Le Creuset Cast Iron Round Grillit, Volcanic, 26 cm

Le Creuset manufactures porcelain enameled cast iron cooking vessels as well as other products. Le Creuset casts these cooking vessels from molten iron poured in sand moulds that are used only once. For this reason, one grill may look like another, but each is unique in its own way.

Cast iron is a highly efficient material which absorbs and distributes heat efficiently. It is recommended that cooking with cast iron be done on low to medium heat. Using this grill on high heat can cause poor results for your food as well as making cleaning more difficult. Removing cast iron from the heat does not cool it off quickly. This helps your food stay warm while serving. Beware; iron tends to be heavy so these cooking vessels tend to be heavy as well.

Cleaning the grills are not quite as easy as its enamel coated cooking surface cousins, but is not that difficult either with a good stiff nylon brush and proper heating technique. When cleaning; be sure to cool the grill just enough so that the brush doesn't melt. It's advisable to have some warmth as a completely cooled grill will make residues stick more firmly to the surface. If needed soak the grill in soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Since Le Creuset grills are not enameled on the cooking surface, you will need to break in the grill. This is a simple process of oiling the grill lightly before cooking on it. I use Pam, but vegetable oil could be used as well. Olive oil is not recommended as it tends to have a low smoking point. If you do choose to use olive oil, I would recommend having proper ventilation. Over time and use, the grill will take on a brownish-black color and require less oil. Since the brownish-black color is beneficial, do not attempt to scrub this off. Dishwashing the grill may also prevent or slow down the breaking in process too.

The benefits of cooking with Le Creuset cast iron are many, but lets get down to the grill specifically. This grill has a 9 1/2 inch round cooking surface with ridges and wells. The wells capture the drippings and fat while cooking for a healthy meal. Unlike products such as the George Foreman grill there is no top to press out all the juices which causes a drier meal.

To determine if the grill is hot, scatter a few drops of cold water over the surface, if they "Spit" and evaporate almost immediately, the surface is ready to cook on. All items should be "dry" before cooking, remove excess moisture by patting on a paper towel. Once on the grill, do not move constantly or distinctive lines will not be produced. I like to move three times after placing the food on the grill to produce diamond markings on each side.

One feature that people tend to complain about is the cost. The cost does seem steep compared to other pans made from other materials. Heck, cast iron doesn't seem like it should be expensive when comparing to that old cast iron pan past generations have used for cornbread and camping. However the manufacturing process requires making a mould for each and every pan produced. They then go through the enameling process before shipping these heavy pans. If you take what goes into making and distributing these high quality cast iron products, the cost tends to make sense. Then consider that this pan will easily last a lifetime when taken care of.

PROS:
Efficient absorption and distribution of heat
Can be transferred from stove top to the oven to the table
Provides a healthy way to cook
Can easily last a lifetime

CONS:
Its heavy, as cast iron tends to be weighing in at about 4 pounds

I have owned lots of "nonstick" pans & stainless steel, BBQ grills, etc. None has been as easy to use as this (or so worth using!) & I use it almost every day. It isn't that hard to clean really. I use an oil sprayer to pre-oil it (I use macadamia nut oil because of the high smoke point/health reasons but Pam should be fine), then I preheat in on medium heat (I have a ceramic top stove, which doesn't heat as well as gas, but I NEVER have to go higher than low-med to med). Once it's hot (a water drop "pops" on the surface), I put my meat, chicken, or fish & DON'T touch it for at least 5 minutes. Once the food releases easily, THEN you can turn it. But DON'T TOUCH before then! Our oven was broken for 2 wks recently & we didn't miss it. The only thing you might miss an outdoor grill for is that "smoky" taste. Otherwise, this makes beef, pork, chicken, & fish better (juicy with a wonderfully seared, carmelized surface) than most restaurants & with less effort than driving there! All I usually season with is sea salt & cracked pepper.

Cleaning is no big deal if you don't make a big deal. Trust me, I HATE things that take a lot of effort. Just take it off the heat, put some warm water in it to cover the cooked on bits & leave it alone for a couple hours (I've even left it overnight--no rust). It's an enameled surface INSIDE the pan, not just the outside, so you don't have to worry the way you worry about rust or leaving water standing in a regular cast iron pan (been there, done that). When you're ready to scrub, DO NOT use a scrubby sponge, which is a messy hassle & really does make the job harder (been there, done that). A PLAIN NYLON DISH BRUSH with good STIFF bristles is perfect & gets all the bits out of the grooves in no time (even at the sides). It doesn't remove all the seasoning either. Then dry it thoroughly & put it away for dinner tomorrow. I sooo love this pan, & I am sooo about quality and ease of use. I also love the Le Creuset 2 1/2 qt buffet casserole. I've had these for about a year & can't live without them. :-)

I will say that the outside of these pans will accumulate cooked on stains & I don't know how to get those off, but I don't have my pans out in view. I've tried Weiman Glass Cooktop Cleaner & a lot of elbow grease, which works. Be nice to know if anything does make that easier.

Despite this, I still have to give this pan a 5, just for the quality of food prep.

i bought the LE CRUESET skinny round grill cuz i hate to use my long reversible griddle/grill for only a couple steak. it is my first Le Crueset purchase and was chosen for it's beauty as well as practicality; the "range-to-table" appellation clearly applies here with the glittering lava black pan surface and graceful iron handles, fired a brilliant contrasting enamel, in my case, Flame. the soft oval shape lets it double as a fajita pan. if you don't like the anvil-like weight of cast iron--and this is about as light as you can get in this series, not counting lids--you can easily hang the grill up as a work of art (make sure you use a stud finder though or you might have one less child or dog!). in the cooking arena, the pan lives up to all it's promises. it really does retain the heat and cooks wonderfully on medium, so you don't have to worry about damaging the lovely paint, which also covers the bottom. the upturned sides, just low enough to avoid a steamed effect, undesirable in grilled foods, insures no grease spills over. the only thing that bothered me is it's difficulty in cleaning, but that puts it in league with most of its competitors.