Day 74 - The Grill Pan!

My wife made this incredible investment and bought this grill pan about a month or so ago. It's basically a 100% iron (I think) pan that you can use on your stove top. Here's the breakdown:

The Good:
- Veggies grilled on this (with absolutely no seasoning whatsoever) are AMAZING. Don't ask me why or how, but grilling on this thing somehow brings out the natural sweetness and aroma of any veggie. Steaming/boiling/frying/sauteing doesn't even come close. I came home one night and there was just this amazing aroma coming from the kitchen. It smelled like she was making a stew or something. Come to find out, all my wife was doing was grilling carrots. Just carrots!
- The only thing you need to add is a touch of oil (we use olive oil). However the oil is needed just to keep the pan "oiled" so whatever you are cooking on it doesn't stick to it. As you can see from the ridges, there is minimal contact between the pan and whatever you put on it, so I think the actual oil that gets onto the food is pretty minimal.
- The pan itself was about JPY 3,000, which is about USD 30. I'm sure you can find it for cheaper outside of Japan, but considering what it does, I think it's a great inexpensive investment.

The Bad:
- It's not as straightforward to use as you would think. I guess because it is iron, you have to bring the heat up very gradually before you can start grilling veggies on it. We place the grill pan on the stove top and turn on the stove at it's lowest heat first. After 2 min or so when we can tell the pan is warmed up, we'll turn the stove up to the next setting. Another 2 min and then the next setting. And so on until we get to the number 4 setting on our stove. It's not difficult, but it takes time and patience.
- Upkeep takes time also. To clean it, you have to wait until it's completely cooled down. Then you soak it in warm water and use a brush to take off anything that got stuck on it (absolutely no cleaners or liquid soap, just warm water and a brush). Once that's done, you have to wipe it down and wait until it's completely dry. Then you'll want to oil it (with a piece of kitchen paper and whatever oil you use to cook) to keep it in good condition and ready for the next time you will use it.

Overall I would say if you have the time and don't mind the extra effort it takes, I would highly recommend trying the grill pan for your veggies. Without using any seasonings whatsoever (and only a minimal amount of olive oil), you will have incredible tasting veggies prepared in a very healthy manner! Below is a pic of the grill pan in action!