My Beloved Grill Pan

When the cold and snow hits, I don't get real excited about going outside to cook on the grill. I do, however, still like a grilled steak and a great way to get that (while staying dry and warm) is with a grill pan.

The pan is about 20" by 11" and stretches across 2 burners. And with 2 burners as a heat source, this pan gets really hot...perfect for grilling a steak. Does a great job on fish and chicken, too. The raised ridges impart really nice grill marks and keeps the meat away from any drained fat.

I've only used it on a gas cook top, so I cannot attest to how it would work on an electric cook top. The pans start at around $30 for a cast iron version (Lodge) and can go all the way to $150 for a top-of-the-line, non-stick, dishwasher-safe model (Scanpan).

My experience is that the pans reach full temperature in about 5-7 minutes.When you cook with a grill pan, stay away from really fatty cuts like rib eye steak. Fat creates a lot of smoke when it cooks and without proper ventilation, you will give your smoke alarms a run for their money. Check it out here: http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/95792-scanpan-classic-double-burner-grill.aspx?sourcecode=BW1CS1009&srccode=cii_5784816&cpncode=25-6792882-2#reviews