Cast Iron Grill Pan, 10.25-inch

My son loves hamburgers and I don't like grilling them outdoors (if raining or cold, plus grilling meat over flame creates VERY unhealthy conditions, and the grill is always a filthy blackened disgusting mess), so I wanted something that would produce the same effect but, (a.) be used indoors on a stove, (b.) be more healthy, not over open flame (where drippings can create carcinogenic fumes and deposits), (c.) drain the grease from the food, (d.) not be some ludicrously expensive gadget, and, (e.) be reasonably easy to clean. We have non-stick pans and use them, but over time the coating comes off into the food with unknown health effects and, if overheated, they emit vapors that kill any pet birds in the area and probably not great for humans to inhale either), so I preferred non non-stick. I considered the George Foreman grill, which typically gets good reviews and is a perfectly valid choice, but many versions of it to consider, some with removable grills to clean and some (sigh) not, different sizes (2 burgers, 4, "family size", etc.), not expensive but not cheap, usually has non-stick finish, etc. I like simplicity. I saw various grilling trays and pans that are used atop surface cooking (stoves, etc.), waded through the critically-helpful Amazon reviews, and chose this Lodge grill pan. The negative reviews were things like it rusts (duh, it's iron, iron rusts, and you have to dry it immediately after washing, although you have to know that already or visit Lodge's website to find out, not mentioned in the enclosed instructions, a duh for Lodge), and that food sticks to it (annoying for sure but it's not a non-stick pan so......). So far, we've made burgers on it a few times, will get to steaks and fish and veggies, but haven't yet. GOOD: >RESULTS: Produces extremely consistent results, food always cooked perfectly. >MORE RESULTS: Rave reviews from my picky son and me. >EASY: Easy to use >STURDY: Built of thick cast iron, will certainly outlast me, probably suitable for use in zombie attacks or nuclear war. Also great for defending yourself against bears, creaming your spouse, and that sort of thing. Good, old fashioned, last forever stuff. >DRAINS GREASE: The raised ribs in the bottom keep the food up and let grease drain away from it, which I think makes for more healthy and less-messy results. There are spouts formed on both sides to tip and drain, they work okay, only minimal dripping down the outside that would be bad (going into the flame). >LINES: Many other reviewers thought that the best feature or a very important feature is that the ribs in the bottom create the blackened lines in the food that show that it was grilled, as if it were done on an outdoor "real" grill. I guess this is nice, but I am surprised that so many people thought this was so important, more so even than how the food tastes, etc. NOT GOOD (not "bad" to me but not "good"): >UNDERSTAND IT BEFORE USING: Before using, go to the Lodge website as the enclosed directions suggest to see some important directions that frankly should be at least summarized in the enclosed directions. You either have to be experienced with cast iron cookware or go to the web site or you will have some disappointments. >CAUTION! - HANDLE GETS VERY HOT WHEN COOKING AND THE PAN AND HANDLE STAY HOT FOR A WHILE AFTER COOKING. This is inherent, it's one big piece of metal, so heat is conducted to the handle and the heavy mass holds heat a long time, so always use mitts!! If you use mitts, no problems at all. If you forget to use mitts, you'll probably only do it once! >SOME FOOD STICKING: Although it arrives factory "seasoned" (see the Lodge website for procedure, it's covering the pan surface with oil and baking it into the metal) and I also oil it after washing (per website instructions) and again before and with cooking, yes, food can and probably will stick. I suspect that the burgers we've done so far would be about the worst case because the ground meat can pull away and stick to the pan more easily than, say, a steak or veggies, but after burgers I usually have to do a little light scraping or use a metallic scouring pad (preferably the kind without soap, which can ruin the oil "seasoning" of the metal). No really tough deposits, no chisel needed, but they definitely will not just rinse off or even sponge off, some scraping needed. Hey, it's not non-stick, and even our stainless steel pans usually have some sticking, get over it. NOTE: The Lodge website and/or Amazon reviewers sometimes note to not use a metal scraper or it will damage the finish, and do not use soap or it will ruin the "seasoned"/oiled treatment. They are correct about cooking heat sterilizing any residue so no germ worries. But, (1.) the "seasoning" and oiling has not stopped food sticking, so I'm not terribly worried about washing away the oil that does very little under best of circumstances, (2.) I'm okay with using a strong plastic scraper instead of metal, but the precious "finish" is not polished, etc., in the first place, and I do try to be gentle with a metal scraper, not chiseling but just knocking food deposits off, and, (3.) aside from germs and sterilization, I just don't like the food quality / taste and esthetic perceptions from leaving blackened deposits of previous foods on when I cook the next thing. If I want blackened, tar-like residue on my food I'll use the outdoor grill!! Even our polished stainless steel (not non-stick) pans have food sticking, it's annoying but not a big deal, and worth the price to cook without potentially unhealthy non-stick coatings. There may be foods or cooking techniques or cast iron products that do not result in food sticking, but I suspect the problem is inherent, as it is with anything that is not non-stick-coated, and all the stuff about seasoning and using only velvet gloves to remove stuck food is an "in" ritual thing or a diversion from the problem. Just deal with it and do the best you can, or (sigh) use only non-stick cookware. >CAN RUST: Yes, it rusts if you soak it with water for a time or forget to dry it IMMEDIATELY after washing. Easy enough, just know it and remember, no problems. >GREASE CAPACITY: As at least one other reviewer noted, the ribs in the bottom are not that deep so it does not take much grease or oil accumulation before the food is sitting in it. It's not bad but not generous. Sometimes I pour out the accumulated oil, if I can do it without spilling out the food as well and have an assistant to wipe off any that drips down the outside where it is exposed to open flame. Again, imperfect but do-able. Overall, I love it, good results, a little more cleaning and maintenance work than we spoiled, modern people like, but not bad.

It was exactly what I was looking for! Great quality!

I had purchased two other grill pans previously. The first was a non-stick. Like all the non-stick I've ever owned after a short time the coating began to release. I never used it above medium high heat. It was just too easy to damage. I later purchased an anodized aluminum pan. I was able to use this pan for a little more than a year with pretty good results but in time it became harder to clean and eventually warped even though I never used more than medium high heat. After reading the reviews here I decided to purchase this Lodge cast iron pan. I have used other cast iron pans in the past and I was already familiar with the cleaning and seasoning procedures and that they really don't need as much heat as other types of pans.. Frankly after using this for a little over 2 weeks, I'm not sure why I didn't just get this first. I love to grill burgers, chicken, steaks and fish. It works great. Clean up is really pretty easy if your used to cast iron. The quality is outstanding as all the Lodge products I've previously owned and the Amazon shipping was very fast. A few notes. This pan is pretty small. It holds about four burgers or a couple of steaks or chicken breasts. Its plenty big for me cause I'm just cooking for myself and maybe a friend but for a family one of the larger pans might work better. If you're looking for a grill pan just buy one.

I highly recommend this grilling pan. This pan is slightly heavier than my other 10" & 12" skillets so it heats up a little slower the plus side is that it don't move on the stove top! The ridges are high enough to allow oil drainage and are wide enough to give you that really nice grill marks. The only drawback to this pan is that I found the factory seasoning is less than desirable. I actually stripped it down and re seasoned it. Other than that, absolutely great grilling pan! I highly recommend purchasing the round bacon press to go with this!

This is fabulous for burgers & chicken. I would recommend getting the rubber handle gripper though, as the pan is heavy & gets extremely hot. Meat looks like you cooked it on the grill & tastes like it too. I would also suggest getting a cast-iron press, (with ridges), so when you cook your chicken or hamburger in the skillet, you can press it with a cast-iron press that makes it cook faster and look amazing. Cleaning this is a Pain In The A**!!! I bought the chain cast-iron cleaner from Amazon, as you should never use soap, Brillo, or the dishwasher with anything made from cast iron. Flavors soak into the iron and cooking a burger that ends up tasting like soap is a major "Fail". You can't let water sit on it or in it, as it will rust quickly and set into the pan. Wash, dry, and place a small amount of oil in pan to store. I would recommend this pan if you are someone who follows care instructions.

We wondered if we'd use it, but its turned out to be great. For a first cast iron I'd recommend the 12" or 10" Lodge regular cast iron skillet, but this pan provides a useful option. There are lots of times when its nice to cook meats in particular above the oil. This pan does great. We originally bought the square version as its more readily available, however we had some fish dry out because we couldn't cover it. With this round pan we're able to use several glass lids that we have as well as a Lodge cast iron lid. This has worked out great. We're able to sear and get grill marks without meat swimming in fat and cover it for part of the cooking to make sure everything gets cooked through. This has worked particularly well for burgers, but also chicken breasts, turkey tenderloin and awesome sliced eggplant. It can be a challenge to clean between all the ridges. We tend to put some water in the pan while its still pretty warm, then dislodge major food with the Lodge grill pan scraper. But the real essential tool has been the "Bürstenhaus Redecker 2-1/4 Inch Diameter Pot Brush". Seriously don't know how we'd clean it without it. Overall has been a good purchase and we're using it more than I ever expected.

I cook steaks all year long. I love grilling outside with FIRE but I live in an apartment in downtown Seattle so that's hard sometimes. I have to walk over to the park to do it. This is a perfect substitute. The flavor is a bit different than cooking over a flame but it's just as good. I use high-heat oil, don't worry about a tiny bit of smoke and grill just like I would over gas or charcoal. I was using a flat cast iron pan and bought this to see if it made a difference. In my opinion, it does. The sear isn't quite as good but it locks in the juices well enough. The air flow allows the outside to get a bit of a char and, if you're cooking for others, the grill marks nail the presentation. Overall I think it's a better overall steak experience. It will fit three good sized NY Strips but it's best to limit it to two.

I love all things cast iron, specifically anything from lodge. I bought this as an alternative to all my regular 'flat' skillets thinking it would diversify my collection. I tried cooking a few things I'd thought this grill pan would be good for: searing a sous vide steak, "grilled" salmon, and beyond burgers. I found that I get better (juicier!) results with the regular skillet. The problems I ran into were you really have to crank up the heat to get distinct grill lines which meant lots of smoke and having to source a higher heat oil. There is less contact with the pan meaning longer cook times on top of ridding the flavorful juices. Also, this essentially sears 50% of the surface- though it looks better it just doesn't taste as good as a complete surface sear from a flat skillet. It's like all the negatives of cooking on grill grates without the benefit of that smokey taste. I do think it would be good for some vegetables that have lots of moisture because the elevated ridges let moisture escape- so things like mushrooms and eggplant did really well. I think this would also be great for a shallow braise- using the ridges to first sear meats then act as a natural trivet all you would need is a standard 10.25 lid. I can't really justify keeping this grill pan for those use cases though. I can see why people love it, and I can't fault lodge because it is very well executed and I couldn't stop staring at it- there is something about the design that captures your eye. I do think the square grill pan is a better buy because if you are doing "faux grilling", even for 1 person grilling a steak and veggies you are probably going to need more surface area than this round shape offers.