Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6167 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: LE CREUSET UK LTD
• Model: 201232659
• Released on: 2003-09-25

Manufacturer's Description
Grilled food has a number of advantages. Its healthy, its quick and its versatile. And these help to make grilling an ideal midweek meal option when time is at a real premium.

Le Creuset have been making ribbed and flat grills for a number of years because cast iron is the best material for use for an item that has to withstand very high grill temperatures. Apart from the strength a cast iron grill offers – it won’t damage when hot as other materials do. All Le Creuset Grills and Grillits are also completely covered in virtreous enamel, protecting the surface and making it far easier to use and clean.

What advantages does this black enamel offer?
(1) Grilling is carried out on surfaces that become very hot and the black enamel can withstand those temperatures.

(2) At high temperatures some elements in the food itself e.g. sugars will caramelise (these produce the attractive sear lines on food) and these will, over time, cause discoolouring on lighter enamels which may be difficult to remove.

(3) A black enamel surface will remain black and allow its patina to build. A patina is a baked on surface produced with continued cooking. It is produced naturally from the oils you use for grilling and the oils and fats produced from the food themselves. The stronger the patina the better the cooking surface will become, eventually allowing almost fat free grilling.

Why do Le Creuset grills not have a non-stick cooking surface?
(1) Because it isn’t necessary. A black vitreous enamel surface can offer all the advantages of a non-stick surface but will not damage, peel or deteriorate during high temperature grilling.

(2) No non-stick surface can withstand the repeated high surface temperatures that grilling requires. Therefore a non-stick surface will deteriorate quickly and peel off.

(3) Additionally a non-stick surface will not produce the same seared finish to the food. Cooked food colours are usually paler and the food often has less flavour as a result.

About Le Creuset
Refusing to compromise on manufacturing, materials or performance Le Creuset is the perfect accompaniment for eating good food at home. From casseroles for steaming, grills for searing and woks for stir-frying each product is manufactured to the highest quality using only the finest ingredients to guarantee unbeatable results. Beautifully presented and dynamically designed Le Creuset is at home in today’s modern kitchen as well as traditional ones.

Whether you are a novice or a pro in the kitchen, Le Creuset is a must. Synonymous with the world’s finest enameled cast iron cookware Le Creuset also boasts an extensive range of desirable stainless steel, stoneware and silicone – guaranteeing culinary delights every time to your kitchen.

Box Contains
1 x Le Creuset Cast Iron Granite 26cm Round Grillit

Customer Reviews

The 'Star' of My Kitchen
One of the biggest criticisms of this skillet is that the meat sticks to the surface of the pan. What I think folk fail to understand is that the skillet needs to be heated slowly from low to medium. I never use full gas and my results, since just a half a dozen uses, have been teflon smooth. It just gets better and better as time goes by.

Don't soak too long before cleaning (with a light scourer or sponge), do dry well and lightly oil after washing, and enjoy a lifetime of beautifully seared steaks, chops and fish. This skillet is superb - and does wonders for my right bicep!



This is how to cook a real steak!

Cast iron cookware, but be prepared for the downside
If you're a keen cook, there are some brands you just want in your kitchen - from Global knives to the solid, cast iron reassurance of Le Creuset.

Quality is evident from the moment you pick up this griddle pan - well, that is if you can pick it up! Be prepared for the weight of the pan, which will give you a good workout lifting it from the hob and more often than not will need a good, two handed grip.

The weight has its benefits however. It stays on the hob firmly, which means you can stir or scrape away to your hearts content. And that solid metal heats up to a good, high heat and retains it for a long time.

Which is also something to take into account with the pan - it's solid metal, including the handle, which gets blisteringly hot. You'll need to be very switched on to health and safety in your house to make sure unwary family members don't sear themselves on the pan, still unexpectedly hot long after cooking seems to have stopped. And be careful about putting it down on expensive worktops (especially teak/wood surfaces which can react with the metal and stain badly).

Naturally, the classic Le Creuset fan will find it hard to consider any colour other than the famous "volcanic", but the granite benefits on several fronts. It matches just about anything thanks to its relatively neutral hue. It tends not to show up the flecks of burning, grime and grease that the lighter Le C colours can do (including the volcanic, for that matter) and unlike some of the more wild colours, it tends to be a consistent shade.

As mentioned in a previous review, this is professional cookware which does an excellent job and will last longer than you (the kids will thank you for leaving the Creuset to them in the will) - but it's not forgiving cookware. You need to learn how it best works to sear and mark meat with those griddle lines perfectly and pay close attention to cleaning instructions, which do require a bit more work than your standard non-stick pans.

Who buys Le Creuset? I find it tend to fall into two main camps - those who think (quite rightly) that it's some of the best looking cookware on offer and like it in their kitchen, even if they don't use it. Then there are those who just know it is some of the most bombproof, quality equipment available, which gets the job done well. Some of us might do both!

Who isn't it suitable for? Those who really can't be bothered with equipment with a learning curve and those with weak arms!