Doing my share for going GREEN and oil free!
Written: Oct 06 '09 (Updated Oct 06 '09)
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Pros: Hamburgers frozen to table in 10 minutes...faster than going to a fast food joint.
Cons: Good, but not the same flavor as grilling outdoors.
The Bottom Line: Excellent choice for indoor burgers and hot dogs. Heats quickly, leaves grill marks. Oven safe to 500 degrees.
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| xyzwyatt's Full Review: Cuisinart GreenGourmet 11-Inch Square Grill Pan |
I may not be able to fit any more appliances into my kitchen, but by golly there's still room for a pan if I stand it upright on the side!
It has occurred to me that our family should start making healthier choices. I'm not ready to start boiling whole wheat pasta, but I thought eliminating numerous drizzles of oil each day would eventually add up.
I do not use Teflon pans because I think they are hard to care for and I usually cook at a higher heat. (Or it could be because I believe the chemicals are going to kill us.) I was thrilled when I learned that Cuisinart has a new technology called Ceramica™ which looks very similar to Teflon, but the ingredients are different.
The pan is bigger than burner, won't that cause uneven cooking? Not really because Ceramica™ has high heat conductivity. This pan heats up faster than I expected and stays hot longer after taking it off the burner. This can give you the tempting fajitas sizzle effect like you get in a restaurant.
I really liked that this pan is oven safe to 500 degrees. First of all I'm thrilled that I can use the pan in the oven. Any time I can use an item for multi purposes, the happier I am. This allows the cook to sear the meat on the stove top and then bake in the oven without dirtying another pan.
The ribbed design looked interesting online, but I was skeptical. I have been completely amazed by the sear marks on the meat. We are firm believers that meat belongs on a grill, but sometimes it's too dark outside, raining....or we run out of gas in the middle of preparing! This grill pan is a very good substitute to booting up the grill when you just don't have the time or the energy.
Hot Dogs – Awesome grill marks without burning the hot dogs. (Nice job going healthy, hu?) My kids even made hot dogs themselves with this pan. It's a lot easier because the hot dogs can be rolled one turn at a time. In a flat pan they roll around and the sides may not cook evenly.
Hamburgers – Awesome grill marks! Four large patties fit comfortably on the grill. It only took about 1 minute to heat up the pan, and the burgers went from frozen do done in 8-10 minutes.
Steak – This is the only piece of meat that I think is hands down better in the grill. The meat just didn't have the to die for flavor and texture that it does on the gas grill. Perhaps next time we'll try cooking the steak on this pan in the oven (it's safe up to 500 degrees) rather than the stove top. Avoid cooking steak on it.
Chicken – I grilled marinated chicken the first time. The juice evaporated and cooked the meat faster and didn't stick to the pan like I know that it would have in a stainless pan. I usually have to use a lot of oil for Chicken. I made several batches of seasoned chicken strips. I thought the seasoning might burn to the pan, or the chicken without oil would burn, but it turned out just fine.
Pork – We had a very thick piece of meat which took longer to cook due to the thickness. I didn't put any oil on the pan at all. Despite the length of time the meat was on the grill pan, the outside did not burn or even get crunchy.
The handle is made of 70% recycled stainless steel. It does stay cool on the stove top as promised. Even with food on the pan, the weight is distributed well so it's not heavy or hard to manage.
Some grill pans have a notch to pour off grease but this one does not. I only use this for grilling so the liquid stays inside the meat or evaporates off when it hits the pan. I haven't had a need to pour anything off.
I also haven't had a need to scrub anything off. It cleans up easily with soap and water which is good news because it is hand wash only.
This Cuisinart grill pan has replaced my need for the George Forman which is bulky and pours juices all of the counter. This also heats up a lot faster and is easier to clean and leaves better grill marks and even takes less time to cook than the Foreman.
Despite all of the ridges on the top, the bottom is flat and safe for a glass cook top. It only fits on the large burner and cuts into room the back burner needs so I am not able to have a pot on the back burner while I'm using this.
I have found several times that one piece of meat cooks faster than another and I'm not sure why. I do have to center the pan on the burner frequently because flipping the meat seems to scoot it off of the burner. If the meat isn't cooking evenly this is usually the cause for me.
Overall
I thought this pan would be in my never used pile, but I have been using this pan the most. I love the nonstick Ceramica™ and I really dig the grill marks on the meat. Meat requires absolutely no oil whatsoever and nothing has ever stuck to the pan in my experience.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40
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Epinions.com ID:
xyzwyatt
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Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 542
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Be a coffee-drinking individual - espresso yourself!
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