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See why.Grill Cookware
Grill cookware promises to make it easier to grill small chunks of food so they don’t fall into the fire. But can it give you the same results as grilling directly on the grates?
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What You Need To Know
Grill grates are designed to be spread out, with space between them providing direct exposure to intense heat so that you get the charred, caramelized, slightly smoky taste of perfectly grilled food. Why, then, would you ever need cookware that stands between you and your grill?
While open grates are fine for steaks, burgers, or bone-in chicken pieces, grilling small or delicate items such as seafood or vegetables can require acrobatics to prevent them from falling into the fire. Whether you’re cutting zucchini into planks, wrapping fish in foil, or skewering chunks of boneless meat, a new category of cookware promises an easier option. Shaped like indoor cookware but perforated to allow exposure to the fire, grill cookware is designed to contain and cook smaller, more fragile foods without special preparation—and without sacrificing grill flavor, good browning, or even some charring.
That said, there’s no consensus among manufacturers on style or material. Grill cookware comes in three starkly different designs (woks, skillets with handles, and rectangular sheet pans) and in materials that run the gamut from wire mesh, aluminum, and stainless steel to enameled cast iron and porcelain- or nonstick-coated steel. To determine for ourselves which design and material (if any) worked best, we rounded up models priced from about $5.00 to $50.00 in all three styles and a range of materials. We also threw in an adjustable pan that allows the user to manipulate the size from large to small and a disposable aluminum model that could be cut, bent, and shaped.
The Hole Story
Because recent tryouts of other grill accessories (presses and baskets) taught us that most of this equipment isn’t worth buying, we approached testing with skepticism. As we grilled flaky cod fillets, medium shrimp with chopped vegetables, and batches of quartered potatoes over a gas grill, our caution proved sound: More than half the grill cookware performed poorly.
The worst were the grill woks. This style of grill pan features a narrow bottom and high sides that kept ingredients crammed together and made food steam rather than brown for results so lousy we eliminated such pans from consideration. Also on the cutting block: any grill pans (irrespective of design) with nonstick coatings. High temperatures made this type of cookware emit fumes the first few times we used them, tainting food with a chemical smell and taste.
But some pans did impress us, especially as we learned how best to use them. Across the board, we found that preheating the pans on the grill helped our food cook faster, with much better browning and flavor. We also learned which features matter m...
Everything We Tested
Highly Recommended
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 3 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 3 stars out of 3.
This sturdy pan was well designed, with 1/8-inch slits rather than holes, so that even chopped onion pieces didn’t fall through. Its four raised sides kept food on the pan when we stirred; raised handles helped us lift it off the grill easily with heavy mitts. Good heat retention meant good browning.
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 3 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 3 stars out of 3.
Lightweight and easily maneuverable, this skillet of steel mesh with a lattice of ¼-inch spaces caramelized and gave excellent grill flavor to shrimp, vegetables, potatoes, and fish. Though it blackened, the mesh did not trap food or become difficult to clean. The cooking surface is larger than it appears because of gently flared sides. One gripe: We wish the metal handle were removable, so we couldn’t accidentally touch it with bare hands.
Recommended
- Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 3 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 2 stars out of 3.
We liked this pan’s heat-retaining stainless steel and moderately raised handles. At 5/8 inch wide, the holes were small enough to keep food from falling out. However, a wide strip of unperforated metal around each edge allowed food to steam, and the rim only extended to three sides. The pan also warped slightly during cooking.
- Design: 3 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 2 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 3 stars out of 3.
A solid performer, thanks to four raised sides, easy-to-grip handles, a generous cooking surface, and square ¼-inch holes. On the other hand, it warped slightly when cooking fish, and over time the porcelain coating acquired a gunky film that was hard to scrub away.
Recommended with reservations
- Design: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 2 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 2 stars out of 3.
This heavy pan, the priciest in our lineup, had large oval and medium-sized round holes that let smaller onions and potatoes drop into the fire. But it excelled at caramelizing any vegetables that stayed in the pan as well as grilling delicate fish; plus, it retained heat beautifully on cold days. Winter grillers, take note.
Not Recommended
- Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 2 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 2 stars out of 3.
Completely covered with 3/8-inch round holes and featuring three raised sides, this porcelain-coated topper provided good grill exposure. Yet it warped badly, and the porcelain coating became gunky after repeated use.
- Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 2 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 1 stars out of 3.
The folding (but not removable) wood handle was for storage rather than cooking: It snapped down into our food when we attempted to position it vertically to close the charcoal grill lid, and its metal trim got red-hot.
- Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 2 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 2 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 1 stars out of 3.
Big holes on this pricey pan were made worse by a large cut-out “Cuisinart” across the middle that allowed small foods to escape. This pan warped, and the removable handle was so poorly designed that we stopped using it, leaving us with a flat and hard-to-maneuver sheet.
- Design: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cleanup: 1 stars out of 3.
- Cooking: 1 stars out of 3.
- User-Friendliness: 1 stars out of 3.
You can snip, bend, and customize these disposable grill sheets, which start out flat. However, they warp dramatically over heat and lose food off the sides and through the ½-inch holes. Once bent, the sheets are impossible to flatten, so when reusing them—which you can do a few times—you are starting with a warped surface.
Reviews you can trust
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them.
Lisa McManus
Lisa is an executive editor for ATK Reviews, cohost of Gear Heads on YouTube, and gadget expert on TV's America's Test Kitchen.