The Grill Pan

I went to Bed Bath and Beyond today to exchange
one of these: Le Creuset 9 1/2" Skinny Square Grill


for one of these: Le Creuset 10 1/4" Square Grill


...and ended up with one of these: Calphalon Cast Iron Enameled 11" Panini Grill



The skinny square grill seemed perfect, easy to store. But its handles are too small and put your fingers too close to the flame. Back it went in favor of one with a nice big honkin' handle you can wrap your fingers around.

BB&B didn't have the Le Creuset 10-1/4" square grill, but they did have the panini grill with the heavy lid (I guess to squish sandwiches?). I didn't realize until I was at the checkout that it was the Calphalon brand, not the Le Creuset (what will my mother say!). That explained the price difference.

(The Le Creuset skinny square grill pan's instructions seemed to be a cut-and-paste from other Le Creuset products though, which I think is a little inexcusable given their reputation. The instructions said to use the product only on low and medium heat, and not to put it in the oven above 350. I can see that for a French Oven with a plastic lid knob, but a grill? The whole point is high heat. The Calphalon instructions said oven-safe up to 500 degrees.)

I initiated my new grill pan on something I've never found a great way to cook: turkey burgers. And, they didn't disappoint: another huge crusty, caked-on mess, made somewhat worse by sticking to the pan, and tearing apart when I tried to flip them. I guess I'll be non-stick-pan-frying those turkey burgers again, but I did like using the heavy lid to compact them.



I have a lot to learn about pan-grilling, but I can't wait to try sea scallops. At least, it looked easy on a cooking show...!