The form

First of all, let's look at the form. It is square, rectangular, round and oval.

Most Benefits, in our opinion, at the square pan.

It holds the maximum number of products., for example, a couple of large steaks, half a large chicken, up to a dozen sausages, a lot of vegetables or mushrooms.

In addition, such a frying pan is perfectly used both on the surface of the stove and in the oven.

Rectangular frying pan Allows you to cook the maximum amount of food in one go., they are ideal for ovens.

classical round Grill pan Ideal for induction cooktops and electric hobs, because square dishes will heat up unevenly on the round surface of the burner of such a stove.

When choosing a round frying pan, it is necessary to clearly measure the size of the burner, as this is crucial for even heating of the pan.

Completing our list are grill pans made in the shape of oval. Them the main task is to cook whole fish, cook salmon, or fillet in uncut form.

When choosing such a cookware, you can use two burners to heat it at once, which will allow you to evenly heat the pan.

Material

The material used to make the cookware is also important.

Sometimes you come across cheap extruded aluminum grill pans, but it’s better not to even look in their direction.

After all, they have extremely thin walls and serious cooking will not work with them.

In order to cook a quality dish, the pan must be well heated, red-hot.

Advantages of cast aluminum cookware — it is fast heating and comparative ease in service.

Minus - more fragile coating with a shorter service life.

In its turn, cast iron skillet will heat up for quite a long time, but it will also keep heat for a long time.

Meat in a cast-iron pan will turn out more juicy and well-cooked.

Yes, and you can’t leave food in such dishes - a specific smell will appear quickly enough.

Any quality pan, cast iron or aluminum, will have a non-stick coating on the bottom.

It is also worthy of mention as a separate selection criterion.

Types of non-stick coating

Most modern cookware is coated with a non-stick coating, grill pans are no exception.

Such dishes are easier to wash, when cooking, food does not stick to it, while cast-iron pans with the help of such a coating acquire protection against rust.

Such coatings there are several types:

• titanium (the highest quality and durable, but at the same time - and the most expensive),
• ceramic (the most capricious, since contact with an abundance of water during washing can lead to negative consequences),
• stone (granite, marble, applied by spraying, the bottom and sides appear rough).

1. Allow food to be fried without or with very little oil.
2. Have a certain strength - to protect the pan from scratches.
3. Withstand temperature conditions from 250 degrees and above, which is necessary when incandescent.

Any type of coating is negatively related to a sharp change in temperature, do not fill a hot pan with cold water.

Pen Features

Even when choosing, you should pay attention to the handle, the material of its manufacture and optional.

A little more about each of them:

1. Removable handle allows you to use the pan in the oven without the risk of melting.
2. molded handle it is an excellent and reliable choice, she never fall off the pan, but it is very easy to get burned about it.
3. fixed (eg. bolted) handle - this is the most common accessory enough budget frying pans. How long she will live, none of the sellers will tell you for sure.

Removable and fixed handles are most often wooden or bakelite.

Sometimes there are pans with two molded handles - this is quite convenient, the main thing is not to forget to use kitchen potholders.

And of course - any handle must fulfill its main function - to withstand the weight of the dishes.

Depth

Depth (the height of the sides) and their bending must be taken into account when choosing. The reason is simple - the higher the edge, the higher the temperature inside the pan.

The bevel of the walls of the dishes is important, the more they are beveled, the more convenient it is to turn portions of meat, drain fat.

Vertical smooth walls will be the least successful option.

corrugation height

The next important point of choice will be the height of the corrugation at the bottom of the pan.

Everything is simple here - the height of the rib should be at least five millimeters, and preferably higher.

Fat from meat and juice from vegetables will accumulate in the cavities between the ribs, if the depth is insufficient, the food will begin to come into contact with the liquid and burn.

By the way, it is also worth considering the presence of a funnel for draining liquids. It is better to choose a pan with two such funnels - it will be more convenient to drain the excess without changing your hand.

Diameter

This is a purely technical meaning, which has long had a number of recommendations, we present them below:

• for one person the diameter is not less than 20-24 centimeters
• for two - from 26 centimeters
• for a large family - from 28 centimeters

Cooker Compatibility

Stove compatibility is a parameter that should be considered before buying a frying pan.

Those who plan to immediately buy a large frying pan on the principle of "more - no less" should not rush.

The first thing to consider is the size of the burners on the gas stove, the pan should heat up evenly, on a proportional burner it will happen faster.

The second is the type of your stove. Cast iron heats up well on gas stoves, but if the stove has a glass-ceramic surface, then a cast-iron frying pan can damage it.

Lid

Not the last place in the choice of buying a grill pan is the ability to buy a lid for it.

And given the specific forms of such pans, you should take care of this issue in advance.

Lids are transparent, simply protecting others from drops from a frying pan, such covers still allow you to stew meat, fish or vegetables.

More press-caps meet, whose task is to press down the products from above, to press it to the bottom as much as possible.

So the meat will emit juices faster, such lids must be handled with care when cooking fish or poultry.

What is a double sided pan?

Recently, they are gaining more and more popularity.

The principle of operation is simple - the lid is fixed fixed, has special magnetic or mechanical locks, while cooking, you just turn the whole pan over.

Almost all models of this type are collapsible, and their lids can be used separately, like the pans themselves.

They have some advantages over a regular frying pan.

First of all, this is the speed of cooking and the ability to use both elements separately for cooking large amounts of food.

The downside is, first of all, the price and the need for some skills when working with such a pan, which, however, can be acquired during operation on your own.

How to use?

By the way, about operation. Let's talk a little about cooking with a grill pan.

There are a number of general rules and recommendations for operation:

• do not use dishes of this type for performing emergency tasks - making roasts, marinades, any mixtures with a large amount of salts and alkalis;
• cook better on medium or low heat, this will increase the life of the dishes;
• you need to place the pan clearly in the center of the fire source to create uniform heating;
• do not overheat dishes without food on it, after warming up to the desired temperature, immediately start cooking;
• use only wood or plastic for flipping, respectively, do not use metal blades;
• Do not forget to remove the handles before placing the dishes in the oven.

Before first use

If the pan is aluminum, then take a little sunflower or olive oil and wipe its surface.

If it is cast iron, then the pan must be ignited with a small amount of salt to get rid of possible grease residues for storage.

What dishes to cook?

As for cooking, the following products are best suited for it on such dishes:

• meat in the form of steaks, tenderloins, entrecote, cutlets and sausages;
• bird;
• fish whole or in the form of large pieces, steaks;
• any vegetables and mushrooms.

There are a huge number of recipes, be sure to read them before the first use.

How to care?

The meal is over, it's time to wash the dishes. The grill pan has its own specifics - it would be best if it will take room temperature on its own during the cooling process.

After that, you need to carefully wash the dishes with warm water using a sponge and detergent.

Categorically do not use hard washcloths and active cleaning powders - The non-stick coating may be damaged.

When washing such a pan, it is better not to delay it - a thick layer of fat and soot will force you to make significant efforts, which can also lead to damage.

Reviews

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Useful video

From this video you will learn how to choose the right grill pan:

Conclusion and Conclusions

Based on the foregoing, the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. To cook for you you need a good hood.
2. With careful use the pan will serve you for a long time.
3. You can cook healthy food in such a frying pan..
4. At the same time, such food will be delicious, the “like on the grill” effect will be constantly present, so even in the middle of winter you can create real masterpieces with the taste of summer in your kitchen.