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Reviews Written by
mc (Rockville, MD)
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Lodge Pro Grid Cast-Iron Griddle
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
 Old Smokey, April 6, 2007
Some folks hate cast iron cookware: it's too heavy, it's hard to clean, it stays hot, etc.
"Modern" non-stick cookware is light, easy to clean, cools quickly. It also just doesn't cook like cast iron cookware. Cast iron stays hot, which as a distinct advantage when cooking a steak, or any other food. How else can one get that nice sear on a steak when cooking indoors?
Yes, it does take a bit more care, but to results are worth the trouble. If cleaning with water, don't use soap. When done cleaning, don't put the item away wet. If cleaned this way, your cast iron will never develop rust spots. Even if this happens, a little bit of work with sandpaper or steel wool, and a little bit of oil and reseasoning will fix the problem.
Firing up an outdoor grill isn't always convenient either due to the weather, or the time of day. I've been searching for a way to cook chicken satay indoors w/o benefit of a built-in oven grill. Even when I used the oven broiler, satay cooked this way didn't come out quite the way it does outside.
When I used this grill, the results were identical! Yes, even the smoke generated by the grill helped flavor the meat. A vent fan that directs smoke directly to the outside would be terrific, if you have one. If not, just crack open a few windows.
The low sides of the pan also works well when cooking foods like kebabs and satays, as the skewers can positioned outside the pan so the meat can be turned.
Just keep in mind when using this pan that as it does not lend itself to the "combination method" of searing on the top of the range, and then finishing in the oven, foods cooked on this pan need to be relatively thin, one inch or less. Such items like shrimp, lobster tails, salmon, chicken breasts, or steaks pounded thin would work very well. I've even grilled asparagus on this pan with great results.
Really thick cuts of meat, like a thick steak might work on this only if you prefer your steaks rare, otherwise the outside will be burned before the inside gets anywhere close to done.
One method I've found to work regarding the problem of smoke is to cook using a medium, to medium-hot setting. The grill pan will still be screaming hot to the touch, so careful. I've also found Pam outdoor grill spray does help a little, since the oil in the spray has a higher smoke point.
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