Best Grill Pan to Buy (Buyers’ Guide)

We know grilling is always fun and a great way to gather your family or friends. It is one of the most common methods of cooking across the globe. You love grilling, but you dislike the associated smoke, setup, stress, and colossal mess created during grilling and wanted something comfortable and clean to grill. Or you don’t have a grilling machine, but you also want to cook for your family or friends. Like always, we come up with a solution to your problem. Grill pans are the wisest choice you ever have. With a grill pan, you can even cook on your stove without any effort or mess.

This article created a list of the most popular top ten best grilling pans with their pros and cons and a detailed buyer’s guide to the best grill pan. If you are going to buy a grilling pan, I would recommend reading this article and selecting the one according to your needs and budget.

Top 10: Best Grill Pan

Our Grill Pans Reviews

The Lodge L8SGP3 is a heavy-duty grilling pan that is perfect for searing, sautéing, baking, broiling, braising, and frying chicken or veggies.

It is made of cast iron, which gives it rigidity for harsh usage which is necessary for grilling whether it is outdoor or indoor. Moreover, this versatile pan comes pre-seasoned. So consequently, you don’t need to season it or can use it immediately after purchase.

Likewise, the 10.5 inches of the cooking surface is enough to cook large pieces of the meat with even heating and an easy-relish finish. Besides, Lodge also has space on the front side, which allows you to hang the pan if you want.

The ridges in the pan give perfect sear marks like grilling grates and make grilling easy. Furthermore, you can use this grill pan on any heat source, because it is a gas stove, campfire, and oven compatible.

Enhance your cooking experience with the exciting features of the Lodge LPGI3 Cast Iron reversible grill. Since it is made of cast iron, it is highly durable, provides even heating, and evenly cooks everything you want.

Because of its reversible feature, I call these two in one grilling pan. The cast-iron grates have reversible sides, one side is its grill, while the other is a griddle. So consequently, you can use the grill side for steaks, burgers, and anytime you want grill marks, while the griddle side for pancakes, bacon, heating tortillas, and cheese sandwiches.

Furthermore, it comes pre-seasoned, no need to season after purchase. It is large enough to fit on two burners. Besides, the two handles allow you to apply and remove food from the center quickly.

Most importantly, you can also use it on the grill for cooking small food (thick veggies) which can fall through grill grates. It is all-cookers and oven compatible. However, it is not compatible with the glass top stove.

Cuisinart CI30-23Cr grill Pan is another masterpiece from Cuisinart, which is well-known for utensils. This iron cast grill pan with proclaim enamel coating is perfect to meet your all grilling needs. Moreover, the porcelain enamel interior also makes it non-stick and dishwasher safe.

The large iron handle offers comfortable usage. It also requires less oil and the ridges give you the perfect sear marks, making your grilling it pleasant. Like other pans, Cuisinart is also oven compatible and can even use for broiling. Most importantly, this square classic comes with three excellent color variants, which is perfect for dinner parties and things of that nature.

One of the unique aspects of this pan is the small curved tip on the left side, which is helpful when cooking something like gravy.

Calphalon Contemporary comes with impressive features. This gorgeous pan is made of puremedium0gauge aluminum which makes it lightweight and durable. We know the aluminum gauge is suitable for heat spread but not for grilling.

Therefore, this heavy-duty aluminum gauge has been hardly anodized to make it perfect for grilling. It contains three layers of non-stick coating- two layers for durability and one sheet for smooth release performance.

The long brushed stainless steel handle is specially designed to stay cool on the stovetop. Besides, the cover and pan are also oven safe and ideal for delicious cooking. This grill pan is PFOA free, hence offering safe and chemical-free cuisine.

The unique ridges give perfect grill marks and drain unwanted fats. The 11-inch cooking surface is enough to cook the right amount of meat and great veggies. Furthermore, the size and design are compatible to use on all cookware.

TeChef – Stovetop Korean Pan comes with a very unusual design, unique color, and premium look. It has many unique features like circular shape and swirls design on the surface which make it lavish.

The Unique swirl design has pores on the edge of the pan, which help to drain fatty oil through it and grill your produce just like the standard grilling. That is the reason that the pan is a bit dome shape and the swirl shapes have uplifted edges.

Moreover, the TeChef grill pan is coated with five layers of Dupont Teflon non-sticking coating which prevents the sticking of food that is PFOA free so that you can enjoy a safe and chemical-free grilling. Most importantly, this grill pan should be used on the gas stove only.

Calphalon 1948254 is another unique non-stick grill pan made by this brand. It is constructed with hard-anodized aluminum, and the stainless steel handle allows you to touch the handle without burning the hand.

The interior is made up of a non-stick sear surface, which allows proper searing and browning with even distribution. Furthermore, the non-stick layer is PFAO free, ensuring a chemical-free grilling with less oil use and easy release of food.

The 12 inches of cooking surface provides you with enough space to sear a large piece of meat and veggies. Also, the pan is dishwasher safe and compatible with the electrical ring, halogen and glass stovetop, gas stove, and oven.

Anolon is one of the most comfortable yet simple grill pans we’ve come across. 11 inches square deep cooking surface with hard-anodized aluminum coating, makes it highly durable and unique. The heavy-duty aluminum with hard anodized ensures quick and even heating of the food.

The Grill pan contains ridges at the bottom of the pan, which make grill marks on your food just like grill grates, enhancing your grilling experience. Moreover, these ridges also drain the oil from food, while the pour spouts allow you to remove these excess fats, grease, and oil easily.

Similarly, the hardy interior of aluminum allows you to use metal utensils. Besides, the Anolon SureGrip handle offers safe handling of the pan and is heat resistant up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. PFAO free coating allows you to save and clean the grilling of food.

The non-stick coating prevents sticking to the food when you grill and help to cook your food better. Furthermore, the non-stick coating also makes the cleaning easy and quick.

Bring your cooking experience to a whole new level with the unique and famous Rachael Ray hard Anodized II non-stick grill pan. As the name shows, it is made of hard-anodized aluminum, which makes it highly durable and enduring. Furthermore, the exterior is scratch-resistant, which makes it exceptionally durable.

Rachael ray is designed with pretty high edges. Hence it helps you in controlling food when you move it in the pan. Besides, it also allows for splattering oil everywhere as the food drops in the grill pan.

The handle is made of rubberized, heat-resistant material which helps to ensure safe handling of the pan. As the pan is non-stick, it secures easy food release. Moreover, it is dishwasher, reliable, and oven compatible.

The Le Creuset is a leading brand in the world of kitchen equipment with its incredible high-end products that appear to only get better with age. Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Square Grill is another incredible high-end product of this brand with its unique features.

This square grill pan is made of an even-heating cast iron interior which makes it highly durable. Besides, the exterior is colorful long-lasting enamel, which prevents it from chipping and cracking. The cast-iron handle provides a steady and robust grip.

It is perfect for crisping, frying meats, and veggies, while the ridges ensure tasty grill marks, drain oil, and fats. Most importantly, you can not only cook on this pan; you can also store it in the refrigerator. It is dishwasher safe and compatible with countless heat resources, such as ceramics, electricity, gas, and oven.

The Al-Clad grill pan is made of hard-anodized aluminum for fast and even heating with easy cleanup. The 11 inches of cooking area with broad ridges bottom and high side is perfect for searing, fry, and grill meat and veggies. These broad ridges give tasty grill marks just like grill grates, enhancing your grilling experience with the grill pan.

The non-stick coating in the interior is RAFO-free, ensuring healthier and less fat cooking of meat. Besides, the stainless steel handles are permanently secure with stainless steel rivets, allowing a firm and steady grip on the pan.

It is dishwasher safe, but hand wash is recommended. Moreover, it is also compatible with induction cookers, and ovens up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. With the limited lifetime warranty, it is a perfect package to enhance your grilling experience.

Buyer’s Guide 

Above, you have found the review of our most popular grill pan with its advantages and disadvantages. All are perfect for grilling in the kitchen and offer approximately similar results. Probably, you may select one of them which is best suitable for you. Although in case you get confused or you are a beginner, you will find it challenging to choose the one. We write a detailed buyer’s guide; it will take you through some of the essential aspects you should consider before buying.

Material

The very first and crucial thing to think about when buying an electric grill pan is the construction material. A good construction material not only gives a great look to the pan but also affects its working and durability. There are many different options of material available in the market to fabricate grill pans. But if you know each’s characteristics, You can quickly opt out of the best one. Here we sketch down some of the most common.

Enameled Cast-Iron

Cast-Iron is one of the most widely used materials used to make kitchen equipment like pans. Cast-iron pans can withstand a high-temperature range and offer a non-stick cooking style. Moreover, the non-stick coating provides a quick release, making the cleaning super fast and easy. It is highly durable and metal safe but takes some time to heat up.

Aluminum

Grill pan made with Aluminum is highly durable and gives an excellent grilling experience. They are non-stick, withstand high-temperature range, resistant to corrosion, and ensure a fast and easy cleaning.

Stainless Steel

Unlike Cast-iron, Stainless steel offers instant and rapid heating. They are highly durable, safe metal utensils with a non-stick coating that give your food a delicious taste. Moreover, they are also dishwasher safe, ensuring a super fast and easy cleaning. 

Ceramic 

Ceramic pan is not as popular as others. They have high heat retention and non-stick coating, but it is not highly durable despite all these features. They can break and crack easily after falling, which makes them the least durable.

Size

The very next factor after the material is the size of the pan you are going to buy. Size matter the most. If you need a pan for home usage, then a small and compact will be ideal for you. However, if you want to cook for many people at once, then you should buy a large width pan. Mostly the pan available ranges from 11 inches to 20 inches. If compared, a 20-inch grill pan is ideal for grilling in large quantities at once.

Pan Shape

Pan shape is another important factor that directly influences the quantity of food being grill in a pan. There are circular and square shape pans available in the market. When compared, a square shape offers more space to cook plenty of food at once, even though as the same in size as a circular one. The large surface area provides more significant space for cooking multiple items at once. Hence, I always prefer square shape pans for helpful and effortless cooking. 

Handle

The handle is an indispensable part of a pan which has a great influence on cooking. A pan with a long handle allows you to lift the pan from a long distance from the heating source, consequently reducing the risk of burning hands. However, it can increase the total weight of the pan, especially in the case of cast iron. In such a case, most of the pans have a helper handle of loop shape opposite to the long handle, helpful for easy lifting.

Grill Press

Most people prefer grilled food with proper and defined grill marks for a better taste and visual experience. For such people, there are pans with a matching press. However, you can also get such a result without a grill press, but if you don’t have the experience, prefer the one with the press.

Grills and Ridges

Grills and ridges are key to a great grilling experience. A pan with deep ridges allows the extra oil to quickly drain out of the food, giving you fat-free food with good sear marks. However, If the ridges are curved at the end of the pan or not deep, it will not drain out extra fat giving you fatty and oily grilled food, which is not good anyway.

Therefore, always choose the grill pan with deep ridges to get an excellent and fat-free grilling experience.

Heat conduction and Radiation

A good grill pan is one that can heat up quickly and have a more splendid heat retention property. Because they have deep ridges; hence some parts of food don’t touch the pan’s surface. Consequently, if the pan has greater heat retention quality, it will perfectly cook the food. Therefore always prefer to choose a pan that has high heat retention power. 

Versatility

Another feature that makes the pan ideal is its versatility so that you can use them on a stovetop, oven, or even in an induction cooktop. Many pans can only be used on the stovetop; consequently, if you wanted to use them on any appliance, check before buying. A versatile pan could be used for a longer run and is ideal for easy cooking.

The Bottom line: Which one is the best Grill Pan?

The grill pan is becoming invaluable in the kitchen, as grilling is becoming essential in parties, dinners, and get-to-gathers. In the above article, we sum up all about the grill pans with a brief review of some of the most popular grill pans. The detailed buyer’s guide will help you to find which one is the best.

After reading this article, I am 100% sure you should select the one that is according to your needs and budget. You may also like to check our list of the best gas grill that you can buy.