Manufacturer's Description
Grilled food has a number of advantages it's healthy, it's quick and it's versatile. Grilled vegetables, sizzling meat, seared fish; a dash of your favourite oil on the Grillit ribs a great chargrilled flavour and look. Fast cooking for busy lives.
About Le Creuset Cast Iron Grillits
Le Creuset have been making ribbed and flat grillits for a number of years because cast iron is the best material to use for an item that has to withstand very high grill temperatures. Apart from the strength a cast iron grillit offers it won't damage when hot as other materials do. All Le Creuset Grillits are also completely covered in vitreous enamel, protecting the surface and making it far easier to use and clean.
What advantage does this black enamel offer?
(1) Grilling is carried out on surfaces that become very hot and the black enamel can withstand those temperatures.
(2) At high temperatures some elements in the food itself, e.g. sugars will caramelise (these produce the attractive sear lines on the food) and these will, over time, cause discolouring on lighter coloured enamels which may be difficult to remove.
(3) A black enamel surface will remain black and allow its' patina to build. A patina is a baked on surface produced with continued cooking. It is produced naturally from the oils you use for grilling and the oils and fats produced from the foods themselves. The stronger the patina the better the cooking surface will become, eventually allowing almost 'fat free' grilling.
Why do Le Creuset grills not have a non-stick cooking surface?
Because it isn't necessary. A black vitreous enamel surface can offer all the advantages of a non-stick surface but will not damage, peel or deteriorate during high temperature grilling. No non-stick surface can withstand the repeated high surface temperatures that grilling requires. Therefore a non-stick surface will deteriorate quickly and peel off. Additionally a non-stick surface will not produce the same seared finish to the food. Cooked food colours are usually paler and the food often has less flavour as a result.