The CellarEnameled Cast Iron 11" Grill Pan, Macy's Exclusive

Fairly easy to use and clean given expectations

Grill pans are a touchy subject it seems! While I agree with many of the limitations, I feel like some of the hate they get are due to improper expectations. So let's get those out of the way. This won't replace a grill. It's a stovetop cast iron, so there's no heat from an open flame rising up between the grills (since the "grills" here are raised from the cast iron bottom). Don't expect to grill meat here in the same way you'd grill on a proper charcoal grill or anything similar. However, I find this is great for things that you want to grill without coming into contact with as large of a surface area as a flat bottom pan, and/or things that you want to lift up from the juices that may collect (e.g. vegetables, paninis, etc). A big plus for this particular grill pan is that it's enameled. Normally enameled items have pros and cons, but given the use case for these, I would prefer the ease of cleaning/maintenance from enamel. It's nice not having to worry about seasoning and being able to use more normal dish soaps, etc. I am still careful with it to lower chances of chipping. But cleaning was easier than expected from what I've heard. I made Texas toast for the first time indoors on this, and it wasn't bad! I did get one piece a bit more blackened, but that was on me for having it closer to the flame. It was nice that the bread wasn't as overly soaked as if I were to use a flat pan, and also the grill marks were preferred instead of having the entire surface seared. Cleaning was fairly simple - I waited for it to cool down and then just washed with warm soapy water with a non-abrasive sponge. The grills are too high, so it was easy to clean in the grooves. I think grilling meat on here would be more difficult, including the cleaning. I look forward to trying vegetables though and perhaps grilled cheese sandwiches. It's not something I would use all the time, but it's nice to have for certain occasions!