The Best Grill Pan for Gas Stove

For those of you that don’t have a lot of backyard space or live in an area with less than perfect weather, cooking on a grill pan can be a great way to still enjoy that wonderful barbeque taste on burgers and steaks using a gas stove. Finding a good grill pan will give you that smoky, flame-broiled flavor that you get from an outdoor grill as well as those awesome grill marks that everyone loves. It’s important that you choose a grill pan that is suited for a gas stove to make sure that you maximize its use. Here are a few tips and reviews to help you find the best grill pan for gas stove.

See Also:

Benefits of Using A Grill Pan

There are tons of benefits to using a grill pan, here are a few of the main reasons you should consider owning one:

Grill Marks – Everyone knows that a steak will differently when it has grill marks on it. Not only will the meat look grilled, but the little black marks are tasty and crusty. You typically only get these types of grill marks when you use an outdoor grill or at a restaurant. If you use a grill pan, you can get these same grill marks when you cook indoors.
Save Time – Since grill pans are typically larger pans that have a square cushion or round shape, they are able to cook more types of food at one time. You can actually cook chicken, vegetables, and beef all at the same time without having the juices and sauces mix. This will not only save you on cooking time, but also the need to cook and wash the pan before cooking something different.
Collect Fat – Equipped with ridges, the grill pan allows the juices and fat to drop off where they can be collected and turned into sauces. You can then use the sauce on the fish, chicken, or steak you just grilled.
Cook Indoors – One of the best parts of having a grill pan is that it works on any type of indoor cooking surface, so there is no need to go outside. This is a great feature that allows you to grill and enjoy a steak even when it’s raining.
Healthy Cooking – Most grill pans will cook food that is healthier for you since they drain away from the fat in the pan. Plus, they will also give you the full flavor of any type of food that you cook.

Our Recommendations

1. Cuisinart 630-30 Chef's Classic

Non-stick and highly wear-resistant, the Cuisinart 630-30 Chef’s Classic is a professional level hard anodized pan. With a smooth finish for easy cleaning, this non-porous pan offers 100 percent aluminum free cooking and is also metal utensil safe. The cool grip handle will help protect your hands as you cook and the drip-free rim helps to prevent messes.

Using a Titanium reinforced cooking surface, this non-stick pan allows you to cook healthy food and makes clean up quick and easy. The Cuisinart 630-30 has a durable exterior and is ideal for one-dish meals. With a 12-inch diameter, you can make generous portions of fish, chicken, and beef fillets.

The drip-free rim is tapered for easy pouring and is easy to clean. The Cuisinart 630-30 Chef’s Classic is a hand-wash only pan that is oven safe to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Offering unsurpassed heat distribution, this stainless-steel pan also comes with a tempered glass cover.

Pros

It has a super easy cleanup
The pan has a nice long handle that stays cool to the touch
This is a lightweight pan considering its size

Cons

Some burners are not big enough for it
It doesn’t have the weight some people look for in a pan

2. Jean Patrique The Whatever Pan

This cast aluminum griddle pan comes with a glass lid and is oven-friendly. The Jean Patrique The Whatever Pan is an incredibly versatile pan that can grill, sear, and sizzle all your family’s favorite foods. Easily becoming a staple in your kitchen, this pan features deep1.8-inches on the sides to help keep your oven and counter spotless.

This high-quality pan is constructed of die-cast aluminum, which is lighter than cast-iron, but just as durable and impressive. You can use The Whatever Pan over a campfire, or on gas, electric, or ceramic. Suitable for temperatures up to 250 degrees Celsius, this pan was designed to work inside your oven. Plus, it features a non-stick surface that is also non-toxic and produces healthier food.

3. TeChef Stovetop Korean BBQ Non-Stick Grill Pan

Featuring a durable five-layer nonstick surface, the TeChef Grill Pan is made with heavy-gauge aluminum and is dishwasher safe. Offering a healthy way to cook food for your family, this durable and nonstick cookware is fun and easy to use as well as environmentally safe. With its unique dome shape and swirled channel bottom, this pan easily drains grease to keep your kitchen stove clean and grease-free.

Helping you to stay on your low-fat diet, the TeChef Grill Pan allows you to control your calorie, carb, cholesterol, and fat intake. It is oven-safe up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and contains no lead, Cadmium, or PFOA.

Featuring an innovative cooking design, you can use the TeChef Grill Pan to grill any type of fish or meat as well as vegetables. It’s actually a fun and low-fat way to have a barbecue. Coated with five times with Teflon Print Design, this is one of the best non-stick pans on the market.

4. Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle Pan

This reversible grill and griddle combination pan has the versatility you need for a hungry family. The Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle Pan has a smooth side for pancakes, eggs, and grilled cheese sandwiches while the ribbed side is ideal for cooking burgers, chicken, fish, and steak.

This cast-iron pan comes seasoned and ready to cook with its easy-release and natural finish. The Lodge Grill/Griddle Pan is perfect for use on a campfire, grill, stove, or in an oven. This is a durable and long-lasting product that is part of the Lodge Cast Iron cookware line that has been around since 1896.

Since Lodge Cast-Iron comes seasoned and ready to use, you can start enjoying your family favorites immediately. This is an easy to clean product that needs to be washed by hand and dried thoroughly before being stored in a dry place.

Pros

It has a nice heavyweight and is a great size for a family
Its non-stick surface is easy to clean
This pan holds heat super well

Cons

It can rust easily

5. Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron Signature Square Skillet Grill

Offering all those delicious flavors you enjoy from an outdoor grill, the Creuset Cast Iron Signature Square Skillet Grill also provides the convenience of cooking indoors. With high ridges, the excess grease and fat easily drain away. And, it is coated with a protective satin black finish that stops wear and damage.

Providing incredible heat retention and even heat distribution, the Le Creuset Square Skillet Grill is equipped with two spouts, one on each side, that work as drip-free pours. The included looped handle also offers added stability when you lift a full pan. You won’t need to season this pan thanks to the satin black finish, so it’ll be ready to cook your family’s favorites right out of the box.

The Le Creuset Square Skillet Grill also features a colorful and long-lasting exterior enamel that will resist cracking and chipping, plus strong iron handles help to provide a steady grip. The included ridges not only help remove grease, but they leave tasty grill marks along with lower-fat cooking.

Ideal for cooking vegetables as well as shrimp, steak, and chicken, this dishwasher safe pan gives you the incredible taste of cooking on an outdoor grill.

What Is A Grill Pan?

Often referred to as a griddle pan, a grill pan is basically a cooking pan with raised edges. It will also have grill lines spaced around the pan one to two centimeters apart. Typically, the grill lines are raised 1/2 centimeters high allowing the food’s juice to drip down. A grill pan usually comes wtih a non-stick surface and can be made from various types of materials.

How do You Use a Grill Pan?

Super easy to use, grill pans are similar to an ordinary frying pan and are made with a durable metal that can withstand medium to high heat. Remember that depending on if your grill pan has a non-stick coating or not, you may want to only go as high as medium to stop any coating from becoming burned and ruining the grill pan.

When using a grill pan, just follow these easy steps:

Prep the food – You want to make sure your food cooks evenly, so it’s important to cut the food up into pieces or pound it so that you are only grilling pieces off food that is ½-inch thick enabling the food to lie flat. This will keep a thick piece of food from overcooking and ensure that their center has your preferred level of doneness.
Heating – Heat up your stove to medium-high heat and then place the grill pan onto your stove. You can hold your hand right above the grill pan in order to feel the heat and decide how hot it is. It should only take about five to 20 minutes to heat up the pan depending on your stove type.
Oiling – You do not want to coat the grill pan with oil since that will cause it to smoke at a high temperature. You can simply spray oil onto the vegetables before you cook them. Pork, chicken, meat, and fish will not need oil since their natural oils come out as they cook.
Grill – If you want those amazing grill lines, place food directly onto the grill at a 45-degree angle. Turn the food to a 90-degree angle when it is about halfway cooked to get those nice square grill marks.

Different Types of Cooktops and Stoves for Grill Pans

With all the grill pans that are available for sale, it can be hard to know which is the right one for your kitchen. The first thing you need to consider is what type of stove do you have and what type of grill pan works best for it.

Induction cooktops – Thanks to their to heat up pans quickly, induction cooktops are becoming very popular. Cast iron grill pans are great for induction cooktops, but they can scratch the surface on an induction cooktop if you aren’t careful. You can, however, purchase an enameled cast iron pan which has a layer coating the cast iron to stop it from scratching an induction cooktop.

Electric stoves – Usually, you want to stay away from a cast iron pan if you have an electric stove. Since cast iron is so heavy and solid, it can take it awhile to heat up, and, typically, an electric stove will heat up less quickly than other types of stoves.

Glass top stoves – A glass top stove is prone to scratching, so you will want to avoid a grill pan that is made of cast iron, glass, or ceramic, which may scratch the surface of a glass top stove. Even something simple like aluminum foil can damage a glass top stove.

What Types of Food Can You Make on a Grill Pan?

You have almost endless possibilities when it comes to types of food that you can grill on a grill pan. Here are a few highlights that work really well with the grill pan. Even if you don’t usually make these foods, having a grill pan might be a good reason to start, especially when you see how easy they are to make. Using a grill pan can add variety and flavor to your regular everyday meals as well.

Shrimp – Cooking shrimp is a delicate process, but with a grill pan, they are able to handle the heat. Use jumbo shrimp to get the best results, and you’ll love how awesome they look in a salad with grill marks.
Lamb – Grill pans are able to get really good grill marks on lamb. Look for a recipe that calls for grilling a whole rack of lamb or try a good lamb chop recipe.
Vegetables – Certain vegetables are great on a grill pan like jalapenos, carrots, asparagus, and mushrooms. Or you can try thickly cut vegetables like zucchini and eggplant.
Sandwiches – If you enjoy paninis, a grill pan can be a great addition to your kitchen. You can also create avocado and bacon, turkey burgers, and grilled tofu sandwiches.

Features to Look for in a Grill Pan

Material

Like any type of cooking pan, each type of material that the grill pan can be made out of has its advantages and disadvantages. With cast iron, you will get evenly retained heat that can easily be used on an induction cooktop, but they tend to be heavy. Aluminum typically comes with some sort of nonstick coating, can heat up quickly, is lightweight, and responds to changes in heat, but you can’t use an aluminum pan on an induction cooktop.

Cleaning

Due to the grooves and ridges in a grill pan, they can be a little harder to clean than a flat pan. If it has a nonstick coating that makes them super easy to clean, but they may not survive the use of metal utensils or aggressive scrubbing. An uncoated pan can handle some aggressive scrubbing; however, food will probably get stuck frequently. Look for grill pans that are also dishwasher safe, which makes them very easy to clean.

Size

Available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, it’s important that you choose a grill pan that will suit your cooking needs. While a bigger pan may seem like a great idea to use when guests are over, you need to make sure you have the space to store a large grill pan.

It’s important to match the base of the pan to the size of the stovetop heat zone in order to maximize its efficiency and to stop damage to its handles or overheating of the pan sides. You want to make sure that the gas flames are confined just to the base area, and do not extend around the pan’s sidewalls. A long handle needs to be safely positioned so that it does not have over other heat zones or the front of the stove.

Ridges

As you grill, you don’t need grease or oil on your food. By choosing a grill pan that has a deep ridge, you can achieve the same effect without your food sitting in all that unhealthy oil. The deep ridge will collect all the oil and juice that is dripping from your food, and some pans even have drains or added depressions that can collect all the unwanted oil.

Heat Distribution

Look for a grill pan that uses materials that ensures even heat distribution. This will eliminate hot spots that may ruin your food. If you have hot spots, the same piece of food can both be semi-cooked in areas and well- cooked in others, which isn’t a fun experience.

Oven Rating

It’s possible to use a grill pan inside your oven to bake with. If you plan to do this, look for a grill pan that supports the oven temperature you need to bake at. Typically, you will find them rated between 300- and 400-degrees Fahrenheit.

Handle

The grill panhandle needs to be long enough that it keeps you hand a safe distance from the hot heat source that you are using. A long handle also helps to increase the grill pan’s weight, especially when you’re talking about a cast iron grill pan. Some grill pans even have a tab or loop on the handle, which helps make lifting a heavy grill pan a lot easier.

Cooking with Cast Iron

Cooking with cast iron can be reliable on any type of heat source, which includes induction, grills, and any oven. With the ability to efficiently retain heat, a cast iron grill pan allows you to use lower heat settings for oven or stove top cooking. When placed on the table, the hot covered dish will stay hot long enough for seconds. Cast iron also performs well for either high temperature searing or slow cooking. You can also use cast iron to keep foods cold. If you have a chilled dish, you can place the cast iron in the freezer or for advanced food prep.

Enameled cast iron is another type of cast iron pan that is made from a robust and remarkable material that performs well with the requirements of modern stoves. You can find a shape that is right for baking cakes, sear steak, cook casseroles, and stir-fry.

Conclusion

The winner of the best grill pan for gas stove is the Cuisinart 630-30 Chef’s Classic. Not only does it have a smooth finish for easy cleaning, but this pan is also non-stick and highly wear-resistant. A professional-level hard anodized pan offers 100 percent aluminum free cooking and is also metal utensil-safe, plus the cool grip handle will help protect your hands as you cook and the drip-free rim helps to prevent messes.

Using a Titanium reinforced cooking surface, this non-stick pan offers lasting food release and healthy cooking. The Cuisinart 630-30 has a durable exterior and is ideal for one-dish meals. With a 12-inch diameter, you can make generous portions of fish, chicken, and beef fillets.

Offering unsurpassed heat distribution, this stainless-steel pan also comes with a tempered glass cover. The definite winner of the best grill pan for gas stove is the Cuisinart 630-30 Chef’s Classic hands down.

The Best Grill Pan for Gas Stove - Unbiased Reviews