When should you use a grill pan?

Use a grill pan when you want grill marks and a way to drain fat from meat or vegetables but you are cooking indoors on a stovetop. It suits steak, burgers, chicken, fish and vegetables, and it works when an outdoor grill is not available or not practical.

The pan does two jobs at once. Raised ridges hold food above the surface so it sears in lines, and the grooves between them collect grease that runs to the sides. The picks in our guide to Best Grill Pans for Indoor Searing and Grill Marks show how makers describe those two jobs, and the figures below come from what they publish.

Grill marks and fat drainage

The main reason to reach for a grill pan instead of a flat skillet is the ridged surface. Cooks Standard describes its Hard-Anodized Nonstick 11-inch Square Grill Pan as having raised ridges that create classic grill marks while draining excess fat away. SENSARTE makes the same point about its Nonstick Grill Pan, saying the raised ribs leave grill marks and keep the fat down in the grooves.

Drainage is the second half of that job. ESLITE LIFE fits its 9.5 Inch Nonstick Grill Pan with dual pour spouts on both sides so excess oil and liquid can be tipped out. SENSARTE also puts pour spouts on either side of its pan. If you are cooking bacon or fatty cuts and want the fat to leave the food, a ridged pan with spouts gives it somewhere to go.

Lodge frames the same idea around heat. Its Square Cast Iron Grill Pan is described as delivering high-heat searing and bold grill marks while channeling excess grease away. That combination, high heat on the food and grease off it, is the case for the pan.

What to cook in one

Makers list meat and vegetables most often. Cooks Standard names steak, burgers, chicken, vegetables and seafood. ESLITE LIFE lists bacon, steaks, grill cheese and browning onions. SENSARTE lists steak, bacon, grill cheese, chicken breast and veggies. EWFEN describes its Reversible Grill/Griddle as having a ribbed side for grilling meats such as steaks, lamb chops, fish and chicken, plus vegetables, and a smooth side for eggs, pancakes, toast and bacon.

That last pick is the flexible option in the guide. The EWFEN pan is a two-sided piece, so the ribbed face does the grill marks and the flat face handles foods that need full contact, like eggs and pancakes. It measures 16.75 inches deep by 9.5 inches wide by 0.63 inches high and weighs 9.85 pounds, so it spans two burners rather than sitting on one.

For single-burner cooking, the square pans are the fit. The Lodge pan is 10.5 inches wide, the Cooks Standard pan is 11 inches wide, and the ESLITE LIFE and SENSARTE pans are both listed at 9.5 inches.

Matching the pan to your heat source

Check the stovetop before you choose. Cooks Standard states its pan is compatible with gas, electric and ceramic stovetops and is not compatible with induction cooktops. ESLITE LIFE, SENSARTE and EWFEN each state compatibility with induction among other surfaces. Lodge lists stovetops, ovens, grills and campfires for its cast iron pan.

Oven use differs by pick. Cooks Standard states its pan is oven safe up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Lodge describes its pan as compatible with ovens. EWFEN lists ovens among its heat sources. If you plan to sear on the stovetop and finish in the oven, those three publish oven support; the ESLITE LIFE and SENSARTE listings in the fact sheet do not state an oven rating.

Weight matters if you will move the pan from burner to oven. The EWFEN griddle is 9.85 pounds and the Lodge pan is 6.5 pounds. The ESLITE LIFE pan is 1 pound, the SENSARTE pan is 2 pounds and the Cooks Standard pan is 3.2 pounds. Cast iron holds heat and weighs more; the coated aluminum pans are lighter.

Surface and care differences

The coating decides how you clean and store the pan. ESLITE LIFE uses a nonstick granite coating that it states is PFOA free. SENSARTE uses an ILAG nonstick coating it states is free of PFOA and PFOS. Cooks Standard uses a nonstick coating on hard anodized aluminum. Lodge and EWFEN take the opposite approach: Lodge states its pan is made with only iron and oil and is free from PFOA, PTFE and PFAS, and EWFEN describes a pre-seasoned cast iron surface.

Care follows from that. EWFEN states its griddle is not dishwasher safe and gives a care routine: dry it immediately after cleaning, then apply a thin layer of cooking oil to prevent rust. Lodge describes its cast iron as seasoned and easy to clean. The nonstick pans are described by their makers as simple to wipe or rinse.

None of this site’s picks has been used here. The figures and claims above are what the makers publish, and the choice between a coated pan and a cast iron one comes down to whether you want the lighter pan or the bare-metal surface.

When a grill pan is the wrong tool

Skip it when you need full contact between food and pan. A flat surface browns a larger area than ridges do, which is why EWFEN puts a smooth side on its griddle for eggs, pancakes and toast. If your goal is an even crust rather than lines, the ridged face works against you.

Skip it too if your cooktop is induction and the pan is not rated for it. Cooks Standard states plainly that its pan is not compatible with induction, so that pick suits gas, electric and ceramic only. Check the maker’s list before you buy.

Finally, a grill pan does not replace an outdoor grill for smoke or open flame. Lodge lists grills and campfires as compatible heat sources for its pan, which means the pan can go over a fire, but the cooking still happens on a ridged surface rather than through a grate.