Benefits of Grill Pans
When looking at tips/advice for frying steak I often see that Grill Pans are recommended over standard, flat, frying pans. Often this is recommended for other meats as well, such as chicken and pork.
Other than getting the appearance of Grill lines on the meat what are the benefits of using a Grill Pan over a normal one? I can't tell what difference it would make....
Best Answer
There's two (positive) reasons I'm aware of:
Aesthetics - those grill marks evoke fond memories for a lot of people, so the food looks better. Studies have shown that when food looks better, people think it tastes better. This is why plating is so important in fine dinning. However - if grill marks don't evoke fond memories or you grew up with a griddled burger - then frankly these just don't matter.
They rise the meat up out of the oil that its releasing. This gives a burger, for example, more of a grilled texture and flavor as its not sitting in its own fat. On a flat pan, the burger will release fat and then start to fry in the fat. Its just a different taste. No better or worse to me, just different.
There's (at least) three negatives that I'm aware of too:
There's less browning from a Maillard reaction because there's less surface area exposed to the direct blazing hot metal. And frankly, the crust from the Maillard reaction tastes goooooood.
They are a serious PITA to clean. If you've got one with fairly high, narrow ridges like the cast iron Lodge grill pan - if something gets stuck between the ridges it is really, really, REALLY hard to clean.
They smoke like crazy and you're indoors. If I don't set off the smoke alarm with my grill pan, I know I'm probably not using it right. Generally, you're trying to replicate the high heat of a real grill and you're often cooking something with enough fat to drip down and create wicked amounts of smoke.
For steak, I've really come to appreciate the taste of more crust from the Maillard reaction of a flat pan actually. Not to mention then you can do great stuff like basting it in butter!
Since getting better with my flat pans and griddles - I rarely use my grill pan.
Pictures about "Benefits of Grill Pans"
Quick Answer about "Benefits of Grill Pans"
The ridges allow fat to flow off the meat, just like it would drip between the grates of a grill, so a burger doesn't sit and boil in its own juices. Most grill pans are heavy and heat evenly — just like a reliable cast-iron pan.What are the advantages of a grill pan?
Pros of using a grill pan The result is healthier cooking and the food is not essentially boiling in its own liquids. Most grill pans are made from cast iron which means that they distribute heat very evenly. The food looks great, the lines across the food resemble outdoor grilled food.Is a grilling pan worth it?
The good news is they're decent at giving you grill marks and a good degree of charring, which does impart a bit of the characteristic grilled flavor to meats and vegetables. The bad news is they don't even come close to imitating the real thing.Is grill pan healthier?
Requires Minimal Cooking Fat By reducing the number of fats, you improve on your health significantly. Grill pans guarantee foods with minimal fat content and low calories. Also, grilled food has less calorie content compared to fried foods.Is a grill pan better than a frying pan?
Frying pans have a flat cooking surface, while grill pans have a non-stick surface with raised ridges. The raised ridges are what make char and grill marks on foods. They also allow them to drip juices and oils. The cooking surface area of grill pans is relatively larger than that of frying pans.Are Grill Pans Worth It? Yes! 5 Superb Benefits Having This Kitchen Tools
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: RODNAE Productions, RODNAE Productions, RODNAE Productions, Jacob Moseholt