I Tested 10 Grill Pans—My 5 Favorites Got Top Marks

Diamonds are a girl's best friend. No, I don't mean boring old jewels. I'm talking about those recognizable crosshatched marks that are a signature of grill masters and steakhouse ribeyes. Heck, they can make even fast food burger ads look convincing. Achieving this look at home can be surprisingly tough, especially if you don't have the space or conditions to fire up a gas grill. Luckily, that's where a grill pan can come to the rescue.

To find the best grill pans, I tested 10 popular models. I looked at both seasoned cast iron and enamel-coated options to find the ones that heated evenly, were easy to clean, and, yes, produced the best grill marks. When all was said and done, I spent more than 30 hours evaluating grill pans.

The Tests

• Pressed Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: I cooked a grilled cheese sandwich in each pan (pressed down with a light weight) and noted if the pan browned the bread evenly across the grates.
• Chicken Breast Test: I grilled a butterflied chicken breast in each pan to see if the lean meat stuck to the grill grates. I also examined the quality of the marks.
• Burger Test: I grilled two high-fat blend beef burgers in each pan to judge how it handled rendered juice and higher heat.
• Pork Chop Test: I cooked a pork chop with each pan and evaluated how it did with a thicker cut of meat.
• Zucchini Test: I cooked 1/4-inch thick strips of zucchini on each grill pan, to see how many planks the pan fit and how it did with a more delicate food.
• Usability and Cleanup Tests: Throughout testing, I evaluated how easy the grill pans were to use, maneuver during cooking, and clean according to their manufacturers' instructions.
  

What We Learned

What's a Grill Pan Good For?

Grill pans are great for getting grill marks, but they won’t ever impart the same smoky, flame-licked flavor that comes from an outdoor grill. A grill pan lacks the powerful radiant heat that you get from hot coals (and, to a lesser extent, flames on a gas grill). Instead, heat is conducted from the pan straight to where the food touches the metal (just like a traditional skillet).

That all being said, for people who want the option to grill a big handful of veggies or a few portions of protein for dinner without the setup or space a grill requires, you can replicate some of that char (sans smoky taste) inside your home with the right grill pan.

Better Grill Marks Came From Taller Grates

A grill pan should have grates that are high enough to keep food elevated from the bottom of the pan. This helps create those gorgeous grill marks and allows moisture to channel away from the food and encourages browning. The Tramontina Grill Pan had the lowest grate height of the bunch at 0.1 inches; food actually touched the bottom of the pan in between the grates during cooking. In the burger test, these shallow grates trapped rendered fat around the burger, essentially frying the entire bottom of the patty in its own fat. A delicious result, but one that’s more effectively achieved using a smashed burger method in a standard flat cast iron pan, if that’s what you’re going for.

On the other hand, the FINEX Seasoned Cast Iron Grill Pan had the highest grates that were a full quarter-inch deep. The grill marks that resulted were bold and defined. However, the chicken took longer to cook through, and the grilled cheese was soft in between the lines due to the lack of radiant heat from the bottom of the pan. To balance height with heat, the sweet spot for our winning models' grate depth was about 0.2 inches.

Uncoated Cast Iron Was Best for Char

Enamel-coated cast iron offers plenty of perks: it can absorb and distribute heat just as well as regular cast iron, plus you don't have to season it. It’s a phenomenal material for a Dutch oven, but not all its pros translate to grill pans. While enameled pans can get hot (Staub's are oven-safe up to 900°F), it’s recommended to preheat them at lower temperatures and cook over medium heat to avoid damaging the coating.

Comparatively, traditional cast iron had no issues getting—and staying—super hot. It performed well at smoking temperatures, which helped me attain the grill marks and char I was looking for. This is also one reason I didn’t include nonstick grill pans in my tests: nonstick should never be used at high heats.

Flat, Broad Handles Were the Most Comfortable to Hold Onto

Easy-to-grip handles were vital for making adjustments while cooking or holding the pan steady while washing. Handles that were rounded (like on the Tramontina pan) were hard to grip with an oven mitt; they were also slippery while cleaning. The FINEX pan, in particular, had a surprisingly efficient quick-cool handgrip, but it was nearly impossible to grasp securely due to the bulbous, spring-shaped design. Comparatively, my winning models had flatter handles with rectangular angles that offered leverage for a secure hold.

The Criteria: What To Look for in a Grill Pan

A great grill pan should heat evenly and get hot enough to create grill marks and a little char. Its grill grates should be tall enough so the food doesn’t touch the bottom or sit in its drippings, but not too tall to prevent things from cooking evenly. Lastly, it should have flat, broad handles that are easy to hold with oven mitts on.

Our Favorite Grill Pans

The Best Grill Pan

Lodge Chef Collection 11-Inch Cast Iron Square Grill Pan

$43 at Amazon $60 at Kohls.com

What we liked: The Lodge Chef Collection grill pan was a breeze to clean and heated evenly. The grill grates were high enough to keep the food off the bottom of the pan (and out of any rendered liquid), creating crispy textures and winning grill marks. The shallow sides made it easy to move food in the pan with tongs or a spatula. It was sturdy and adaptable, making it as suitable for a weekend camping trip as it was to sear steaks or toast a slice of crusty bread at home.

What we didn’t like: This pan had two short handles rather than one long one, so I had to use two oven-mitt-covered hands to move it while it was hot. Its low walls also mean that this pan could create more splatters to clean up around your stove, although I didn’t find a significant difference between it and higher-walled pans during testing.

Key Specs

• Weight: 7.14 lbs
• Materials: Pre-seasoned cast iron
• Care instructions: Hand-wash only using a pan scraper, chainmail scrubber, brush, or sponge; dry promptly, and rub with cooking oil to season
• Dishwasher-safe: No
• Number of grates: 11
• Depth of grill grates: 0.2 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes

The Best Enameled Cast Iron Grill Pan

Staub Enameled 12 Inch Square Cast Iron Grill Pan

$254 at Amazon View on Williams Sonoma $150 at Wayfair

What we liked: This pan created nice caramelization and grill marks in all three tests. It required more time to warm up, but it held onto that heat and distributed it evenly over the entire cooking surface. It was also the easiest of the enameled pans to clean. 

What we didn’t like: Compared to cast iron pans, it took a little longer to scrub off stuck-on bits after cooking. This pan also had some light sticking during the chicken test, but it released easily after an extra 30 seconds of searing. It's also expensive.

Key Specs

• Weight: 7.3 lbs
• Materials: Enameled cast iron
• Care instructions: Let the pan cool before cleaning, then use warm water, dish soap, and a soft sponge or brush; dry completely
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes, but not recommended
• Number of grates: 13
• Depth of grill grates: 0.2 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes

The Best Splurge Cast Iron Grill Pan

Smithey Ironware Co. No. 12 Grill Pan

View on Smithey.com View on Acmetools.com

What we liked: This was by far the heaviest pan of all my picks, and the extra material retained more heat than any other model tested—it still registered at 302ºF five minutes after the heat was cut. That extra heat helped sear both sides of everything I cooked, resulting in deep, even grill marks. Its grill grates were polished, so food released easily when it was time to flip, and its deep sides kept fat from splattering out onto the stovetop. It may be a little pricey, but it’s a beautiful, well-made piece if you’re up for the investment. 

What we didn’t like: Besides its weight (which was a pro and a con), the only downside to this pan was its price.

Key Specs

• Weight: 10.8 lbs
• Materials: Cast iron
• Care instructions: Hand-wash only using a pan scraper, chainmail scrubber, brush, or sponge; dry promptly, and rub with cooking oil to season
• Dishwasher-safe: No
• Number of grates: 17
• Depth of grill grates: 0.2 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes
  

The Best Budget Cast Iron Grill Pan

Victoria Cast Iron Square Grill Pan

$25 $16 at Amazon View on Walmart $38 $16 at Macy's

What we liked: This was one of the lighter pans I tested. it heated up quickly, taking just under four minutes to reach 300ºF. Because it was quick to heat, it was able to recover rapidly and sear both sides of whatever I was cooking with nice, deep char marks. Food released easily from the grates, and its slightly smaller footprint centered it well over the burner. It performed admirably overall and was a great value at its price point.

What we didn’t like: Because it heated so quickly, it could be hard to manage the surface temperature. In some cooking tests, the grates seared too aggressively before the food was cooked through. This led to some sticking, but with a bit of practice, I was able to control the temperature swings. 

Key Specs

Key Specs

• Weight: 5 pounds
• Materials: Cast iron
• Care instructions: Hand-wash only using a pan scraper, chainmail scrubber, brush, or sponge; dry promptly, and rub with cooking oil to season
• Dishwasher-safe: No
• Number of grates: 12
• Depth of grill grates: 0.2 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes

The Best Budget Enameled Cast Iron Grill Pan

Cuisinart Chef's Classic 9.25-Inch Square Grill Pan

$50 $37 at Amazon View on Walmart

What we liked: Overall, this pan performed well. It heated evenly and seared deep grill marks, plus its grill grates were close enough together that food didn't droop between them. It was reasonably priced for an enameled cast iron pan, making it a great choice for anyone on a budget who wants easy cleanup and decent marks.

What we didn’t like: The grates were shallower than I preferred, so the grill marks weren't as defined as the other winners. It required tweaks to temperature and cook times to brown food as consistently, too. Meat also stuck to the grates at times. Since the interior is enamel, its nonstick properties won’t improve over time like cast iron.

Key Specs

• Weight: 6.5 lbs
• Materials: Enameled cast iron
• Care instructions: Let the pan cool before cleaning, then use warm water, dish soap, and a soft sponge or brush; dry completely
• Dishwasher-safe: Yes, but not recommended
• Number of grates: 20
• Depth of grill grates: 0.125 inches
• Induction compatible: Yes

The Competition

• Lodge 10.5 Inch Cast Iron Grill Pan: This pan was easy to clean and heated consistently, but its grates were shallow. The burgers cooked in their own juices, making them look steamed rather than grilled.
• Le Creuset Square Skillet Grill Pan: While this pan yielded distinct grill marks and crisp texture on the grilled cheese, there was some sticking during the grilled chicken test (even after a brush of oil). The shallower grates also meant that the burgers weren’t elevated enough during cooking.
• Backcountry Cast Iron 10-Inch Medium Square Grill Pan: The Backcountry pan performed similarly to the other cast iron models but heated less evenly, with hot and cool spots in all three cooking tests. Its out-of-the-box seasoning had a rough finish and needed a little more care when cleaning than the Lodge pans, but this improved slightly after several uses.
• Tramontina Grill Pan: The grill grates on this pan were the lowest of all the models I tested, causing the burgers to fry in their fat and brown between grill marks.
• FINEX Seasoned Cast Iron Grill Pan: The grill grates on the FINEX pan were so high that they prevented the food from cooking evenly. They were also tough to get in between while cleaning and seasoning. The large, bulbous handle and diamond shape of the pan made it hard to hold and maneuver, especially when hot.

FAQs

Do I need a grill pan?

While grill pans can’t replicate the smoke and char flavors of an outdoor grill (or even a good indoor grill), they tend to be easy to use and clean while providing the look and feel of a grilled meal. Grill pans are good options for people who live in an apartment or want to skip the hassle of an outdoor grill.

What is the best shape for a grill pan?

For nearly all uses, square and round grill pans work equally well. The base of your pan should be about the same size as your burner, especially if you have a gas stove, to prevent damage to the walls of your pan (flames should never go up around the sides). Pans that are 10 to 11.5 inches are ideal for most stoves.

How do I clean a grill pan?

For enameled grill pans, let the pan cool before cleaning with a non-abrasive sponge, soap, and warm water. For traditional cast iron, scrub with a cleaning brush or sponge and warm water. You can use a little dish soap (yes, it's fine), coarse salt, and/or a chainmail scrubber if needed for stubborn bits. Dry your cast iron pan completely, then rub it all over with a thin layer of unsaturated oil (like canola or vegetable oil) and heat on a stovetop until it lightly smokes; this will add another layer of seasoning for its next use.

Should I buy a nonstick grill pan?

In short: no. Nonstick pans should not be used at high heat because their coatings can start to break down around 500˚F. Grill pans can (and should) get hot enough to char. An enameled cast iron grill pan is a better choice than a nonstick, though even those aren't designed to handle the smoking-hot temperatures that cast iron can.

Why We're the Experts

• Ashlee Redger is a recipe developer and writer who has spent most of her career in test kitchens. She's authored many equipment reviews, including nakiri knives and induction burners.
• For this review, she tested 10 grill pans—making grilled cheese, burgers, vegetables, pork chops, and more. She spent more than 30 hours testing these pans to land on five favorites.
• Our favorite grill pans have entered long-term testing. We will update this review with any notable feedback.