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Grill Pans – The Next Best Thing To An Indoor GrillGrill pans are a nice alternative for getting that great grilled taste indoors when you don’t have an indoor grill and you don’t have the option of grilling outdoors. There are ways to produce that grilled effect on your food which will make everyone think that the food was grilled outside on a grill. There are even these types of ridged pans that are designed to be used in the microwave oven.
There are a variety of grill pans to choose from, round or square, cast iron or nonstick. There are also a variety of price ranges. In looking for a grill pan one professional group recommends an aluminum nonstick pan with at least an 11 inch cooking surface, large ridges at least 5/16 inch or more to produce better caramelization, and a pan bottom with open indentations for better heat transfer instead of a solid bottom.
When cooking on these types of pans it is best to oil the food not the pan, since you don’t want the oil pooling in the ridges of the pan making it more difficult to clean the pan. However it is recommended that the food not be seasoned when putting it in the pan, seasoning the food should be done after it has cooked, unless a marinade is being brushed on. Adding spices, salt, and pepper can cause the food to stick to the ridges tearing the food and also making the pan hard to clean. It is also best to cook with a high temperature just like on an outdoor grill. The food should be cooked thoroughly on one side before turning it over. To clean the pan, once food has been removed water should be added to the pan immediately before it completely cools and allow the pan to soak. Then a plastic food scraper should be used to remove stuck on food, then the process can be completed with warm soapy water, rinsed and dried. These pans are easy to store since they are nothing more than a skillet with raised grill ridges, and can be stored like other pots and pans.
For some great sections on cooking equipment, some great references are: • The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2010 by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen
Cooking Equipment
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