Last Updated on November 27, 2023 by David Michael
Best Stove Top Grill Pans of 2023
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A stove top grill pan helps you bring the outdoors in. You can grill burgers, steaks, vegetables and more from your own kitchen without having to build a fire outside. A stove top grill pan lets you grill indoors even if it’s raining outside, or even in the winter when it’s too cold to grill outside. These are our picks for the best grill pans for stove use.
Why Use A Grill Pan
A stove top grill pan is a versatile and convenient kitchen tool that can replicate the style of outdoor grilling in the comfort of your own home. By using a grill pan, you can achieve the same beautiful charred grill marks on your food that you would get from an outdoor grill, without having to leave your kitchen or brave inclement weather.
One of the great benefits of using a stove top grill pan is that it allows you to cook your food in a healthier way. By keeping your food elevated above the bottom of the pan, a grill pan can help reduce the amount of fat that your food absorbs during cooking. This makes it an ideal cooking option for those who are looking for healthier ways to prepare their meals.
In addition to its health benefits, a stove top grill pan is also incredibly versatile. You can use it to cook a wide range of foods, including meats, vegetables, and even fruits. Whether you want to cook up some juicy steaks, grill some fresh vegetables, or make a delicious grilled cheese sandwich, a grill pan can do it all.
Our Top Stove Top Grill Pans
All of these are top quality pans from well known brands. We chose square grill pans as they offer a little more surface, but most of these are also available in a round shape also.
All of these grill pans are suitable for gas stoves and electric stoves. They all work on glass topped stoves and most of these are suitable for induction stoves. These are our picks for the best grill pans for stove top use.
Overall, a stove top grill pan is a must-have tool for any home chef who loves the taste of outdoor grilling but wants the convenience of cooking indoors. With its ability to replicate the style of outdoor grilling, reduce fat, and provide a versatile cooking surface, a grill pan is sure to become a staple in your kitchen.
Staub 12 ” Cast Iron Grill Pan with Grill Press
I own a Staub Grill Pan and Press and love it. This enameled cast iron pan is large enough to cook an entire meal in. It’s oven safe and works on all types of ranges, including induction. The ridged press is perfect for holding food against the grill and helps to keep heat in while letting steam escape. The interior cooking surface is actually a matte black enamel, and makes clean up a breeze. It makes exceptional grilled, pressed sandwiches in addition to all the steaks, burgers, vegetables and everything else. The Staub grill is available as a round grill pan also. I feel that the Staub grill pan with the press is among the best grill pans available as I use mine all the time. The smooth enameled bottom makes this one of the best grill pans for a glass top stove.
Calphalon Hard Anodized 11″ Grill Pan
The Calphalon grill pan is the lightest weight pan of our picks because it’s made of a hard anodized aluminum. It really packs in the features. This is the only pan we looked at that had a multi layer PFOA free non stick coating. This pan is also dishwasher safe. The Calphalon is suited for gas and electric stoves, but will not work on an induction stove. Not only is this grill pan oven safe, it’s also dishwasher safe.
Le Creuset 10.25″ Cast Iron Grill Pan
The Le Creuset cast iron grill pan is also entirely enameled inside and out. The pour spouts are great for pouring accumulated juices into a sauce pan to easily make a gravy or pan sauce. It’s oven safe and suitable for all types of stoves and ranges. The Le Creuset Grill Pan is also available as a round.
All-Clad Hard Anodized 11″ Grill Pan
All-Clad’s stove top grill pan is also made of a hard anodized aluminum, so it’s lighter than a cast iron pan. This will work on gas and electric stove tops, but not on an induction cooker. It has a multilayered non stick coating, and the manufacturer recommends hand washing to preserve that coating. It is oven safe to 500 degrees.
Lodge 10.5″ Cast Iron Grill Pan
This was the first cast iron grill pan I’ve ever owned. It comes pre-seasoned from Lodge, so it’s ready to use right out of the box. This pan is not enameled, and the bottom may scratch a glass topped stove. It is oven safe. This is a traditionally seasoned cast iron pan, so you need to be willing to care for it. Clean up is easy with a rinse and scrubbing in hot water, but you must dry the pan thoroughly and give it a light coating of oil every now and again. This comes with grill scrapers, which are such a great way to clean up any burned on mess.
Demeyere 11″ Stainless Steel Grill Pan
The only stainless steel grill pan we recommend is by Demeyere, the high quality Belgian cookware maker. This multilayered pan is suitable for any stove, including induction. Oven safe and suitable for the dishwasher. The stainless steel makes this an easy to clean grill pan. The smooth finish makes this a good choice for glass top stoves.
Where Can I use a Grill Pan?
Designed for stove top use, a grill pan is remarkably versatile. They are all suitable for traditional electric stove top as well as gas ranges. The grill pans with a smooth bottom, such as the enameled cast iron or stainless steel ones can be used on glass topped stoves and induction cooktops. All of the grill pans that we recommend can also be used in the oven, for finishing a particularly thick steak for instance. Induction cooktops work best with a larger diameter element, 8-10 inches in diameter works great. The portable induction stove didn’t perform very well, it has an induction element of only 4″ in diameter. You can even use these grill pans outdoors on your grill or in your bbq if you like.
Grill Pan Materials
A stove top grill pan can be made out of many materials. We love the performance of cast iron and enameled cast iron, they really hold on to the heat and can reach high temperatures easily. They made the best char marks. Hard anodized aluminum performed well as long as it was used over a high heat; they are also the lightest and easiest to handle. Stainless steel also worked surprisingly well, and is easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
What Can I Cook in a Grill Pan?
You can cook nearly anything in a grill pan. Grill pan steak, burgers, and chicken are naturals. A grill pan makes delicious vegetables; try grilled asparagus, brussels sprouts, and eggplant. Potatoes are great prepared in a grill pan. A stove top grill pan makes great char marks on tofu and mushrooms, halloumi is great seared with a grill pan. Salmon, duck, London broil, tuna, even hot dogs can be cooked in a stove top grill pan. Sandwiches are great in a grill pan, with or without using a grill press. Your choices are really only limited by your imagination. If you can cook it outside on a grill, you can most likely cook it indoors in a grill pan. There is likely to be a grill pan recipe specifically for what you’re cooking.
Stove Top Grill Pan Tips
As with any pan you need to let a grill pan get hot before using it. The most important usage tip is: oil the food, not the pan. If you oil the pan the oil can overheat and start smoking. Brush oil on the food and there should be no sticking problem with hot pan. I like a high heat oil like peanut or avocado oil.
Clean the pan of any burns as soon as you can after cooking. I pour water into my pan just past the pan ridges and let it soak during dinner. Grill pan scrapers are great for cleaning the ridges, but a good stiff brush works well too.
We hope you enjoy our selections and are certain you will find the perfect grill pan to meet your needs. If you’re looking for an indoor electric grill, we like the George Foreman Party Size Grill.
Happy grilling!
For more of our favorite cookware please check out our posts:
Best Induction Cookware: Our Favorites
Best Enameled Cast Iron Cookware
Best Cast Iron Cookware
Best Stainless Steel Cookware
Best Hard Anodized Cookware Sets
Best Copper Cookware
Best Carbon Steel Cookware
If you’re looking for a backyard grill, check out our post on Backyard Summer Accessories for our top picks.
Be sure to check out our post Cookware – The Kitchen Cornerstone for quick access to all of our cookware posts.