Grilling Pans Are Pointless
I heard that autumn is approaching, although I must say that this is not happening. (Estimated max price here today is 106 cents! In Portland, Oregon!) This change of seasons means a change in food content, and I’ve already seen a couple of articles and advertisements advertising “moving the grill indoors” from the grill pan. Do not do this. Grill pans are a scam.
I bought a grill pan a couple of years ago. Since then, I have used it once. I didn’t give up my grill because I bought a Weber kettle – 24 months passed between the two purchases – I gave up because I realized it was pointless.
The grill pan is a skillet, usually cast iron, with protrusions so that the food only touches certain parts of the pan, charring it in neat little lines, so it looks like you were grilling it even if you cooked it in the Frying pan. (As a bonus: They’re also incredibly annoying to clean, thanks to all the tabs.)
The problem is that you are not frying anything. You don’t cook over a fire or hot coals, so there is no reason to leave space between the points of contact to allow oxygen to flow. After all, it is these points of contact that are the source of the scent. Contact with cast iron (or a flame), rather than the surrounding warm or hot air, is what triggers the Maillard reaction, the chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that gives “browned” food a special delicious taste. (If you find it hard to imagine what it tastes like, consider toast, fried potatoes, or a crust on a steak.)
In fact, I generally think chasing grill marks is sheer madness. I keep my steaks in motion , flipping them frequently to make sure every inch touches the wire rack for a delicious crust. (Otherwise, what’s the point of all of this?) The hatch marks may look cute, but all I see when I look at the faint gaps between them is a missed opportunity.
If you’re going to cook indoors – although I don’t know why you can’t just grill in the cold – use a cast iron or stainless steel skillet, especially if you want to enhance the flavor by browning. … Your food will be in better contact with the metal, which means it browns better, which means it tastes better. (You will also save money because you don’t have to buy a completely new frying pan.)