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Best grill pan to use with Bluestar RNB

13 years ago

I have a 36" RNB four burner with griddle. I wish now I would have gotten the grill instead of the griddle. I see grill pans used on the Food Network, and am thinking of getting one that spans both burners. Question is:

Cast iron or non-stick aluminum? There seems to be two main types, either cast iron, or non-stick aluminum. It would seem to me that cast iron would grill better, but be harder to clean. Does anyone have experience with both?

Thanks

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Comments (4)

moelarrycurly
13 years ago
I have a 36" RNB with six burners. Typically in the middle I put a two burner cast iron grill. I prefer the cast iron. You can use metal utensils without worrying about scratching off the non-stick coating. The sear is also good with cast iron, and not so much with non-stick. I have 22k burners in the middle under the griddle/grill.

Cast iron is easy to clean after it is seasoned. Not as easy as non-stick surface but I think it isn't bad.

To season, wash the cast iron, and then coat with cooking oil. Similar to a carbon steel wok. Heat on high on the stove top or in the oven. All off the oil will burn/smoke off. This will give the cast-iron a natural non-stick coating. When you wash cast-iron do not wash it with soap just hot water and sponge/brush. Do not let cast iron air dry as it may develop rust. Put it on the stove and turn it on high, the heat will dry the cast iron.
dhae
13 years ago
Hai Mikensx, I purchased the Emeril Cast Iron 10 inch. I am very pleased with my purchase

Here is a link that might be useful: Microwave Convection Oven
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ebean
13 years ago
cast iron is best. i own several single cast iron pans. however, for my griddle, i bought a 'nonstick' swiss diamond double griddle and have been very happy with it. it's expensive but i found it on the web as a '2nd' and it's just fine at 1/3 of the price.
amcook
13 years ago
I would go with cast iron as well. Cast iron is actually very easy to care for as long as you know how.

- Never use soap on it except perhaps during initial cleaning and seasoning.
- Scrape with a metal spatula right after use and get either steel wool or one of these abrasive scouring pads to scrub under hot water if necessary.
- *Never* put a hot cast iron pan in water or pour water into/onto it. For me 90% of the time, a simple scrape and rinse is enough.

Sometimes just wiping it down is sufficient. The key is to leave the oils on it because that's what keeps it from rusting. If your pan starts to look dull after washing, heat it up to dry it off completely and rub in a thin coat of oil using a paper towel. Applying heat is important to get rid of any moisture that could get trapped under the oil you are applying. After apply the oil, heat until it starts to smoke, then turn off and let cool.

If you have anything crusted on, you can soak the pan for a bit but I'd avoid leaving it overnight. If you fill the pan with hot water and set it on the stove to boil for a minute or two, even the crustiest pan can be easily cleaned. Then just follow the steps above to apply a new thin coat of oil to refresh the seasoning.

Good luck.

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