Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 9-Inch Panini Press Review

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(More customer reviews)While shopping a retail cooking store, I fell in love with the Krups FDE312 panini press. A bit of Amazon research, however, turned up a disturbing pattern of sudden failures in this product. Research into other presses from Cuisinart, DeLonghi, Breville, Villaware, and others failed to produce a clear front runner. It seemed that each product had one or more issues - non-removable grill plates, difficult cleaning, lack of grill ribs, flimsy handles, tendency to dry food, non-adjustable temperature, etc. Enter the Le Creuset 10 ¼" grill pan and panini press. You can submerge them to clean. They're coated with enamel, not Teflon, which means with proper care they will last two lifetimes (although they're only guaranteed for the lifetime of the original owner). There's no electrical element to burn out, no cord to store, no moving parts to break. Use is simple. Heat the grill on one burner (we have gas, but they're supposed to work with other technologies) and the press on the other. Wait until a spatter of water vaporizes almost instantly. Brush grill pan with some oil. Place sandwiches on grill pan. Pick up the press, brush on some oil, place on sandwiches and press for a few moments. Sizzle, sizzle. Wait until the cheese melts. Serve. The panini were just like what I'd eaten in Italy. I haven't owned an electric press, but I can't imagine they'd be better. Cleanup of the enamel surface requires a bit of care but, unlike every Teflon-coated product I've ever owned, that surface will probably still be there 20 years from now. And since the grill pan actually has sides (unlike every electric panini press I looked at), there was no side-spattering and thus no cleanup to do around the cooking area. The only disadvantage - the grill/press combination cost me $150, about twice the cost of the average electric panini grill. But since many of the grill reviews I read spoke of this being their second (or third) electric grill, I suspect I'll make my money back over the next 20 years.

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Easily impart authentic grill marks on food--from cafe-style hot sandwiches to paninis and melts--with help from this 9-inch weighted press. The square-shaped press helps trap heat while creating tasty grill marks on the top side of sandwiches. It nicely complements any Le Creuset square-shaped grill, but can also be used with other brands of skillets and pans. Like other pieces in Le Creuset's line of enameled cast iron, the panini press features a long-lasting enamel exterior that resists chipping and cracking, while its underside provides a satin black enamel--no need to season the cookware in the oven before use. As cast iron is unexcelled for even heat distribution and superior heat retention, the panini press helps cook food uniformly and gently without hot spots and can be used for cooking on the stovetop or finishing in the oven. Oven-safe up to 350 degrees F, the press comes fitted with a heat-resistant phenolic knob and should be hand washed for best results.

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Cuisinart GreenGourmet 11-Inch Square Grill Pan Review

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(More customer reviews)Since my old outdoor grill was recently retired, & this is not the time of the year to purchase a new one, I decided to buy this pan instead. I have to say that it does as good a job at grilling meat as my gas barbeque did. It grills vegetables & fish perfectly. Overall, I am very pleased with this item & would highly recommend it.

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Cook up delicious, healthy meals for your family with the environmentally minded Cuisinart Green Gourmet Hard Anodized 11-inch square grill pan, featuring Cuisnart's new energy-efficient and eco-friendly Cermica nonstick surface. But more than just reducing your carbon footprint, this new nonstick coating allows for easy food release and the ability to use less fat while cooking as well as for use in the oven for browning.
This compact 11-inch square griddle is great for quick breakfasts and on-the-go lunch sandwiches. This pan also delivers superior heat conductivity, requiring less energy to achieve the desired cooking temperature. Harder than stainless steel, the skillet's hard anodized exterior is dense, nonporous, and highly wear-resistant for extra durability and professional performance as well as quick and even heat distribution. Additionally, the securely riveted stay-cool steel handle--featuring a V-shaped base so that heat dissipates--is manufactured using 70 percent recycled stainless steel and is oven-safe to 500 degrees F, so food can be browned on the stovetop then transferred to the oven to finish cooking.
Cuisinart's GreenGourmet cookware is designed with an exclusive Cuisinart Ceramica nonstick surface, which features a petroleum-free, ceramic-based coating that is applied at a temperature one half that of traditional nonsticks. The coating does not contain PTFE and PFOA, substances often used in nonstick cookware that have raised health concerns over the years. It was also developed using manufacturing techniques that reduce harmful carbon emissions by consuming less energy. The coating is also water-based, unlike other nonstick coatings on the market, which are solvent-based. In addition, Cuisinart's cookware has a scratch-resistant nonstick surface that won't peel off. The new cookware conforms to FDA and European RoHS standards for environmentally sound products.
This pan should be hand-washed with a mild detergent, and it carries a limited lifetime warranty against defects. Cuisinart also gets some green cred from the packaging, which is made from 100 percent recycled materials and is printed using 100 percent biodegradable soy ink. --Agen G.N. Schmitz From the Manufacturer
Cuisinart GreenGourmet Hard-Anodized Cookware Series Cuisinart GreeenGourmet hard-anodized cookware.

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Emerilware 10-Inch Cast-Iron Square Grill Pan Review

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(More customer reviews)I went through three non-stick, very expensive pans from the major players, and every time the story was the same. I would really like the pan until I used it about six or seven times, then the non-stick coating would wear off and they would stick like mad. This is because proper grilling can only be done under high heat, in a preheated pan. Doing this to a non-stick pan heats it up well past its tolerances, and destroys the coating.
So finally I tried a cast iron grill pan from Lodge. It was excellent, and took to high heat well. It is pretty hard to clean, the food sticks a bit, and the grill marks are not as crisp as I would like. Still, it was much better than anything aluminum.
When I saw this one, I decided to try it since I like my other Emeril pans.
It is even better than my other one. Interesting, as I strongly suspect these Emeril pans are also made by Lodge. The little tweaks he made to the pan are well thought out. The ridges are tapered such that they almost come to a point. The result is clear sear lines with no sticking. It is also heavier than my other pan, so it holds heat better, and has much higher sides to help contain spatters.
There is one thing to be aware of, however. This pan is smaller than its Lodge counterpart, so it is well suited to grilling for two (even if the things you are making are large). If you are doing more than that, it'll get a little tight in there. I keep my Lodge pan around for the times I need more cooking space, but I can see this one is going to get a lot more use as I normally do two things at a time anyway.
The first time you use it, spray it lightly with cooking spray oil inside and out, then put it on a high heat burner until it smokes. Turn the burner off and let it cool off on the burner slowly by itself. This will help season it a bit (even though it is preseasoned) and make sure that you won't get any sticking the first time you use it.
If you are even thinking of experimenting with grilling, get this pan and give it a try.
Sean P. Logue, 2008

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There's nothing like cast iron cookware for exceptional heat conductivity and superior browning, and this 10-inch square cast iron grill pan from Emerilware is a great choice for cooking and serving up your favorite low fat, grilled foods with authentic restaurant stripes. It has a thick base for excellent heat retention--great for serving foods at the table--and it's perfect for browning and searing steaks, fish and veggies. Other features include a large, extra-long handle with a signature thumb rest for easy gripping. Hand wash only--cleans easily with mild detergent and soft sponge. Backed by a lifetime warranty.

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